B ride report for 7th May

The ride was well attended by 23 riders and an interesting route heading west out of Cobham. A very happy ride with much interminglinging between subgroups and a jolly lunch. Bernard's account is especially apt as the Tour de France approaches and a group of wayfarers attended the Matt Rendell talk at Esher Theatre on Thursday evening. Mental health awareness is important in all sports and communities. Thank you to Bernard for his account and Christina for managing the reccys and the ride, but most of all our wonderful riders for going with the flow. “¡Aupa Luis! ¡Bienvenido!” “¿Qué tal Bernardo?” “It’s great to have you join us Luis… thanks for coming”. “No problem… I’m looking forward to a leisurely ride through beautiful English countryside”. And there he was, unbelievably right next to me, kitted out in his Bic jersey and on his Speedwell titanium bike made in Birmingham with ‘Motobecane’ decals. Luis was from Priego in Castilla-La Mancha, Spain. The land of Don Quixote with its hard granite and arid landscape so different from the lush green and rolling hills of the South England. The intensity of his stare under his jet black hair was broken by his smile. “The coffee here is good and service with a smile… they spoil you here!” and he genuinely meant it as he looked around the Cobham British Legion quarters and smiled kindly at the lady serving us. On our bikes we got. I was subleading for Christina. The energy fizzed through Luis… and with one swoop of his pedals he was already so far ahead of us. He took to riding as a child on some old banger bike as a way of escaping and finding some joy in his otherwise poverty stricken youth. Always he cycled for the sheer pleasure of it and if there is such a thing as reincarnation surely he would be so high up in the skies, a swallow scooting, gliding, diving for ever criss-crossing the infinite blue. We rode past Notre Dame school. “You have a little piece of France here!” Luis connected… at some point in his childhood poverty had driven his family to France where they settled. It was wonderful to witness how Luis became one with the bike… man and machine in total harmony. And yet I noticed how slender, almost fragile his frame was. I couldn’t fathom where he got his strength from. At Chertsey Bridge we crossed the Thames. This made a huge impression on Luis, “I can’t believe it” he said, “I’m going over the so famous Támesis!” Then as we rode into Windsor Great Park Luis suddenly stopped. Pointing to some men on horses, “What are they doing?” “Ah… they’re playing Polo. See those clubs they’re swinging… see how they are hitting the ball along the ground”. At this Luis laughed… he laughed so hard… “I heard this country has its fair share of eccentrics, but this, they’re crazy!” And on we cycled to our lunch stop, Datchet. There on the green were a couple of Romany Gypsy horses. One of them had got its foot tangled with its reins. Luis went over… stroked the animal to calm it and gently freed its leg from the leather strap. The afternoon teas stop was in a garden centre in Sunbury on Thames. There was a gentle breeze soothing our limbs under the hot sun. Somewhere along the way Luis left us. I thought I had heard a faint “¡Ciao!” from up ahead but I didn’t realise that would be the last goodbye. I’m sure our ride had made an impression on Luis… I could tell he loved the landscape and was so grateful to Christina and Steph for planning it. It had been great to have him ride with us and I was really looking forward to summer and the arrival of the swallows. Postscript Luis Ocaña was a professional Spanish cyclist born in 1945. He won the Tour de France in1973 but his greatest achievement and what immortalised him in the history of cycling was the 1971 Tour. His rival in that race was the cycling phenomenon, Eddie Merckx. In 1971 Merckx was in his prime… unbeatable, winning everything, cruelly stunning all his rivals into his slipstream and defeat. All riders, except one, feared him. Such was Merckx’s dominance over and destruction of his competitors that he was known as “the Cannibal”. On stage 11 of the 1971 Tour, ending with the climb up Orcières-Merlette, Ocaña took on Merckx, ‘mano a mano’ as they say. He took the lead on that stage and Merckx as always would turn predator and endeavour to hunt him down and spit him out. Ocaña accelerated and with each pedal stroke he took distance over the Cannibal. Ocaña crossed the finish line first at the top of the brutal climb. The hunted had become the hunter… it wasn’t until another eight minutes later that Merckx and the rest came in. With only a few stages left to the end of the Tour and with his ferocious will Ocaña would have won that Tour. On 19th May 1944 at the age of 49 Luis committed suicide. May is the month of mental health awareness Thanks to Christina for the overall lead, to her and Steph for the planning of this ride and for their good company, my fellow peleton riders: Tim G, Bob P, Brenda B, Peter B, Ann B, John A, Maggie, Keith and Sabina. Thanks to Tim G for backmarking.

Author: Steph

1 Comment:

Brian Bent 12 May 2025 at 12:03 BST

I m sure l am not the only one to read the reports, that’s some report —wish I could be there !!