Contact

I'LL CATCH YOU IF I CAN

A "BACKMARKERS" STORY OF OVER 50 YEAR IN CYCLING

BY DAVID RUTTER

With something in the region of fifty years in the sport of cycling, I have either written, competed, supported, belonged to or volunteered in races, committees and organisations, hence the title of my own book, looking back as well as the present in cycling through my experiences as a "back marker" amongst other things. Normally one would have a book written by a well known writer or possibly ghost written on behalf of a winning cyclist, athough basically for each one a winning rider there are a hundred behind in a supporting role, including me. Without the likes of these riders who participate, the actual winner becomes meanningless.

Through "my role" first as a bystander thinking in terms of "maybe" it doesn't look so hard, to be completely shot off the back in the very first race, and recapping what one needs to do to keep up with the other riders as it is totally down to the individual to sort it out! Basically becoming a slog as well as spending bundles of money in the idea that just by looking the part is half way in getting there!

My story starts in the 1960s, then weaves itself through to the following decades - 1970s - 1980s - 1990s - 2000s - 2010s , with my personal experiences of what happened in the circle of cycling, who I meet, who I remember, where I ended up , why I did this, was it all worth it?

The magic of the frame and two wheels will never go away, and has vastly increased in the recent years, I suspect a majority of it coming down to former riders from those decades who having has done "their time" on the race circuit have gone into other areas of the sport as do professional football players, either media, management, coaching etc.

This paperback sized book when finished will hopefully be around 400 pages including 40 pages of coloured images, available Christmas 2019, possibly/probably softbound and eBook.

Above left, me with a "unhappy" face, neither one or other, maybe at the time still trying to get rid of the niggling leg problem that had been going on for months. "Suited and booted" and "posing" in the retro but modern Cinzano cycle clothing with the old but also new parts Claud Butler. Somewhere in the future it will be used for some "casual" cyclo cross events, hence the cyclocross styled chainring - courtesy of Sturmey Archer - a 42 tooth steel chainset - getting older, not so worried about all the uptodate gear and weight. Above right, wasn't totally sure what I was going to do with the Peugeot frame as the seat tube broke when I "managed" to go down a pot hole. Months of indecision that ended with me getting it totally repaired. Originally blue and white when first bought as well as it's first respray, this time around I went against a dark colour that I would normally go down, hence the cream although this was by "default"! Happy with how it turned out with the red contrast and total retro look including the handlebar end shifters. Everything in the end got replaced bar the front changer which is stil the original from when I first purchased the whole bike in 2000. The bike has been stiffened and strengthened more fully than before as the frame renovators have capped the new seat tube with a lug that the other tubes have been brazed on to (see image top right), almost like riding a track bike with gears such is the nippiness of it now!

These two images left and right represented what I classfied as a good purchase on eBay. Having decided I needed a pair of wheels for the ongoing project concerning the Legnano, it was either a case of buying a pair of quick release wheels or hubs of 120 or 122 OLN.These also required a english threading due to the problem of a rear 5 speed free wheel that would fit as well as locating a compatible one new. These wheels came up for sale including the 32mm tyres, tubes, and freewheel. The hubs being the 1970s Campagnolo Nouvo Tipo, although the skewers are Shimano, built on wide Mavic rims. Perfect for cyclo cross, so a change of wheels for the Claud Butler. One will notice how big the rear spocket is that came with it. When I counted the teeth, couldn't believe it was so big - 34 tooth. Really bought me back to those 1970s when everyone "rattled" around on five speed freewheels.