The author, born in South Yorshire in 1938, was an early pioneer of paid continental cycle racing. He then established a successful career in financial services. Currently, he was a reluctant rider at the outset  of the professional  class in the UK, Then he organised the most successful cycle training camps in Mallorca for 20 years. He became a permanent resident in France in 2005, also having winter homes in th Algarve & Mallorca consequently  having considerable travel, racing & club experiences in those  & other countries including South Africa, winning a world veteran championship in Russia.