“The Man Behind the Bars”
Lewes Wanderers legend, Peter Baker
1) Favourite Bike
My all-time favourite would probably be the “Holdsworth Professional” built around the frame I ordered soon after starting work in late 1976. It was my regular racing bike from the 1977 season and I was still racing it in Club events 20 years later. The frame was used by the Holdsworth professional team and could be bought as a complete bike with a full Campagnolo Nuovo groupset for £320, (or £420 with Super Record). That was too much for me, so I bought the frame for £92.50 and built it up with secondhand components (i.e. Stronglight chainset, Sun-Tour gears, Weinman brakes).
Over the years I slowly upgraded it to full Campagnolo. It spent many years hanging in my garage, but I’ve recently had it resprayed and restored to its former glory.
I raced it in all kinds of road events, in time trials: from the short Bec/Catford hill climbs of a couple of hundred yards long, up to 24-hour events and many seasons of road races. It was the bike I rode when I enjoyed my lone road race win, along with top ten finishes in some Sussex Division Road Race Championships.
Of my current bikes it’s a close choice between my Titanium Enigma or Carbon Colnago CLSC 3.0 but I think maybe the Colnago just edges it. The Colnago was part of their lower budget range and, when new, rode accordingly,
but the frame is good and once I’d upgraded the groupset to SRAM Etape Red,
it rode much better. One fact that probably gives it the edge over the Enigma is
that it is more comfortable “on the drops”. The Enigma is good for longer more
casual rides.
2) Miles-per-week
In recent years, I’ve targeted an annual figure of 20,000 and to achieve this I target 400
miles each week throughout the year. I don’t always get to that weekly figure, but most
weeks I can get in over 300.
3) Standout Ride
This has to be the Paris-Brest-Paris I rode in 2011. The official distance was 1230km, (764miles) which I completed in 65 hours 23 minutes. The event actually starts and finishes 14 miles to the west of Paris (in the direction of Brest) and I also rode there from Paris to the start and back afterwards, adding 28 further miles to that total.
The event’s organisation was excellent. There were controls about every 40 miles and at every one there was hot food available, mechanics etc., 24 hours a day. At several there were beds available. The route signage was impeccable, including ones that told you if you had taken the wrong way. Despite the good signage I was worried that I may have missed a direction sign, especially at night or if I hadn’t seen one for some time. During the nights, it was comforting to be among a group of riders, or to see a line of riders in the distance ahead.
The whole event was run in a fantastic atmosphere, not just from the event officials and riders, but also from the general public. During the nights (that seemed very dark in the open countryside) you would be riding along and, from seemingly nowhere in the darkness, would hear shouts of encouragement. Passing through villages the local population would be there at all times of day and night, and particularly on the return trip, many residents on route opened their gardens/garages to offer free food and drink to any rider.
4) Why I started riding
It all goes back to my first bike as a 4-year-old. It was by far my favourite toy, especially after the day I rode it without stabilisers for the first time. I rode that bike into the ground and, apparently, I sulked for the whole summer after it could take no more of my riding it.
Eventually Christmas came and I got a new one. I remained hooked on riding my bike as I grew older and, when I was 14, received my first “new racer”. It was a “Puch Clubleader” bought in the local bike shop for £33, (I’d have liked the Carlton for sale at £36, but that was more than we could afford at the time).
On it, I started to expand my rides locally and then in March 1974, I rode my first Club run with the Hastings & St Leonards Cycling Club. The ride went to watch that year’s “ESCA Hardriders” event, then held from Hellingly, and ever since then, I’ve always had an affinity with the event.
5) Longest Ride
See above my P-B-P memory. I’ve also ridden Land’s End -John O’Groats (over a 7 day period), staying in overnight B & B’s en-route. I had set myself a target of 150 hours in total, but missed that target by 90 minutes (I blame the strong headwind all day as I made my way up from Inverness).
There have been several “12’s” and a handful of “24’s” over the years, with PB’s at 241 and 400 miles respectively.
6) Biggest achievement
Again, it has to be P-B-P, but there also have been other rides that have been special to me. Other examples w`ould involve my 2014 racing season.
During that year, Lewes Wanderers achieved National CTT team honours. That year’s CTT National 24 Hour Championship had been held in East Sussex and I was part of the winning team (along with Paul Gibbons and Micky Turner), plus, in that event, I was national champion for my age group.
In addition that year, we were 2nd team in CTT’s BBAR Competition and I was part of that team along with Paul Gibbons and Tom Glandfield.
Britain’s long distance cycling association, Audax UK, has an annual competition to see which of its members has ridden the highest number of miles during the calendar year. I am proud to say that I have been undefeated in this challenge between 2011 and 2022 (there was no award in 2020 & 2021 due to Covid, the figures for 2023 are not available yet).
7) Favourite local road
From the regularity at which I ride it, you would think that it must be the A275 between Lewes-Chailey-Wych Cross and return, but I think that there is another I enjoy more.
It’s the B2116 from near Henfield to the A275 junction with the A275 between Offham and Cooksbridge, even if negotiating Hurstpierpoint and Hassocks can be frustrating at times. The most enjoyable being the last 4 miles between Westmeston and the A275 junction.