NEWS: Pedal Club Lunch (May)

There were two events worthy of note at the club’s May meeting – an excellent talk by our guest speaker Phil O’Connor, and the signing of the Golden Book by Maurice Burton.

NEWS: Pedal Club Lunch (May)

There were two events worthy of note at the club’s May meeting – an excellent talk by our guest speaker Phil O’Connor, and the signing of the Golden Book by Maurice Burton.

Phil O’Connor has enjoyed a career of over forty year at the top level of sports photography with cycling as his speciality. His own experience as a racing man has given him an insight which is only available to a participant in the sport, but clearly he has full technical expertise which sets him apart from the ordinary cyclist holding a camera.

His talk was based on a screening of about forty of his own favourite photographs. These pictures, which can be seen here https://philoconnor.smugmug.com/Pedal-Club-2024, mostly speak for themselves, but there were certainly some revealing comments. In one sense it may be obvious to the consumers of cycling photographs, but how many of us have realised that, back in the eighties it was possible to park on the famous climbs (on the day of the race, not days in advance) and then to get pictures where the background is not cluttered with motorhomes? Phil also pointed out that, however good sunglasses and helmets may be for the riders’ health, they are terrible for cycling photography.

Naturally, Phil started his career with film, but was keen to embrace the many advantages of digital photography as they became available. Given the difficulties of working with film it is striking just how well Phil (and his predecessors) did with their relatively primitive equipment.

The other significant event of the day was that Maurice Burton formally accepted and signed his Golden Book page.

It is hard to know where to start when discussing Maurice’s unusual but distinguished career. In a nutshell he came from a non-cycling and non-privileged background and achieved success at the highest level of the Belgian track scene. This wasn’t just hard from the athletic point of view since it also involved acclimatising to a new country and mastering the Flemish language. Since his riding career he has made a success of De Ver Cycles in Streatham, another significant achievement given the violent ups and downs of the bike trade in recent decades. We all hope that he will be an important player in the success of the John Barclay Academy, where his Belgian contacts and Flemish language will be invaluable.

There is no need to say more here as those who are interested can read his newly published autobiography,“The Maurice Burton Way”, which gives a very readable account of an exceptional life.

The lunch was held at the Civil Service Club, Great Scotland Yard and attracted thirty six members and guests.

Chris Lovibond (May 2024)