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CHURCHWARDEN
TRICYCLISTS.
We usually had the opening run of the Club on Good Friday, starting from
our then headquarters, the Cattle Market Hotel. Our destination was the
Nag’s Head Longton, where we made up for the fasting of the earlier part
of the day by a beef and ham tea, to which, quoting the local Press,
ample justice was done. It will help you to realise how young I really
was in those days when I tell you that I received quite a shock the
first time I saw churchwardens eating meat on a Good Friday, for several
members of the tricycles section were churchwardens.
We had a tricycle section, but we did not have many joint runs with it,
as you will understand why, when I tell you that starting from the
Cattle Market Hotel, where refreshment was first obtained, some of the
members wanted to stop at the Townley Arms on Park Road, and only
consented to continue to the Parker’s Arms under strong protest.
Mounting the ordinary bicycle was the most difficult thing to learn. You
put your toe on the step, your arms were stretched to the full to reach
the handlebars, your body pressing against the backbone of the machine.
Then you commenced to push yourself along with the right foot. If the
road was level or slightly down hill you managed to mount the first
time, if it wasn’t you did not. When the machine had sufficient momentum
you raised yourself on your toe on the step, hooked your right knee
round the saddle and worked yourself carefully into it. It may be
imagined that care was necessary when it is realised that the head of
the bicycle only had a backward rake of 1½ inches. |
