FOUR cycling friends embarked on a 1,000-kilometre journey to Barnsley’s twin-town in Germany to mark an historic cycling club’s 100th anniversary.
Steven Cannon, Dominic McCall and twins Connor and Josh Newsome’s journey unfolded over several stages which saw them pass through Eindhoven in Holland on their way to Germany where they took in Cologne, the Rhine Valley, Heidelberg and Schwabisch Gmund.
The friends are proud members of the Barnsley Road Club, which is celebrating its centenary this year.
In 1924, while Barnsley FC sat in the lower reaches of Division Two, an article appeared in a cycling magazine.
The article placed by the founding members enquired if anyone was interested in forming a cycling club in Barnsley, and 20 people turned up to the Manor Castle to discuss.
A hundred years later, the four took on the Herculean trip to toast the anniversary but also to raise cash for two charities, the Barnsley-based LimbBo Foundation and the Dave Rayner Foundation.
A spokesperson from the club told the Chronicle: “It was a wonderful, life-affirming venture.
“In a spirit of adventure and as part of our centenary events, we decided to cycle to our twin town Schwabisch Gmund.
“After a send-off by Mayor of Barnsley John Clarke and MP Stephanie Peacock, Steve, Dom, Connor and Josh set off on their journey to southern Germany on July 20.”
They were using the crossing from Hull to Rotterdam, so the first part took in the quiet lanes of Lincolnshire and the Humber Bridge.
However, there was initial drama over an invalid passport which meant one member had a nervous wait in Hull for 24 hours while the other three carried on through the flatlands and windmills of the Netherlands.
Then, with a mad rush via trains and hard cycling, they all met up again in Eindhoven.
The next part of the journey saw them riding along the Rhine Valley, they were met by two other club members, Vicki and Garreth Duff, who accompanied through Rhineland countryside.
Back on their own the gang of four continued until they got to the historic town of Heidelberg where they met up with riders, Klaus, Gerhard and Dietmar - from Schwabisch Gmund - who then accompanied them, along with fellow Barnsley members Paul and Miles Winstanley who had ridden out to join them, and into a civic welcome in the twin-town.
“It was an amazing trip,” said club chair Alastair Gittner.
“They met up with cyclists from all over the world on their journey and shared their passion with people from our twin-town.
“They’ve had punctures, mechanical issues, had to wait for a passing submarine, had sleepless nights dealing with delayed trains, but for the four club members it has been an experience they will never forget, and they have forged friendships which will last a lifetime.
“They also show how cycling can bring people together across Europe.
“We are looking forward to welcoming our new friends from Schwabisch Gmund to Barnsley in the future.”
