Feature: The Pedal Club Lunch (October)

 Ian ‘Watto’ Watson a well known face at Women’s races and Charlie Allen (road safety and driver training professional) were the two speakers at October’s Pedal Club Lunch 

FEATURE: The Pedal Club Lunch (October) by Chris Lovibond
The October meeting was unusual in that the speaker who had been booked was forced to cancel at short notice. Two members volunteered to give impromptu talks and both of these proved worthwhile.

Charlie Allen, a road safety and driver training professional, who has spoken on his specialist subject in the recent past, gave us an update on two points. First, on the difficulty of getting action from the authorities on dangerous road junctions, even when it is accepted on all sides that improvements could be made. His second subject was the use of camera mirrors on HGVs. This is a new and controversial issue which is certainly a concern for all road users not inside lorry cabs, especially pedestrians and cyclists.

At first sight it may seem that cameras could do a better job than conventional mirrors and, as always, the manufacturers are happy to promote something which can be presented as a high tech improvement. However there are plenty of potential problems – from putting too many screens in front of the driver causing distraction to the ever present bugbear of high tech: breakdown and unreliability. A truck drivers’ forum, which this writer checked, expressed almost universal disapproval. While HGV cameras may have benefits, their presence is certainly something which all bike riders should be aware of.

The second speaker was coach and DS Ian ‘Watto’ Watson, who was attending his very first meeting as a newly elected member. Ian is a lifelong club cyclist who, under the influence of his cyclist dad, joined the St Helens CRC at the age of nine, moving on to the VC Halton at thirteen.

Merseyside in the eighties was a stronghold of club cycling with an excellent racing scene (think Phil Thomas, Les Fleetwood, Joey McLoughlin and a certain Chris Boardman, just to name a few). There were plenty of young aspirants and they received the benefit of knowledge handed down freely from senior riders – some thing which is much less common today.

Ian learned the bike game thoroughly and enjoyed a successful racing career until, as so often happens, the necessity of earning money left too little time for sport.

After moving to London and revising his working career, by 2007 he was riding for the Finchley Racing Team, but wanted to find a local club which was less focussed on racing where he, in his turn, could pass on his experience. There seemed to be nothing suitable, so he started CC London. This was intended to be a traditional club, open to all, who wanted to ride, train and exchange experiences together. For reasons that are not altogether clear (perhaps even to Ian himself) the new club took off as a training ground for women who wanted to race. Training sessions in Regent’s Park where newcomers were taught basic skills such as how to follow a wheel or how go through and off, led in a surprisingly short time, to the current UCI registered women’s team: Das Hutchinson Brother UK , which has already enjoyed international success.

Since most of the Pedal Club members came into the sport through the club system, the success of Ian’s traditional methods will certainly make him a popular member.

The meeting was held at the Civil Service Club in Whitehall and was attended by thirty two members and guests.
— Chris Lovibond, October 2024.

 

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