Cycling Weekly — January 11, 2018

History

The club was founded in 1931

when seven local lads gathered at

Watts Ironmongers Store in the

village of Ogmore Vale. This shop

also ran a cycle hire business,

charging one penny for a half-day

hire. Rides began at Dom’s Ice

Cream Shop until the outbreak

of World War Two, and during

hostilities they met at the Fox and

Hounds in the high street. During

the war many members became

dispatch riders for the Civil

Defence and Home Guard.

At the end of the war, club runs

again met at Dom’s Ice Cream

Shop, with up to 30 bicycles lined

up for the ride (including four

tandems, two with sidecars).

Rides usually headed down to

the Vale of Glamorgan where

there is a huge choice of routes.

If heading west towards Swansea

and the Mumbles, the club would

use the Briton ferry to cross the

River Neath.

By 1950 the club decided to

invest in their own clubroom and

after organising many raffl es and

dances, a deposit was paid on the

Philadelphia Chapel on Cemetery

Road. This remained the HQ for

about 20 years until the location

seemed wrong to attract new

members, as all the new housing

was being built in the Bridgend

area eight miles away. The old

clubroom was sold and since

that time they have remained in

the Bridgend area. The current

location at Coity has seen an

increase in membership to an all-

time high of around 80 members.

Achievements

J Welsh 10-mile team TT record

in May 1989 — Carl Roach, Scott

Morgan and Stuart Evans.

J Won the World Team Roller

Record challenge in 1980s at

the Porthcawl Pavilion and

acknowledged by the Guinness

Book of Records (12 hours by

six-man team relay).

J Louise Jones began with

Ogmore Valley Wheelers, later

becoming four-time British

sprint champion and winning the

Commonwealth Games Sprint

gold medal in Auckland 1990. She

also represented GB at the World

Championships in 1988.

J Former club member Wendy

Everson became four-time British

sprint champion.

J As a junior Carl Roach

rode in the Welsh team in

the Junior Tour of Ireland.

He also won 30 open time

trials in his short career.

J Arthur Hopkin won the

club’s BAR TT trophy on 16

occasions; he has also held

all the club’s time trial and

point-to-point records.

n a change to their

normal three-group

format, just for today

one big group rolls through

Bridgend before heading west

out onto quieter roads with a

very industrial heritage and

indeed backdrop, with Port

Talbot steelworks — one of

the largest in the world —

dominating the skyline but

not the conversation.

These riders obviously get

on well together as the banter

starts from the off, making us

feel welcome on this bright

morning — something the

group assure us is not the

norm for this part of the

world at this time of year.

The riders chat happily,

giving the overall impression

that the camaraderie and

social aspects are a big draw.

Club chairman Steven

Madeley is keen to point out

the ethos of the club and its

origins: “We started back in

the 1930s as a group of mates

who wanted to meet up in

their spare time and we try

and keep that spirit of friends

riding together today,” he says.

As well as the social side,

even having their own

clubhouse which is a rarity

these days, there is a strong

racing background and the

club actively takes part and

organises events in the local

time trial scene.

The route soon leaves

the industry behind and the

scenery changes dramatically

as we pick up the coast road

with stunning sea views;

the weather is being kind

but the ocean puts on a

spectacular display as it

crashes up against the rocks

on the run in to the fi rst cafe

stop in Porthcawl.

With hot coffee in hand

we speak to tandem stoker

and club social secretary

Keith Barrett. Blind from

birth, Keith has been riding

since the early 1980s: “When

I started it was sporadic as

I had to cajole people into

piloting for me, but since I

moved to the area and joined

the club I have never had a

shortage of people willing

to ride with me. Family and

club-mates take turns and

I can get out as much as I

want now. I also like to race

in time trials, even managing

third at the National Para TT

Championships a couple of

years back.”

To help out and give

something back to the

community for all the support

he receives, Barrett runs the

club’s social scene, a job he

thoroughly enjoys.

We hit the road again,

through some spectacular

scenery, enjoying the very

best of South Wales. We’re

told that in the summer the

stronger groups tend to head

north into the mountains,

taking in the famous climbs

of the area including Black

Mountain and the Tumble. It’s

a fl atter affair today though,

taking into account the single

group outing, with regular

stops to bring it back together

when it splits. Of the female

members out today, three

have a special bond — Tracey

Jenkins is here with her

We take to the lanes with South

Wales’s most affable outfit

Club facts

From: Bridgend, South Wales

Members: 80 plus

Formed: 1931

Meets: Sundays at 9am at

Physiques, Brackla, club run,

three groups; Tuesday at 9:45am

at the B&Q roundabout, Waterton;

mid-week social, Tuesday 7pm,

Western Ave, Bridgend Ind Estate;

Thursday 7pm St Bride’s Major,

Club 10 TT (summer months only).

Words: Sean Lacey / Photos: Jesse Wild

Ogmore Valley

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50 | January 11, 2018 | Cycling Weekly