Chas Messenger

Chas Messenger

To person
Full name	Charles William Messenger
Date of birth	February 25, 1914
date of death	July 26, 2008
nation	United Kingdom
discipline	Street

Charles William "Chas" Messenger (born February 25, 1914 in London , † July 26, 2008 in London) was an English rider, race organizer, association official and author of cycling books .

Chas Messenger started cycling as an active rider in the Kings Cross area . He described himself as "mediocre" but still set a record in a time trial over 25 miles.

Commitment as a functionary

Messenger became an official of the British League of Racing Cyclists (BLRC). The BLRC was established during World War II to popularize road racing on public roads in Britain. From 1951 the association organized several tours of Britain under different names, until 1958 the Milk Marketing Board was won as a sponsor. From then on, until 1993, the race was called the Milk Race . Messenger was the responsible organizer of the race from 1958 to 1965.

In 1959, Chas Messenger was partly responsible for the fact that the BLRC merged with the rival National Cycling Union to form the British Cycling Federation (BCF), now British Cycling . He negotiated with the police to organize more races on public roads. For seven years he was deputy chairman of the BCF racing committee, which nominated drivers for the national teams. From 1962 to 1967 he was the Sports Director of the British Road Team. The highlight of this period were the UCI Road World Championships in 1967 in Heerlen , where the Brit Graham Webb became World Champion and the Brit Beryl Burton became World Champion. In September 1967 he was dismissed from this position by the BCF for no reason.

In the 1970s, Messenger helped to ensure that the last velodrome in downtown London, the Paddington Track, was preserved, albeit in vain. Instead of the demolished cycle track, he created various opportunities for cyclists to train safely, such as the Hillingdon Cycle Circuit , where Bradley Wiggins, among others, began his career.

Author of books

Messenger wrote several books in what is described as "intensely personal". His understanding of history, according to one review, does not always follow chronology, but he is an entertaining and engaging writer who never allows himself "to worry unduly about obstacles such as spelling, grammar and punctuation".

Personal

Messenger lived his entire life in West London, where he worked in local government. He was a member of the Checkers Road Club . He was known for his brusque manner. At the official funeral service for him, one of the speakers said: “ His propensity for direct action and getting things done rather than long-winded committee debate made him a controversial figure to some then amateur attitudes. “(Translator: His tendency to act and implement immediately instead of long arguments made him a controversial personality among some with amateur attitudes. )

Honors

The Chas Messenger Road Race has been held in his honor since 2001 . In 2008 Messenger held the award ceremony for Russell Downing , even though he was seriously ill . In 2009 he was inducted into the British Cycling Hall of Fame .

Fonts

• Conquer the World . Pelham Books, London 1968.
• Cycling crazy . Pelham Books, London 1970.
• Cycling's Circus . Pelham Books, London 1971.
• Where there's a wheel . Pelham Books, London 1972.
• Ride and be Damned . Pedal Publishing, Harpenden 1998.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Chas Messenger on willesdencc.blogspot.com
2. ↑ Chas Messenger dies aged 194 . Cycling Weekly , July 29, 2008. Archived from the original on August 9, 2011. Retrieved on April 12, 2013.
3. ↑ Cycling , September 23, 1967. p. 25
4. ↑ hillingdoncyclecircuit.org.uk
5. ↑ Shot-and-shell days on abcc.co.uk v. 2001 (English) ( Memento from October 5, 2006 in the Internet Archive )

Web links

• Chas Messenger Pivotal figure in British cycling and organizer of the Milk Race on guardian.co.uk v. September 3, 2008