Perfs Pedal: A Difficult Decision

It was a difficult decision says Mick Waite to walk away from organising the Perfs Pedal race after 60 years but he says this seems to be the right time. End of an era. The Perfs Pedal was an iconic race in the sport, one I’ve read about for 50 years.

Perfs Pedal: A Difficult Decision

The Perfs Pedal was an iconic race in the sport, one I’ve read about since 1974 when I took up bike racing in Australia and for the last 24 tears, been to at the start of each road season. It was quite a shock when this email landed in my inbox this week with Mich saying “After nearly 60 years of organising Perfs Pedal Race, I have taken the difficult decision to stop running this event. I could go on to give a long list of reasons why I have come to this decision, but suffice to say that organising a National B Road Race has become more complex over the recent years.”

“I have only been able to keep Perfs going with the help of my family, friends and many volunteers. I am not getting any younger and will have to stop at some point, if any this seems to be the right time. I have great memories from this event over the years and I am pleased we have managed to keep it running for so long. I would like to thank everyone for their support and help to achieve this.”

Talking to Mick about organising such an event, which he started to do when he was 16, he says “organising the race in the early years was a lot easier. We needed less helpers in the way of marshals and the roads were in a better condition with less traffic. Also, motorists in my opinion were a lot more tolerant about being held up for a few minutes! The first 10 years or so saw the race based in Hambledon, with a three and a half mile circuit. Unfortunately the local parish council were not happy about the number of spectators that the race attracted as it grew, so we had to change venue”.

“As the years progressed, roads got busier, and over the last 10 years, road conditions have worsened and weather conditions have become more unpredictable. The introduction of NEG and ACM was an excellent addition to the safety of the race but these obviously increased the costs meaning an increase in entry fees to help with that. Another problem is how to accommodate the parking needed for all the race officials, medical cover etc. Village halls normally have very little/limited parking”.

“Organising a race now is much more time consuming and is more expensive. Whilst cost has not been a problem with the Perfs as I have funded any extra costs, for a race with fewer entries, it will no doubt be an issue. I have only had one enquiry about possibly taking Perfs over. Whilst the date is available for someone to use (and I sincerely hope someone does run a race in its place), I do not want the Perfs name to continue to be used, as for me it is linked to the races that I ran, and the many happy memories I have of them”.

“There are a lot of reasons for the loss of well known races like Perfs. Many established races were run by people from my generation. The new generations I feel have much busier lives which means less volunteers willing to give up their time.”

Video Chats with Mick

And based on the messages on VeloUK’s Facebook, many many people understand why he’s made the decision.

Colin Docker, a commissaire on the race for so so many years says “Sad to read, none of us get any younger, and the stress involved in running a race at the level of Perfs is huge. This is not compatible with a long and calm life, and if anyone deserves that it’s Mick. The sport owes him grateful thanks for all the work, sponsorship, and energy he has given to cycle racing. There’s a sizeable group of “regulars” who have helped out for many years with Perfs, am proud to be one of them. Thanks Mick”.

Colin adds “there are many organisers who are in their advancing years, and not enough younger replacements coming through. Is the problem masters racing keeping people believing that they “don’t have time” to help run one or two races a year? Or more the slow decline of proper clubs, increase in “teams” , lack of support from HQ, too much complication organisation of races, costs? Perhaps regions might run some events in their area, using a proportion of their reserves to get the sport moving again. Or perhaps people prefer sportive riding, which some believe to be racing. Sticking a number on and having a proper go might disabuse them of this idea….wish I had an answer.,..”

Former winners have been quick to leave messages for Mick as well:

David Le Grys: “Thats a shame. A pity nobody could take over organising it. Well done to Mick organising the classic early season race. #legend”

Will Bjergfelt: “Very sad to see this classic race ending now, I feel honoured to have my name on the list of winners in 09, it really helped me gain confidence coming across from the MTB into the road racing scene. Thank you 😊 to Mick and everyone who’s made this iconic race so special 👊

James Stewart: “Such a shame to see this iconic race come to an end. Thank you Mick for your dedication and commitment keeping it going so long! This race kept me motivated in the dark and cold winter months to be race ready for the upcoming season. One of my proudest wins reflecting back to 2008 in my rocking chair. I hope one of the local shops or clubs can take over the reins or better still BC can start to take some ownership themselves and build on the legacy so many volunteers have done for them in years gone by.”

You can read all the comments here on VeloUK’s Facebook Page: