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The 100 mile VMCC Cyclemotor Run 11th Oct 2009 Click each photo for it to open up in full sceen, then use the back button in your browser to return to the article. Do let me know if you have any problems. Starring: Ray Butcher - 1955 New Hudson Terry Hopes - 1964 Ariel Pixie Jack Madge - 1984 Honda LAC Barry Cooksley - 1974 Honda PC50 Ken Griffiths - borrowed Suzuki 50cc Alan Williams - Honda 90 Glyn Jones - Honda PC50 Bill Phelps - 1967 Honda P50 John Lipscomb - MBK Didn't our section have a good turn out for the annual 100 mile cyclemotor run on the 11th Oct. The weather forecast was for nice dry weather with some sunshine - gosh, how they lied about that. Ray and I were on the road at 5am with both bikes packed in the back of Ray's van. Glyn and Ken had gone the day before and stayed the night in a local hostelry, probably the right thing to do. Anyway, Ray and I made the start venue at 7.45 and there were quite a few VMCC members already there as we arrived. We passed an early starting Velo-solex heading out onto the course as we turned into the start venue. There were even a pair of 1912 Triumph veterans in attendance as all the VMCC Cyclemotor Section events are open to veteran machines as well as 'gutless wonders'. Seen at the start:   A group of us headed out onto the course at 8.45 with the weather holding dry but quite cold. Ray promised that it would warm up for the second lap. Second Lap? ok, I'll explain. The course is of just over 33 miles and to make 100 miles you have to do three laps, but it's optional. Finish three laps and you get a commemorative badge. The route of 33 miles was just about completely flat and was easy to follow. Barry set off in the lead as he could remember the route from previous years. It seems that the same route is used each time the event is run, no doubt because it's easy to ride, even on a real tiddler such as the two Itoms that Alan and Robert Hummerstone were out on.   We lost no-one from our group and after about 1 and a half hours were back at the finish to clock in. Time for a quick cuppa and a walk about to stretch the legs and get other bits of the anatomy to come back to life. We reckoned on about 30 minutes, during which time Terry and Alan arrived from their first run. They had started about ten minutes after the rest of us. By this time the grey clouds were beginning to sweat and it was that sort of mist that can soak you right through, plus it was still cold. Ray still reckoned that the sun would come out soon, but I didn't believe him. A larger group set off, after our break, on lap two. Must say that I don't know why, but we seemed to finish it a lot quicker than the first lap. Was it real or just the fact that I had to run my P50 flat out to keep up with Ray on the New Hudson. For sure the sun hadn't shown itself - in fact it drizzled even more and at the end of lap two we were all quite wet. Luckily I had my wet suit on from the beginning - more to keep warm than keep dry. After another break of 30 minutes we were clocked out by Ian Young at around 13.00 and were all back on the road for the last lap. It was raining quite a bit and we had decided that we'd stop at the Buckingham Steam Railway Centre on the way back for a warming cuppa. Again we seemed to cover the lap quicker than the previous two and were soon turning into the Steam Railway centre for that cuppa. As it happened there was a 'collectors fair' on and the entry was £2, before we even got to the cafe. So we gave that a miss as we were all a bit on the wet side anyway. Back at the finish at about 14.30, David Hughes handed me a finishers badge with a smile. "Something to be treasured", he said. Soon the wet weather gear was off and the bikes loaded and as we drank a nice hot cuppa we watched the clouds begin to clear and the sun come out. Where the hell had it been until then? As Ray said "The 100 miler is something that you have to do at least once in your life". MInd you it was a day with a difference, I must say - and I may well have a go again at it as there's a challenge to riding a gutless wonder over 100 miles. My New Hudson Autocycle next year, maybe? BP. Top of page