Kings of the Road

- Fri 23rd May 2003

As we come of age with our 18th ride, on reflection it seems that all of the attention paid to the Paris to Hayling Charity Cycle Ride over the years has been focused on the cyclists and not enough on the people who make it all happen, normally very smoothly. These are the men and women of the support crew who have sweated blood for the Bike Ride, rather than a rider’s cooling perspiration. Their contribution has been immense and the number who have taken part nearing a hundred, as the following roll call of support crew members since the early days of the event illustrates:SUPPORT CREW MEMBERS 1989-2002




John Adcock, Vanessa Adcock, Michelle Amies, Rosemary Arnold, Bill Bailey, Carol Bailey, Phil the Bill Baker, Diane Bloy, Fred Bond, Micky Broadhurst, Radar Broadhurst, Mike Burbridge, Chip Carpenter, Cate Carpenter, David Collins, Mark Cook, Rachel Cox, Colin Cox, Kev Crocker, Norman Crook, Vincent De Lattre, Sharon Donovan, Susie Dyer, Judy Dyer, Ella Dyer, Paul Edwards, Rod Elliott, Cherry Elliott, Maureen Erlebach, Gordon Erlebach, Trina Finney, Annie Fordham, Marion Forster, Gill Furlonger, Suzy Godwin, Georgie Gross, Chris Hampshaw, Clare Hancock, Mick Hancock, Mike Hankins, MalcolmHarris, Dave Hartley, Steve Hollis, Paul Hollis, Jean Hood, Paul Hughes, Catherine Hutchings, Mike Jones, Ann Kent, Helena Key, Roger Key, Tony Lennard, Wendy Lennard, Brandon Macdonald, Rick Maveus, Maryon McQuade, Geoff Mead, Becca Meiklem, Morgue Morgan, Guy Moss, Paul Mumford, Steve Munt, Ann Nash, Simon Panton, Maurice Peachey, Kate Pichon, Averil Pollicott, Ian Pollicott, Tricia Riddell, Ray Riddell, Dave Samways, Dave Sanders, Kev Sanders, Phil Saunders, Pat Saunders, Mark Sawyers, Paul Shaddick, Tessa Smith, Colin Smith, Fruit Bat Stirzaker, Stompy Stirzaker, Jon Thompson, Carole Turner, Gill West, Neil Willingham, Dawn Yelverton




A PRESIDENT’S RECOLLECTIONS OF SUPPORT




Pete McQuade, founder and president of the ride, has fond memories of the support crew’s contributions to the event, as the following account shows:




Back in 1988, on the 3rd Paris to Hayling Charity Cycle Ride, newcomer Kevin Crocker, shocked fellow cyclists and himself by winning a prize for first rider home. In making this award, never in fact given before or since, we were emphasising the light-hearted side of the cycling involved in this serious fund raising event. Kevin was technically the first home to Hayling, he was the first off the Hayling ferry, storming the landing stage to be the first in the Ferry Boat Inn.




Kevin, no doubt overwhelmed with his initial success, possibly worried that he might find it hard to repeat it and blaming a bad back, duly retired from long distance cycling. A brief but brilliant career was thus terminated, almost before it began. Still, what other cyclist can claim to have won 100% of the events that they entered: Mercx, Induran, Armstrong, not one of them can claim this record. But Kevin was determined to achieve something else in life. He became a member of the Paris to Hayling Support Team and has remained one ever since, without missing a year.




Every year, 150 or so tired, but happy, cyclists return to Hayling with their battered knees, sore derrieres and empty packs of Ibuprofen, having raised tons of money for charity (over £500,000 so far), but behind this successful story lies a body of dedicated people who forsake up to a week of their summer to ensure that the Paris To Hayling works smoothly and that all riders arrive back safe and sound. Well, maybe not sound, because they probably would not do it anyway if they were, but at least safe.




When Kevin first got involved, the other mainstays of the support team were Guy Moss and Chip Carpenter. Guy was a Ride pioneer, joining myself, Paul Fisher and 17 others on ride number 2, in 1986. Chip joined up the next year. He put aside the utter confusion of that years start (we could not find it, the route had been planned during a hangover and never rechecked) and soon got stuck into his first challenge: being what to do with a tridem that had literally fallen apart – it turned out to be two ex-post office bikes that had been welded (or possible soldered!) together. These three were the backbone of a team that grew in experience and numbers as the Ride grew. Initially, best use of the vans was a challenge, with all support vans having a tendency to arrive outside the same café at the same time, by accident. In 1989, however, we introduced radios and they were able to do it deliberately, but at the same time they could now optimise coverage of the route.




The Support Crew were the butt of many jokes, especially in my presentation speeches at the end of the rides. Special route notes were produced in large letters so that they could read them (I will be taping this article for their convenience) and I still don’t know how many support team members it takes to change a light bulb, or indeed a tyre. But behind the banter there was huge recognition of the vital role that they performed. Many of the support team have had their special talents or characteristics: Chip and Kevin are good bike mechanics and Kevin of course has a hat, the much-missed Judy Dyer brought her nursing skills to the aid of the ride (the support team has normally included at least one medically trained person), Maryon McQuade introduced sweets and recently Tessa continued the culinary innovation with the introduction of flapjacks. Paul Mumford, who joined Support a couple of years back, after a colourful career in the saddle, has brought an enhanced degree of humour to the Ride. There is nothing more disconcerting for a hard working cyclist than to round the corner of an obscure French country Lane and then to see an English Bobby (circa 1940) directing the traffic, explaining to the French that the road has been enclosed, occupied by the British and goodness knows what else! I have not seen Paul recently, although I hear he is spending a lot of time in France. I suspect that the French have finally caught up with him and put him where he belongs…Devil’s Island !




But at the end of the day, support cannot be measured by one thing or even ultimately by any number of specific things. Riders do need help with their bikes, they certainly need to be patched up from time to time and they need sustenance in terms of drinks, high energy snacks and bananas. Perhaps the biggest requirement for the Support Crew is for them to offer encouragement, particularly to the newer riders who no matter how fit they might be, still struggle on cycling such a distance for the first time. Encouraging them on the their way, welcoming them at the top of hills (with water), tell them its only a few miles to go when its really 30, including some nasty hills (serves them right for not reading their route notes), are all key parts of the role. Also, from time to time, riders get lost and support vans are dispatched to find them and indeed sometimes support vans also get lost and other support vans are sent off to find them! On many evenings, long after most riders have checked in at their hotels, showered, changed and departed for dinner, the last team arrives, having perhaps escorted the last few riders to the very end. And often the day has not stopped there, luggage deliveries are being made, bikes have been mended and even rebuilt long into the evening.




As the ride has grown and as we have tried to be more sophisticated with our support, leading/administrating the team and its resources has become a daunting task. We have been lucky in having dedicated people to undertake this. Gordon Erlebach did a super job for a couple of years and Rod Elliott contributed magnificently one summer, which was greatly appreciated, even if he did mange to lock my brand new company car with the keys inside (we are still friends!). This happened on day which has gone down in Bike ride folklore as Black Friday, when many things went wrong and indeed one of the support team had to be rushed back to the UK, because his daughter was critically ill (fortunately she made a full recovery). Perhaps it is the ability to cope with the unexpected, shown by Rod and his gang that year, which highlights the special value of our support teams. More recently, Dave Hartley made a valuable contribution keeping it together during the damp and problematic excursion to Gorron in 2000, before passing the baton to Roger Key. Over this time magnificent service has also been given by John Adcock, who as well as leading the team on two occasions, has been there in the background, helping with the support planning for many years now. John has often been a key person “back at base”, sorting out various tasks that need to be dealt with when riders are en-route, a task which Maryon McQuade and Leigh Hunter have also been involved in. Lee has had a very special involvement in our official finishes: the so called “Welcome Back”, which completes every ride. These aspects of support are just as vital as the en-route assistance and are sometimes overlooked.






A number of the support team have also ridden the ride, not only Kevin Crocker and Paul Mumford, but also among others Chip Carpenter, Judy Dyer, Maryon McQuade, Bill Bailey and the Saunders on their tandem. There can be no question that understanding the trials and tribulations of being a cyclist has made them more effective support team members. The general view it seems is that supporting the Ride is far tougher than cycling!





Sourcing support vehicles is as important as sourcing people to go in them! We have had generous donations of individual vans and other vehicles over the years from a number of Islanders and ride participants and the Support Crew have often provided their own, but we have always struggled in this area. We pride ourselves on minimal administration expenses and giving 100% of pledged money to charity. To keep this up we must avoid spending a fortune on transport. This year Victory Vauxhall have come up trumps and generously supplied 4 vehicles (including one for the Channel To Channel), as well as giving us a cash donation to help cover administration costs. All connected with the Ride would like to thank John Sparshatt-Worley and Victory Vauxhall and also Islander Dougie Sharp for “brokering” this arrangement.







Chip has decided to give the Paris to Hayling a break but has helped every year with our other event, the Channel to Channel. Guy Moss’s work commitments have also prevented him from participating for some years. I hope they will be back soon.


However, Kevin Crocker is about to clock about 15 years on the Ride and the other Kev - Kevin Saunders, John Adcock, Rod Elliott , Dave Collins (invaluably whizzing up and down the Ride on his motorcycle) and Maryon McQuade, all have a decade or more of experience with the Ride. Moreover they and Roger Keys will be joined again this year by other experienced or new support crew members. I know that they will again make a unique contribution towards keeping our Ride special: a Ride which is consistently rated as better than any other Charity ‘cyclathon’.





We would not have raised the money that we have without the Support Crew’s support and so I am sure all riders past and present and all who have benefited from the funds we have raised would want to join me in saying a big thank you to all support team members.





COME AND JOIN US FOR RIDE 2003!




We are still actively looking for new riders for this year’s ride in July. There are plenty of places on both the 3-Day and 5-day versions and we would love to see more Islanders taking part in Hayling’s premier charity event. It doesn’t matter what standard of cyclist you are – even total beginners have time to prepare, as well as get the minimum £150 sponsorship for their chosen deserving cause. Please get in contact using the numbers below.




Welcome Home at The Hayling School


For the first time, the venue for this year’s return is our main Island school, as part of a number of events being arranged for the day. The bike ride Welcome Home sub-committee has been liaising with the school’s administration, governing body and fundraising committee to make it a special day on Saturday 12th July. We hope that a number of riders will be raising funds to assist with the bid for special status.




Well done, Victory Vauxhall!


Victory Vauxhall of Hilsea, Portsmouth, has emerged as a major sponsor, agreeing not only to supply four support vehicles, as announced in the March edition of the Islander, but also to underwrite the reprint of the letterhead, on which their logo is displayed, pay the print cost of our promotional postcards and make a contribution to the cost of the new road jerseys. Once again, we have to thank Hayling Islander Doug Sharpe for the introduction to his old friends in the motor trade and look forward to working with Victory Vauxhall, who are celebrating the car manufacturer’s centenary.




Entry Fees & Further Details




Entry fees are £195 for the basic 3-Day Paris to Hayling Charity Cycle Ride and £315 for the 5-Day Cycling Week, including dinner together at Le Mercure on the last night in Le Havre. The dates are overnight on Tuesday 8th July to Saturday 12th July, with the 5-Dayers going out on the afternoon of Sunday 6th July. A deposit of £95 is required to secure entry.


Phone enquiries to 023 9246 1412 or by post to Paris to Hayling, PO Box 30, Hayling Island, Hants, PO11 9UD. Mobile – 07770-888501.


Website - www.hayling-cycle-ride.org.uk


e-mail address – paul.fisher69@ntlworld.com

By forum user, Mat