Bike_Show_NEC_2012

"Tyre Kicking" at the NEC

On Friday 28th September four club members, Howard Massam, Geoff Hewitt and Colin Baldwin & Peter Gawthorne, made the trip down to Birmingham for the 2012 Bike Show.

None of us were particularly interested in buying anything it was just an excuse to do some tyre kicking on a jolly boy’s day out. However it turned into an opportunity for some of the great & the good of British cycling to get an audience with our own internationally famous “Swannie” Mr Baldwin……

The trip down the motorway was uneventful until Howard offered navigation advice and his “short cut” along the M5 & M42 only added 20 miles to the journey, so no harm done.

On arrival at the NEC, the first to make contact was 4 times London Paralympic Gold Medallist Sarah Storey, soon to be guest of honour at the Club’s Annual Dinner.

So off we toddled to the VIP entrance where team Hug #1 took place.

Sarah then departed with her minders whilst we continued our stroll around the various exhibits.

At one stage we thought we had come across another of our clubmates.

Was it Joe or Allan? “Hard to tell” said first on scene, Colin.

It was also nice to see that one of Preston Wheelers had made the effort to attend.

After a bit of lunch it was time to catch up with Sarah when she was being interviewed, in front of a packed audience, by Eurosport’s David Harmon.

I then bumped into Mark, an old friend who I’d last seen when we rode the 3 routes up Mt Ventoux in 2007.

Team Hug#2 ensued when we met up with Ellie Hopkins, team-mate of Sarah on the women’s pro cycling circuit

Further mooching about the site took place where we managed to catch glimpses of other famous names in the cycling world.

On the Trek stand was Gary Fisher, who probably invented the sport of Mountain Biking and also managed to design my Fixed Wheel Triton Bike.

We then saw Sean Kelly, winner of the Vuelta, Green Jersey at TdF, Paris-Nice seven times in a row, Paris-Roubaix and countless other great races.

He’s the one on the right….

Next to “press the flesh” with Mr B, whilst his colleague watches enviously from the sidelines, was Dan Fleeman, ex Raleigh professional, winner of the Tour des Pyrenees and twice National Hill Climb Champion.

Before long it was time to set off home but not without another Team Hug with Sarah who presented our team mate with a special souvenir of the occasion.

The final act of the day was when John Herety, 1980 Moscow Olympian and Team Boss of Rapha Condor Sharp, wanted a word with his “hero”.

Then it was back on the road for the 4 hour journey home on the M6, a traffic nightmare, but another grand day out for Southport CC riders.

Report and pictures from Peter Gawthorne

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