Ex-rider interview: A couple of years in the past Ed Hood interviewed the tremendous stylish Italian Roberto Visentini, however within the 80’s Britain had trendy riders too: Malcolm Elliot, Chris Walker and… Steve Sefton all had ‘IT’. Steve celebrated his birthday final week, so we glance again with Ed to listen to about Seftie’s profession.
“I’m by no means happier than once I’m writing.”
~ Ed Hood, as spoken to Martin Williamson from the passenger seat, driving alongside a stage route on the Tour de France.
Expensive Readers – Our beloved colleague and good friend Ed Hood suffered a severe stroke in February. We don’t anticipate Ed will make it again into our bunch, so we’ve began a GoFundMe web page to assist Ed along with his future. Learn the complete publish right here – and please take into account donating.
** Click on this hyperlink to donate to the GoFundMe web page to assist Ed **
We’ll be posting a choice of Ed’s work from the previous 16 years, as a result of nice story-telling by no means will get previous.
Steve began younger
British Biking within the 80’s: televised Kellogg’s metropolis centre criteriums, the Milk Race, the Nissan Tour of Eire; and to go along with Sue Ellen’s huge hair and shoulder pads on the TV, these Campag Delta brakes – after which there have been. . . Kirk Precision magnesium frames. Steve Sefton WAS that soldier. . .
That bike…
PEZ: You had some good leads to Belgium within the early 80’s, Steve?
Steve Sefton: I’d go over after the Lincoln Grand Prix and keep for 3 months.
In one in every of my first races over there, which was at Overijse, I used to be third, after the end a neighborhood household overheard that I used to be in search of a spot to remain, they needed their son to be taught English and have been biking fanatics so that they took me in. I had loads of podiums however you already know it really works in Belgium; you get within the break and the native ‘hero’ or a lad who’s making an attempt to get a professional contract, wants a consequence so. . . I made a superb little dwelling over there. Maybe my finest consequence was third within the Omloop van de Vlaamse Scheldeboorden, Jan Bogaert received, Adrie Van Der Poel was fourth with Johan Museeuw seventh. It’s not till I look again that I realise the standard of the fellows I used to be driving in opposition to. I used to be driving for an newbie group which was sponsored by Tonissteiner mineral water, my final yr over there they stated they’d be sponsoring a full professional group the following season and supplied me a experience on it. I turned it down however underestimated the extent they have been coming in at considering it is perhaps a ‘Mickey Mouse’ affair however actually they rode the Tour de France. The factor is although for those who turned professional in Belgium in these days you have been underneath strain to have interaction in stuff that I simply didn’t need to do.
Prime GB newbie
PEZ: However you didn’t simply experience in Belgium, you rode the legendary Peace Race.
Sure, the 1984 peace race, it was a really laborious and quick race, with the very best amateurs on the earth, poor climate, freezing rain within the mountains, huge crashes. You’d go in to a city completely flat out and there could be cobblestones with a great deal of tramlines stepping into each course, the 2 stroke engines within the vehicles again then coated the highway surfaces in numerous oil, it was like ice, whole carnage at 70kph, I used to simply strive land on the our bodies, not bikes or the bottom! I had three prime 20 finishes and got here fiftieth on GC. . . an enormous Spaniard referred to as Miguel Induráin got here 74th. The Russian, Sergei Sukhoruchenkov received, he was the reigning Olympic champion on the time and probably the greatest newbie riders the world has ever seen.
GB Peace Race group
PEZ: You turned skilled with Ever Prepared in 1985.
I’d been driving effectively and had some wins together with a win within the criterium sequence in De Haan, Belgium the place I used to be second total. It was simply previous half means by way of the season and I obtained a name from Mick Bennett asking if I’d like to affix the group for the remainder of the season; one in every of their riders had left the group for some motive. It was a superb group with guys like John Herety, Steve Fleetwood and Graham Jones. The primary race I rode with them was the Whitby Regatta Professional-Am Street Race in August; John Herety received, his first victory in three years and it was the group’s first win in fairly some time, I used to be fifth in order that was a superb begin to my professional profession. Late season we rode the GP Denain and GP Isbergues as preparation for the Nissan Tour of Eire, Kelly was driving and the crowds there have been unbelievable.
Peace Race publicity
PEZ: No renewal for ’86 so that you rode for Rawlinson, ’87 too.
Ever Prepared folded and I used to be single sponsored by John Rawlinson, he was a bike owner who owned an enormous printing firm in London. Tony Mills equipped my bike and clothes and Alfa Romeo gave me a automotive; it was a superb arrange and the cash was good however clearly I had no group and there have been loads of good sprinters round in that period so my recreation plan was to experience aggressively and get my sponsor’s title on the tv. Within the Kellogg’s race I’d go on the assault and get the Rawlinson title on the market; John would invite purchasers to the races and be delighted once I had his title to the fore.
With Rawlinson in ’87
PEZ: The Percy Bilton group for ’88 and ’89.
That was a superb group, run by a chap referred to as Ron Groom who took the reins of the corporate when Percy Bilton died in 1983; the corporate was an enormous participant; it constructed a lot of the M25 London Orbital motorway and was concerned within the constructing of the Channel Tunnel. Ron was an actual character, he stated to my group mate, John Herety; ‘what’s an expert bike owner’s greatest concern, John?’ John replied that the group, folding and never getting paid was at all times a fear. Ron stated; ‘Proper, I’ll pay everybody their wage for the yr, up entrance on January 1st!’ And he did, that meant we raced laborious to get our bonuses – the group had good efficiency bonuses in place – and prize cash. I used to be in a position to pay my mortgage from our bonuses and prize cash. He was a good man however I bear in mind getting a dressing down from him; I discussed to him that I actually preferred driving a carbon fibre ALAN body, I’m an enormous man and climbing wasn’t my forte however the super-light ALAN gave me a little bit of elevate on the climbs. Ron stated; ‘aren’t our bikes adequate for you!’ However then he went out and purchased carbon fibre frames for us for the Milk Race.
Milk Race stage win on the entrance web page of Biking Weekly
PEZ: A pleasant Milk Race stage win for you with Bilton.
That was ’88, Stage 12, my function was to steer out our sprinter Mark Walsham for the recent spot sprints and stage finishes. Mark had received stage 11 Coventry Circuit race after we’d given him an ideal lead out so our morale was sky excessive. It was the final stage from Warwick Fort to Birmingham, 106 miles, there have been 9 laps of a ending circuit and I used to be policing the breaks, there have been two away and I obtained as much as them then realised bunch was closing and attacked with 500 metres to go. And Mark received the general factors and sprints classification so it was a superb race for us.
The Percy Bilton group of ’88
PEZ: You rode the Tour de Trump with Bilton.
We have been outdoors the resort the evening earlier than the beginning and there was a commotion and all these guys in fits and shades appeared – and there he was, ‘The Donald’ himself. He chatted to us for an age. That race had the second greatest value race on the earth, larger than the Giro, with solely the Tour de France having a much bigger purse. We had a superb programme with Bilton, John Herety had spent three years with Mercier on the continent and had loads of good contacts to get us the rides; races just like the Tour du Limousin.
Within the USA for the Tour de Trump
PEZ: The Airmarshall group for 1990 and people radical Kirk Precision magnesium frames. . .
I didn’t like them, they have been heavy and broke, Dave Mann broke three of them. The group was made up of excellent lads, Dave, Hilton McMurdo, Ian Sanders – however Bilton was like a Division One soccer group, Airmarshall was like stepping right down to Division Three, there wasn’t some huge cash there.
Climbing subsequent to Chris Walker on a Kirk Precision
PEZ: Campag groupsets with Delta brakes although?
The Deltas weren’t the very best at stopping you, that’s true however I by no means fearful an excessive amount of about that, as a professional it was about going quick, not stopping!
With Townsend on ’91
PEZ: Then Townsend for ’91.
It was the identical once more, good lads, Bernie Burns, Neil Hoban, Dave Mann, Hilton McMurdo, Adrian Timmis however not a lot cash. With Bilton we’d race on the continent, I’m an enormous man and wish laborious racing to deliver me on however with Townsend there wasn’t the cash for that. I used to pay my approach to go along with the Raleigh boys to Belgium to race – the Raleigh lads couldn’t perceive it, they didn’t need to be there and I used to be paying to be there! However I like Belgium and cherished to race there. The Belgian professional kermises are 100 miles, full on – once I was making ready for the Spenco 500 mile highway race in Texas I’d experience them then do one other 40 miles with Nigel Dean.
Group presentation in Portugal with Tim Harris
PEZ: Jovigroups – Paros De Ferreira in Portugal for 1992?
Tim Harris was racing on the market, he’d received two phases within the Tour of the Algarve in 1990 and he was signed for that group for 1992, they needed one other British rider and Tim referred to as me to ask if I’d have an interest? I rode three races for them, then within the GP Costa Azul, which was a six stage race – the place Tim received Stage 4 – I used to be coming into good type however had simply been distanced from the lead group of 25 riders on a climb and was chasing to get again on the descent with an enormous Russian man when this hairpin appeared out of nowhere, I used to be going too quick. I went over the sting, I crushed two vertebrae and broke one other two, I had damaged ribs too however worst was my ankle. The physician in Portugal stated that I wouldn’t race once more, that was endorsed by the medical doctors again within the UK with one man saying I must have my foot amputated. However fortuitously I discovered a very good man – Malcolm Elliot’s subsequent door neighbour, he was a stunning man however instructed me that it was going to be a; ‘good distance’ and I used to be on crutches for 15 months. So Costa Azur was my final race.
Percy Bilton “was like a Division One soccer group”
PEZ: Not an effective way to shut your profession however that was a superb period to be a professional within the UK.
I really feel fortunate that I used to be born once I was, the fellows who have been a bit of older didn’t get that chance and now it’s ‘watered down’ as a result of there are such a lot of TV channels, again then there have been solely 4. It was a sponsor’s delight.
Hello-lite – That Milk Race stage win
PEZ: Your profession hi-lite?
The Milk Race stage win was good, I had some good leads to Belgium – and beating Tony Doyle, who was twice World Skilled Pursuit Champion, in a 4.6 kilometre time trial – that was in a stage of the Invoice Cox Memorial two day in 1983.
PEZ: I used to be going to ask in regards to the low level however I believe we’ve coated that. . .
I’ve had my share of crashes however that one in Portugal was one thing else!
Tony Doyle and ‘Seftie’
PEZ: And for those who may do it another time?
I believe I might flip professional with Tonissteiner, you have been underneath strain to ‘put together’ with these Belgian groups however it will have been an attention-grabbing expertise. Once I raced in Belgium I beat loads of guys who went on to have stellar professional careers, so who is aware of?
# With due to Steve for an incredible wander down Reminiscence Lane, we each miss the 80’s – however not the Deltas. Due to all of the unknown photographers. #
Nonetheless driving, right here with fellow ex-pros Paul Watson and Steve Joughin
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