Mark Wellings - Ride! Ride! Ride!: Herne Hill Velodrome and the Story of British Track Cycling

RIDE!

RIDE!

RIDE!

HERNE HILL VELODROME

AND THE STORY OF

BRITISH TRACK CYCLING

MARK WELLINGS

Foreword by Graeme Obree

Published in the UK in 2016

by Icon Books Ltd, Omnibus Business Centre,

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ISBN: 978-178578-042-4

Text copyright 2016 Mark Wellings

The author has asserted his moral rights.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, or by any means, without prior permission in writing from the publisher.

Typeset in Electra by Marie Doherty

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The book is dedicated to my son Finlay for introducing me to the track, my daughter Monika for being my favourite daughter, and my wife Hilary for never-ending support during what turned out to be a much, much longer ride than I ever thought it would be.

by Graeme Obree

I have fond personal memories of Herne Hill. I broke the British hour record there in 1993 and without that achievement my career in track cycling could easily have ended prematurely. It gave me the confidence to progress and beat Francesco Mosers hour world record on my own terms and have a cycling career that allowed me to compete all over the world.

Herne Hill Velodrome is such an important part of British cycling infrastructure and culture, allowing kids the opportunity to test out their skills on the track, giving them access to equipment and coaching that is often outwith their reach. The track at Hill Herne is also one for the connoisseurs. It is longer and shallower than modern-day velodromes, demanding different skill sets, tactics and intelligence.

But perhaps most significant of all, is the venues heritage. It has been host to thousands of exciting races over the years and has witnessed incredible performances from the likes of Reg Harris, Fausto Coppi and Jacques Anquetil, Bradley Wiggins and Chris Boardman. It has enormous importance to the heritage of not only British cycling but also Continental track racing it is to cycling what Lords is to cricket.

Mark Wellings affectionate portrayal of Herne Hill brings back great memories and helps keep this most important of British cycling venues alive.

Graeme Obree

March 2016

Im indebted to the help of many people who have known, loved and supported Herne Hill track over the years. First and foremost must be John and Christine Watts for their time and support, and for the exhaustive research John has done for his books on the velodrome and the Good Friday Meeting both of which I have drawn on heavily.

Particular thanks also go to Jim Love for his stories and photographs, and also to Keith Robins, Wally Happy, Graham Bristow, Keith Waldegrave, Steve Cave, Pete Cattermole, Phil Wright and John Scripps for their time, thoughts and memories. Im grateful also to Josh Cole-Hossain and Andrew Bradshaw for checking technical details in the book and more broadly for being inspirational young race promoters and coaches.

Thanks to editor and friend Ian Preece for persuading me to write the book in the first place and then providing enthusiastic encouragement and insightful support over the two years its taken; plus Andrew Furlow, Duncan Heath, Robert Sharman and all the team at Icon Books.

Finally, cheers go to my favourite riding buddies Kev, Dom, Sean and everyone at VC Londres.

Track cycling is one of the oldest and most specialised forms of cycle racing, featuring an eclectic mix of sprint and endurance events for individuals and groups of riders. Intense, physical and cerebral track cycling is all about speed, technique, tactics and nerve.

The bikes are strong and rigid to cope with extreme acceleration, with a single fixed gear (preventing freewheeling) and no brakes. It is the simplest and purest bicycle, where man is at one with machine.

The tracks themselves vary from large open-air oval circuits with shallow banking to the small, tight and steeply banked hardwood ovals of the indoor velodromes.

And Herne Hill is arguably the best-known, most-loved velodrome in the world with the richest history, ranking alongside the legendary Velodromo Vignorelli in Milan, Roubaix in northern France and Buffalo in Paris.

Known initially as Herne Hill Stadium when it was built in 1891, and latterly Herne Hill Velodrome, but often referred to simply as Herne Hill track or the Hill, it was for many years the leading international track in the UK. It is now the only remaining venue from the 1948 Olympics, with a direct link to 125 years of cycle racing: a unique and iconic institution, with a vibrant role and a bright future. It is simply the spiritual home of British track cycling.

Ride your bike, ride your bike, ride your bike

Fausto Coppi on how to become a champion

Two great cycle racing institutions were born in 1903: the Good Friday Meeting at Herne Hill in south London and the Tour de France across the Channel.

The Tour de France is not only the oldest and most prestigious of the three Grand Tour road stage races, its grown to become the worlds biggest annual sporting event. Traditionally held over three weeks in July and nowadays taking in a 3,500-kilometre circuit of France (and neighbouring countries), the first edition was 2,428 kilometres from Paris to Lyon, Marseille, Toulouse, Bordeaux, Nantes and back to Paris. It was won by Maurice Garin. The list of winners since then includes the greats of world cycling such as Fausto Coppi, Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain, as well as Britains Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome.

The inaugural Good Friday Meeting, meanwhile, took place on an outdoor cycle track in suburban south London on 10 April 1903, some three months earlier. Herne Hill stadium stood in nine acres of grounds, modestly concealed from the general public by the recently built houses on Burbage Road to the south, Village Way in Dulwich to the east and a railway viaduct to the north an inauspicious location for the most prestigious outdoor cycling track in the UK, one that was for many years the only international-standard track in the country, and one which is still revered by many as the spiritual home of track cycling in the United Kingdom.