News: Pedal Club Lunch (April)

The guest speaker, Jon Dutton, the CEO of British Cycling, must have suspected he was entering a lion’s den when he addressed the club at the April lunch – article by Chris Lovibond

News: Pedal Club Lunch (April)

The guest speaker, Jon Dutton, the CEO of British Cycling, must have suspected he was entering a lion’s den when he addressed the club at the April lunch.

Why was this? Mr Dutton is doubtless well aware there is a feeling among old style club cyclists that their organisation has been taken over by a quasi government corporation which has no interest in the interests of club cyclists; the membership of the Pedal Club consists mainly of such clubmen. However, in the event no blood was spilt and whatever the members actually thought, they did not give the CEO a hard time.

Jon Dutton put forward his vision for the future of BC in a clear and efficient manner. He told us that BC is entrusted with government and commercial finance, and that this money must be used in a responsible way to achieve the results desired by BC’s paymasters. Essentially this means gaining international success, particularly at the Olympics and World Championships. Secondly, BC hopes that headline success in those events will bring about an increase in recreational cycling, although this sounded to be more of an aspiration than a commitment.

Stress was put on the need to recognise that circumstances have changed since the ‘golden age’ to which Mr. Dutton guessed many of his hearers longed to return. “Road Racing has become very expensive” he said, implying that it was altogether unaffordable except for a small elite, and although there is a Road Racing Commission under the chairmanship of Ed Clancy, no real progress can be expected this year or in 2025.

Mr Dutton put his arguments well, but they were probably more what his audience expected rather than what they hoped for. The second guest at the meeting was the presence of Trhas Tesfay, who has recently been granted a BC racing licence – since she is an asylum seeker there had been a slight question mark over this, but happily the issue has now been resolved. Trhas’ story is so dramatic it deserves mention here.

Trhas is twenty two years of age and a national champion in her home country of Ethiopia. Last September she came to Britain to represent her country in the World Cycling Championships in Scotland. Unfortunately, owing to a misunderstanding by the Ethiopian cycling organisation she arrived in Scotland too late and missed her event Then, very soon after this disappointment she received a phone call from her mother to say that since her father and brother had just been arrested (there is political unrest) she should avoid going home.

Exactly what happened next is unclear, but she soon found herself in London, penniless and unable to communicate, her only language being Tigrigna, which is not widely understood in London! Fortunately she found her way to the charity West London Welcome which looked after her, but it was not for three months that a Tigrigna/English speaker turned up. Only at this point was it understood who she was and how she came to be in her current situation.

Things have moved on rapidly and she now has a mentor (Jeremy Ford of Team Africa Rising), a coach (Alice Lethbridge) and a bike, in addition she has attracted some media attention. A racing programme has been organised.

The club presented her with some riding kit (see photo with club president Bill Houghton) and a she will receive a donation from members of about £800 to cover racing expenses. We wish her every success.