Club pays tribute to cycling star John
European races. John was National Hill Climb champion in 1977, winning in Castleton, Derbyshire; in the same year, he won the Grand Prix de Vaumas in France.
In 1978, he represented Great Britain in the World Road Race Amateurs’ championships in Nurburgring, Germany.
John rode the Milk Race in 1978 finishing 18th in the GC and finished fifth in the Girvan Three Day race.
In 1979, he finished eighth in the National Championships for Amateurs at Bradford and won the Trophee Peugeot as an amateur in Cambrai, Northern France.
During this time he also lived and raced in France in the company of such riders as Tour de France stage winners Stephen Roche and Sean Yates.
Both Sean and John travelled together to Paris for the start of the 1981 season.
It was Sean’s first time with the club.
He remembered: “John joined ACBB the year before me in 1980, I think, because when I went to Paris on the coach from London for the ’81 season he was also on the coach which was very lucky because when we got to Paris there was nobody there to meet me.
“He told me it’s a test. It would have been if he had not been there with me because he took me on the Metro to the apartment.”
At this time, John rode for ACBB – Athletic Club de Boulogne-Billancourt – arguably the most influential amateur cycling club in the world.
John also raced for Southport CC, Kirkby CC, GS Strada Lutz, Lejeune, US Creteil and Jack Parker Cycles.
In 1980, John rode the Milk race again, finishing 30th and then the Tour of Ireland where he finished fourth but wore the leader’s jersey for a number of days.
In 1981, he rode the Tour of Ireland again where he was the GC leader again for one day. After his racing days, he went on to work for Falcon and Townsend cycles, before running his shop.
A statement from the SCC members said: “Thank you for the memories and for helping to put Southport Cycling Club on the map, John!”
John’s funeral is on Thursday, August 30 at Burscough Cemetery at 4pm.