Out On The Road With - An Occasional Series

This is the first in an occasional series entitled ‘Out on the Road With.’ The idea is to feature a member, with their permission, to see what they have been up to cycling-wise. Taking his seat on our virtual saddle and freewheeling with us (said in the style of Alan Partridge) is Max Girdler.

For those of you who have never met Max, including me, he’s the one-man MCCC Cardiff sub-section.

I think I got the measure of the man when I saw Max’s order for his new MCCC kit. As a 50 something wrestling with the sizes, my heart was saying large, whilst my head was screaming extra-large. No such dilemma for Max. A small jersey with large bib shorts paints an instant picture of a man who means business on a bike.

I think it’s fair to say that Max had something of an eventful 2013 on the other side of the Severn Bridge. (You can take your pick which one).

Max rides competitively in MCCC colours, which must leave some riders wondering just exactly who we are.  Well I’ve got news for them. The MCCC as a club has started leaving it’s tread on the cycling world’s road. (Well, around Malmesbury anyway).

The highlight for Max was winning a category 3/4 Criterium race at the Llandow Motor Racing Circuit (sounds a bit like Castle Combe), which then gave him enough points to graduate to a permanent category 3 racer. This was after he had finished in the top ten once before and top 20 in every other race.

At Merthyr Tydfil in September, Max switched to his mountain bike and in pouring rain, he finished 1st, five minutes ahead of the 2nd place rider. (Almost enough time to shower and change in).

In his spare time Max cycled across France with a friend, from the Alps to Le Harve, clocking up around 650 miles in 8 days.

Not one to rest on his laurels, this year Max intends to focus on moving up to 2nd category, taking part in some open road racing, maybe some time trials and possibly some track racing too. (Sounds exhausting just thinking about it all).

Hopefully with his busy schedule Max will be able to find some time for a ride or two with us back here in Wiltshire.

Finally, just before our ride comes to an end, Max has kindly offered his advice and guidance to any young aspiring racers (John and George take note). It would be a shame not to tap into Max’s expertise if this is a route you’d like to take.

As we park our bikes all that remains is for me to wish Max every success for the new season. Max has promised to keep us updated, so we look forward to hearing from him.