Page 8 - PBCJuly2013

Pickwick Bicycle Club Magazine. Volume 10 No.2 July 2013
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At some point in the proceedings awards were made to the winners of this magazine’s Caption
Competition - will you try this month’s caption comp.?
Members and guests settled down to the words of Mr.Watty who introduced some of the notable
guests attending the lunch.

As the oldest cycling club in the World, Mr.Watty said , we are
delighted to have amongst us today some cycling legends:

We welcome Steve Hefferman, guest of Mr Warren, who is a
past Commonwealth Games Champion and Bronze medallist in
the World Elite Pursuit race.

Welcome to Gordon Richardson, guest of Alfred Jingle, a
Scottish junior and senior road race champion in the late 1950’s
and 60’s.
Welcome also to Maurice Burton, guest of Mr Warren. Maurice
was British junior sprint champion 1973, British Senior 20km
Champion in 1974, British Team Commonwealth Games 1974 and
British 4km Team pursuit Champion 1975. He is the proud father of
18year old Germain, who is fast following in his father’s footsteps

Until today we had hoped to welcome Vin Denson, guest of Bill the Turnkey. Unfortunately he
has had a fall and is unable to be with us but is here in spirit! It is still appropriate to acknowledge
Vin’s achievement in becoming the first Briton to win a stage of the Giro d’Italia, which he achieved
in 1966. He recalls how Italian fans often made pretence of helping push foreigners up hills, while
pulling at their brakes to slow them down! Vin was a Tour de France rider in the 1960’s, and was
the right hand man and team companion of Tommy Simpson when he sadly lost his life on Mont
Ventoux in 1967. Vin, we respect your achievements, hope that you will be here next time and I
ask his table to stand to accept the best wishes of the Pickwick Bicycle Club…

We are honoured to have 2 Dicken’s descendants here today, and particularly welcome Gerald
Dickens, guest of Boz (Ian Dickens). Gerald is a renowned actor, particularly for his one man
shows based on the novels of his Great Great Grandfather, Charles Dickens. Members who wish
to brush up on the Pickwick Papers, so relevant to this Club, may wish to acquire his unabridged
audiobooks of the Pickwick Papers. Gerald, you are very welcome,
We welcome Raffaele Mercurio, guest of Baillie MacSomething. As you can guess from his
name, Raffaele is an Italian cycle lover, but importantly owner of the ’Plough on the Hill’ in
Amersham. This is an Italian Gastro Pub and the start and finish venue for this year’s Pickwick
rd
Bicycle Club Charity Ride on 23 June – 10am start! Raffaele, welcome today, and we look
forward to the return fixture next month!
We are pleased to welcome Colonel Simon Bate, OBE who is a guest of the Club as Adjutant
of the Royal Hospital Chelsea. Few British Institutions can boast three centuries of unbroken
service and none is closer to the heart of the Nation than ‘the men in scarlet’, the Chelsea
Pensioners. Their home, the Royal Hospital Chelsea, was founded in 1682 by King Charles the
Second, to provide soldiers with a fitting home in their retirement. The Royal Hospital is proud to
continue to serve its original purpose into the 21 Century. Colonel Bate, we welcome you and
st
your fellow Pensioners here today.