100 Today

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Sharky

Guru
Location
Kent
Can't let today slip bye, without a mention of my Dad (Vic Ward), who would have been 100 today, but sadly left us in 1993. A cyclist to the end.

Some of his earlier days -

All before WW2

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In racing strip of the time:-

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This was his pre war PB. An extract taken from Cycling I suspect.

This was a time when beating the "hour" for 25 miles was just a dream for most riders. How times have moved on!

A couple of names to point out
- E.Soens, the Liverpudlian frame builder and coach
- A Barker - key member of the Warrington RC and whose daughter has been a member on cycle chat

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I remember my Dad talking about these times and how strange it was at the outset of the war. Shortly after this race, he was called up by the RAF and spent 4 years in India. In some ways something like the experience we are all going through now with the uncertainty of the coronus virus.

After the war, he resumed cycling and raced again until 1954, bettering his PB with a "5", but was always a cyclist, commuting to work by bike and riding with some of the Old Timers around Dartford.
 
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ianrauk

Tattooed Beat Messiah
Location
Rides Ti2
Great stuff @Sharky
 

13 rider

Guru
Location
leicester
I would love to be able to do 25 miles in 1 hour 6 mins on my Carbon bike yet along a 1940 racer . Chapeau to your Dad :notworthy: . He must have been a very good rider
 

PaulSB

Legendary Member
Any relation to Peter Ward from Preston?
 
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Sharky

Sharky

Guru
Location
Kent
Thanks. Peter Ward was a very good and well known cyclist. He'd be about 10- 15 years younger so I thought there might be a family connection of some sort.
No relation. As far as I know, there was nobody in his generation that took up cycling, until I did.
There was a Paddy Ward racing in the 60's when I started. He was a good cyclist, but no relation.
 
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Sharky

Sharky

Guru
Location
Kent
Thanks. Peter Ward was a very good and well known cyclist. He'd be about 10- 15 years younger so I thought there might be a family connection of some sort.
Just googled him. He was well respected and a real cyclist. We're you connected to him?
 

PaulSB

Legendary Member
Just googled him. He was well respected and a real cyclist. We're you connected to him?
I'm only connected in that I rode with Peter when we were both members of Ribble Valley CRC. He was a lovely man and as you say a real cyclist. A very modest person. I can't recall him ever talking or even mentioning any of his many achievements unless someone asked a question.
 
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