Cycling Eccentrics

[User32269]

Does anybody from the north west remember the No Smoking Cyclist?
His name was Ulberto Mariani and I saw him years ago from Southport to Chester and all points in between.

He was a bit of a mystery man. He lived in Liverpool but nobody knew much about him. I was told his wife had died of lung cancer and he began his mission on a bike. Not sure if that's true.
Found a portrait of him by Roy Munday.

Anybody remember him? Any other eccentric cyclists round your way?

 

[roadrash]

I remember seeing him at the same spot in southport as in the above photo, not seen him for a while though

 

[Dave 123]

In Cambridge there is this fella

https://m.cyclestreets.net/location/#10504

The angry wasp. He's not a well man. As the link in the picture says, he cycles round town playing metal from a radio in a carrier bag dangling from his handle bars.

In the picture he looks ok, but in the last few years he's looking deathly grey. Quite sad.

 

[User32269]

I remember seeing him at the same spot in southport as in the above photo, not seen him for a while though

I remember him from when I was a lot younger. He would pop up all over the place. One of those characters, from pre-internet times, that everybody knew.

 

[User32269]

The south coast had a classic cycling eccentric in the 1960s and 70s, known locally as 'Burlington Bertie' but his real name was Horace Duke. He was based mainly in Lancing and Shoreham, and used to cycle about dressed in elaborate cod-Edwardian costume involving a white blazer, flannels, straw boater, and comical glasses, waving a white-gloved hand to all passers-by in a most regal way. He also sometimes rode a vintage motorcycle in a different costume consisting of leather flying-jacket and goggles. Anyone driving round the Lancing roundabout in those days would have memories of Horace standing at the side of the road with his bicycle, gesticulating and prancing about in what is really a form of performance art. Apparently if anyone approached him he would be abusive. There's this weird bit of film of him on YouTube, and also a Facebook page dedicated to him. He died in 1995.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJi7OtrMC5M

Real old school!
The guy from my op was kicking around well before the social media era, I've tried to find out more about him, but he's quite mysterious.
If the story about losing his wife to lung cancer was true, I think of him as a real grassroots activist.
I found it quite touching that someone had done his portrait.

 

[Crackle]

I saw him on the runcorn bridge once and I think he was featured in a few mags of the time.

 

[screenman]

We had two when I was in my early teens, one who rode around with a monkey on his handlebars, the other guy who had long grey flowing hair wore shorts and nothing else, rain, snow and sunshine.

 

[User32269]

OK. Monkey on the handlebars is top notch eccentricity!

 

[Dave 123]

There was a bloke who used to cycle around Cambridge naked when I first moved here. We saw him once on Madingley roundabout.

Maybe @User would know more.... (it could have been him)

 

[Dave 123]

Turns out he lives/lived in my village....!

http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/9005953.naked_cyclist_appears_in_court/

 

[User32269]

There was a bloke who used to cycle around Cambridge naked when I first moved here. We saw him once on Madingley roundabout.

Maybe @User would know more.... (it could have been him)

Yeah, but did he have a monkey on the bars?

 

[User32269]

Turns out he lives/lived in my village....!

http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/9005953.naked_cyclist_appears_in_court/

At least he had a purple helmet.