ONTHEROAD WITH ROYAL ALBERT
John has a passion which he’s always looking to share … with young and old
“I love cycling – I’m very passionate about cycling. I don’t see it as a training regime, it’s more of a social interaction, and not too many sports can offer that, I don’t think,” says John Campbell, from Larkhall’s famous Royal Albert Cycling Club.
John (59) is a third-generation cyclist with the club, having followed his dad and grandfather into the Lanarkshire institution.
He is a man who, simply, enjoys being on two wheels.
John said: “Cycling to me is like doing three things at once – meeting people, because it’s social, exploring the countryside and getting fit at the same time.
“The gym environment is something I enjoy in the winter, but in the summer there is no better feeling than going out on your bike, on nice country roads, having a bit of social interaction and it’s fantastic.
“I got involved in cycling through my grandfather, John B. Campbell, who was one of the original founders of Royal Albert Cycling Club, and I’ve spent a lifetime in cycling.
“When I was about 10 I used to go out and pedal with my grandfather on the tandem, so that was my first induction and I’ve been connected with the club ever since.
“I followed in my dad Jack’s footsteps, so I’m the third generation of the Campbell family in Royal Albert.
“My grandfather wasn’t a racing cyclist, he was more into administration, time-keeping and running club events.
“He was the guy who came up with the handicap table to make it fair to the people who couldn’t compete with the really fast guys and that made it a bit fairer across the board.
“My dad was a very good track rider and road man, not so much timetrialling, so that’s where I came in.
“Cycling was always at the heart and my passion. I started getting really serious and into the racing side of it when I turned 30.
“Looking back, I would like to have started slightly younger, but even at 30 you can still be a good bike rider and I’ve
won Scottish medals and things like that, so I’ve done OK.”
Although there are plans to rebuild the clubhouse, John is firmly of the opinion that the club will stay in Larkhall.
“It’s very important because you always want to hold on to your roots,” he said. “Anybody you’re talking to regarding cycling and you mention Royal Albert Cycling Club, the connection to Larkhall is there straight away. People just know it.
“The club-hut that we have has been there for at least 80 years and we’ve still not moved. One of the things we are looking at is new club-hut premises, but we definitely want to stay in the Larkhall area, we just want to keep the grassroots thing going.”
People who are interested in joining Royal Albert can do so at various different levels, and there will be progression and assessments to see where everybody is.
John explained: “We have different age groups, different levels. The junior side is the Clydesdale Colts, who will welcome anybody aboard from the age of four up until the ages of 16 or 17.
“When they get to the ages of 14 to 16, we then try to get them into the mainstream club and that is our way of producing talent.
“At 14 we’ll introduce them to a few road events within the Royal Albert and see how they get on. What we’re hoping for is for them to represent the club in road races, cross country, time trial, triathlon, anything across the board.
“By that point the kids have committed the best part of their lifetime before they came in to Albert.
“Clydesdale Colts hold a big training session at Chatelherault Country Club every Saturday and it’s basically through word-of-mouth. They can get anything up to maybe 100 kids training every Saturday throughout the year.
“Chatelherault is very popular with people walking and things like that and they might ask what is happening.
“Coaches will explain that the kids are training, cycling, going off-road (etc) and it’s just really a case of them getting in touch with one of the coaches.”
John added: “For people who are thinking about getting involved, I would direct them to the Saturday club.
“The two boys who run it, Scott Leslie and Andrew Burton, will introduce them to cycling, see how their skills are, teach them new road skills and everything else, and assess their fitness.
“Once they’ve been out in the Saturday club and we feel as though they’re fit and their road skills are pretty good, we would then introduce them to the Sunday club runs, which are a wee bit longer miles-wise.
“Sunday club is anything between 50 and 60 miles, while Saturday club is 20 to 25 miles, so it’s a good starting point.
“Just go along, see how you enjoy it, and take it from there. The guys will give you all the help you need to introduce you to the next level.
“I personally cater for everybody. When I turn up at the club on a Sunday morning I put the guys into groups. Wed we have four. We have a race group where the speed is high; a league group where the speed is still high but not as high as the race group; the development group for people who are averaging between 15-16 miles per hour on the bike; then the steady group, which is just to get people out on the bike.
“To get people along, on the bike, assess where they are, take it week by week, see the improvement and they can then have the choice of going into a group, so it’s really just a progression.
“The first time they come in, I just ask people what their general fitness is, what speed do they average when they’re out by themselves, and from that feedback I’ll put them in the group I think is best suited for them.
“Once they’ve finished the club run we’ll stop at the cafe and I’ll get a wee bit more information out of them – how did you enjoy it, was it too fast or too slow, was it just right? I liaise with them and any newcomers, and that’s basically how we build the club.”
For information on Royal Albert visit: www.royalalbertcc.scot/ or www. clydesdalecolts.com.
Sunday club is anything between 50 and 60 miles while Saturday club is 20 to 25 miles John Campbell