We ride with the Wolverhampton Wheelers
Sean Lacey takes a Midlands spin with a club steeped in history
You know you are heading somewhere with deep connections to cycling when the road leading to your meeting point at Aldersley Leisure Village is named Hugh Porter Way. The stalwart of 60s track cycling, better known nowadays for his TV commentary, is still a local lad and a life-long member of the Wheelers.
We’re met by Robin Kyte, the current chairman, who beckons us inside to the cafe as it’s frankly freezing outside. Kyte tells us, “It’s not just a position but a privilege to look after this club. I’ve been a member for more years than I care to remember and I’m so pleased to see the growth and high standards we produce bring such results and camaraderie among the club’s members.”
The cafe area is starting to fill up nicely now, a sea of black and yellow with the chatter in full flow. A round of applause goes up when a young lad walks in — it turns out that Giulio Cervi had raced the day before and bagged his first win, and his third-cat licence to boot.
The Wheelers organise themselves into two groups, one will be tackling a shorter 25-mile route while the rest will be taking on a 53-mile ride. With the start point on the outskirts of the city, the urban riding is thankfully limited, but the traffic is quiet and soon we are heading for greener scenery and cross into Staffordshire.
The group is rolling along nicely at a pace at which we can chat with relative ease and allows for some on-the-bike interviewing. The Wheelers are a talkative bunch and all attest to the inclusive and friendly nature of the club, with many mentioning the variety and frequency of their rides — from multiple club runs through the week; sessions on the velodrome for both kids and adults; and regular road race and criterium events throughout the year.
At our northern point we pass Haughton, home to another favourite cyclist’s haunt, pencilled in as a fall-back stop should the weather be against us. Luckily the sun is out so we press on, dropping down through the village of Wheaton Aston for a second time and past Boscobel House, destination of the very first Wheelers club run in 1891.
From here the pace picks up, in part due to the fact it’s mostly downhill from here on in, and that the cafe is just a couple of miles away.
When we arrive, the queue snakes out of the
door; not unusually for the Spider’s Web, according to the Wheelers. We just about manage to squeeze in for hot tea and a bacon sandwich.
We get chatting to Sally Ward, who had ridden the 25mile route with her husband Lee and youngest son Oliver, nine — older son Alex, 13, had opted for the longer route.
“We initially got involved when we brought Alex along for taster sessions on the velodrome,” she says. “He loved it and we all saw it as the ideal family activity. We have now been members for four years, and I qualified as a coach to get more involved and help bring more young riders through.”
Shropshire — our third county of the day — brings both pretty villages and another turn of pace, the wind at our backs now for the run home, and the final treat of a couple of laps on the velodrome, a fitting end.
History, champions and friendship — the Wheelers have a lot going for them.