It was the ’70s and Pat McQuaid, now head of the UCI, was in England and winning a classic that is sadly no longer with us, the Tour of the Cotswolds which VeloUK visited a few times before the race sadly dissapeared a decade or so ago.
The picture of Pat McQuaid here is from John Pierce who we featured a few months ago and who’s pictures grace the retro-inspired calendar, Les mémoires du peloton 2012 Calendar from Prendas Ciclismo. John remembers the day saying “he and two other Irish riders stayed over at my place the night before… bit of a party followed!
Then I kind of managed them for the race and took photos. Pat was away with Paul Sherwen and Grant Thomas… Pat was the biggest rider so I thought sh#t, he is going to get dropped on the last climb, Birdlip – but he didn’t. Then I thought Sherwen would sprint with Thomas, but no, it was Pat riding alone into the park. Yep those were the days!
Indeed they were John and like us VeloUK, you can remember the ‘good old days’ with the Les mémoires du peloton 2012 Calendar from Prendas.
The calendar has a World championship theme (see the article on Oscar Freire to) and Pat McQuaid with an entirely different hat on from the 70’s says “the UCI Road World Championships continue to be the highlight of the cycling year. Every legend in the history of our sport has performed with success at one time or other during his career.”
Tour of the Cotswolds – Winners over the years – Click here for a history of the race’s podiums
If you have a memory of a classic British race, share with it us at VeloUK by clicking here
