Page 24 - PBCOctober2018

Pickwick Bicycle Club Magazine Volume 15 No.2 October 2018 @24

In the summer of 1942 he encouraged these groups to form into the British League of
Racing Cyclists in direct competition to the NCU. The founding meeting consisted of 24
individuals in a hotel room in Buxton during November ’42. There was however still a problem,
since many clubs were concerned that many of their younger members were away fighting in
the war, and the older members didn’t want to risk damaging their sport, so they maintained
the line set down by the NCU/RTTC. They weren’t against the BLRC, but wanted to
safeguard their sport until the war was over.

The BLRC kept to a rigid position of not making any statements to the police, denying any
accusations of wrong-doing and trying not to antagonise the public. In 1943 they (BLRC)
promoted the first British National Road Race Championships in Harrogate, and later the
Brighton to Glasgow stage race (a pre-curser to the Tour of Britain in 1951). Many BLRC
clubs sent teams to race in Europe, although not formally recognised by the UCI (Union
Cycliste Internationale), but by private arrangements. In 1943 the BLRC sent a team to the
Peace Race - Warsaw-Berlin – Prague.

1952 saw Ian Steel win the Peace Race and Britain take the team prize. This resulted in
the UCI recognising the BLRC, but the NCU argued against it on the basis that there was no
rule allowing temporary affiliation of the UCI. Regardless the BLRC then prepared to send a
team to the 1955 Tour de France for the first time. The NCU suddenly realised their
problem – they couldn’t turn down the Tour de France, and yet they wouldn’t select BLRC
riders. However leaving them at home, would mean selecting a weakened team and upsetting
the UCI. The BLRC couldn’t officially select a team since as yet they were still not formally
recognised by the UCI. The solution was that a panel of newspaper journalists selected the
team!

The administration of the BLRC was frenetic partially because Stallard was an abrasive
character, never accepting that he was wrong. Having finally achieved his aim, which was for
the NCU to bring road racing onto the open roads, he wouldn’t accept there should be just
one organisation, and continued to promote the BLRC first. Finally however, the two
organisations merged in 1959 to form the BCF (British Cycling Federation) – as much due to
their failing financial status as to their original motive of open road racing.

Percy Stallard remained bitterly unhappy about the merger and the NCU, and even the BLRC
which he founded, for the rest of his life. He believed that the formation of the BCF was
just to present the NCU under a different name. He died in August 2001.

(Footnote – the 1933 UCI World Championships were organised by ….Chas Messenger.)