The Official Web Site of the Go-Ride Bexley Cycling Club
Home Contacts Events Safety Membership Club Rules Links Photo Gallery Club Kit News     website by MM	Coach Profile - Eddie Land The Sporting life of your chairman. I got my first bike, a Raleigh Blue Streak, named after a British Rocket of the time, after starting work at the age of 15.5. Soon after I joined the Woolwich CC but never raced much, in part due to the fact I could not afford a car or motorbike which was needed to get to many events, although a few started at Wilmington. I stopped cycling at about the age of 22 and just went drinking and dancing for the next four years and then got keen on sport again and joined a fencing club where I took part in foil and epee competitions and once represented Goldsmiths College. One of the guys at fencing also played squash so I gave that a go to and kept at it till my late 30’s when I started to run to keep fit, as running up 6 flights of stairs at work didn’t seem enough-I needed some stamina training. I began by running with some of the lads from the squash club and found I often had to wait for them. I was beginning to enjoy running and so on prompting from a friend of the wife’s, I joined Cambridge Harriers and this improved my running considerably. I went on to record a best 10 mile time of 55 mins and 59 seconds and ran several marathons – one Southend, two Thanet’s and about four London’s with a best time of 2hours 44 minutes and 43 seconds which gave me about 1,000th place. I stopped running in about 1985 and got back into cycling in 1993, this time joining the West Kent Road Club when a near neighbour who cycled said he had spotted me out on the bike and how about joining his club. In I997 the club was wondering how to encourage young talent to join the club. The result was that the West Kent Road Club and the Dartford Wheelers got together and in 1998 formed Team Darenth. In preparation for this, I and another in the West Kent Road Club took the Association of British Cycling Coaches course. In the middle of 2004 Ray Harrad of the Gemini and Chair of Bexley Sports Council was after Bexley laying some tarmac in Danson Park for cycle racing. He and I wrote to the Woolwich and Gemini committees asking them if they were interested in supporting the idea. The clubs were interested but on all with meeting the council it was apparent the tarmac idea was not on but there was backing for the idea of a development club in the area. I then left Team Darenth and joined with the Woolwich and the Gemini in setting up Go-Ride Bexley, and that brings us up to date.