A Potted History of Roger's Cycling Career ...
A little about myself and my cycling history. At the age of 14, in 1972 I became a club cyclist with London St Christopher. It was the Sunday club run that met at the Compass points in North and South London, like Staples Corner to the North and Streatham Common to the South, and the mid-week club night that met at Waterloo, that started my love of cycling. YHA weekends and Time Trials would follow.
Things really began to happen when as a Trainee Quantity Surveyor, on a HND course at Willesden Tech, I was posted out to Cardiff, South Wales in 1978, to work on the M4 project. Cycling wise it was a dream come true with the demands of the valleys and the further Brecon Beacons and my form began to improve. It was in conjunction with the London St Chris' summer holiday that year, based in Chambery when I saw the 14th and the Alpe D'huez stages of the Tour de France that my passion for competitive road racing was really ignited.
At the end of 1978 I became a 1st cat still riding with London St Christopher's. In 1979 I became recognised on the national stage when in the early season I took the scalp of the future legend, Sean Yates, over a 33 mile Hardriders TT in E.Surrey and finished the season notably being the best UK based amateur in that years Tour of Ireland, amongst the likes of Roche, Millar and Anderson.
I was signed in 1980 to the Anglia Sport Racing Team; organisers of the re-knowned Star Trophy GP of Essex.
Overall, Wimpey head office were fairly supportive of my cycling career, but my immediate boss made it difficult for me to pursue a career as a QS and the training demands needed to make a successful career in cycling, so I made the decision to quit hoping that my tenuous contacts in Europe might work out it. Its a decision I have never regretted and in1981, I signed to ACC Contern based in Luxembourg. A team that produced the likes of Kim Anderson, Bjarne Riis and in more recent years the Schleck brothers and Kim Kirchen. What an exciting, demanding and enlightening 3 years that followed.