The Mystery of the Missing Club Trophies
Over the almost 100 years that the Club has been in existence, we have accumulated a lot of Trophies. Many of these are awarded at our annual award evening, but there are other trophies that go back many decades that are more rarely seen.
Over the Christmas period, we were contacted out of the blue by a cyclist from Scotland with the following message:
"Good morning. I wanted to contact the club being an ex- member and racing cyclist of the Royal Albert CC in Larkhall. I have seen 4 Trophies for sale from the 1950s Newbury Road Club. I purchased them but I'd like to return them to their rightful place. Best wishes Johnjack Cheape"
Clearly this was an offer we couldn’t refuse, particularly as John wouldn’t accept any payment for the trophies or for postage. Arrangements were made and a package arrived by special delivery the following day – amazing given it’s Christmas and there are Royal Mail strikes!
The package contained 4 trophies, all awarded to A. Frost in the 1950s. For those of you who don’t know, Arthur Frost was a long-standing member of the Club, was Treasurer for many years and he was an amazing racer too. He sadly died early in 2022 after a long illness, aged 92.
The trophies recorded some amazing achievements by Arthur, including:
In 1954:
100 mile TT 4 hrs 40 mins
50 mile TT 2hrs 19mins
25 mile TT 1 hour 5mins
Hilly 46 mile TT 2hrs 35mins
In 1959:
12 hour 224miles 1749yds
100 mile TT 4 hrs 45 mins
50 mile TT 2hrs 11mins
25 mile TT 1 hour 4mins
Hilly 50 mile TT 2hrs 28mins
30 mile TT 1hr 17mins
These would be amazing stats for any current member, but remember, these were achieved without carbon frames, Di2, lycra, Garmins, tri-bars, disc wheels, etc.
A bit of digging identified that Arthur’s family had made the decision to sell the trophies, and by chance they have found their way back into the club again.
It gives us an opportunity to celebrate some of Arthur Frost’s special achievements all over again. He was a truly incredible cyclist!
I’d also like to say a big ‘Thank You’ to John Cheape, who so generously returned the trophies to us without asking for a penny in return. You are a gentleman!
Mystery solved!
Comments