Roland Masset

Hi Sheila and cycling friends, As you may know from Audax cycling events, I have cycled with Tim for many years and we've shared many happy times together. In 2011 Tim and I photographed the Paris-Brest-Paris in France for Arrivee magazine. In 2013 to my surprise, when I rode LondonEdinburgh-London, Tim drove his car on his own all the way to Edinburgh to photograph the event. As the riders cycled past, Tim would cheer words of encouragement to them as he took photos. I was very surprised in the next issue, Tim kindly put a photo of me on the cover of the Arrivee magazine cycling over Yad Moss. Tim cycled the Sicily non-stop 1000km ride with me in 2004 and we also cycled in Majorca and Italy training camps, as well as countless Audax cycling events. Tim was always good company and had many cycling friends. I particularly remember when riding through the night on long AUK rides, when looking at the route sheet if Tim realised the next control stop was a 24-hour petrol station he would always joke with me: "I'm looking forward to a can of cold rice pudding and sitting on a bag of coal!" and make me laugh, as we did this many times as there was no other place to stop in the middle of the night. We would always look for bus shelters or places to stop in the night, away from the cold. I particularly remember on a long Audax night-ride, Tim and I were both starting to fall asleep with nowhere to stop - in desperation the only place we could find to take shelter from the cold, rainy night was a small phone box! For the rest of the ride, other cyclists would joke with us: "Was that you and Tim asleep in that phone box together?!" Tim was very considerate and kind to everyone, and was very generous with his time. He would always remember the people he met and had cycled with. I'm pleased to have known Tim. I will always have many happy memories of him.

Mark Green Tim approached me at the1995 Audax UK Annual General Meeting and offered to help with Arrivée. I had been working on the magazine for over 10 years, so nearly bit his hand off and he seemed surprised to be offered two of the four issues a year, spring and summer, to produce all on his own from start to finish. He had been a professional typesetter and had already cut his teeth in the amateur world by producing a booklet of short cycling tales for Croydon CTC members in 1993 so, as an experienced AUK cyclist at all levels, he was an ideal addition to what later became the editorial team. In the 16 years from 1988 to 2007 Tim rode at least 16 Super Randonneur series (our records do not show how many SRs are ridden if there is more than one a year). He rode the Paris-Brest-Paris 1200km three times in 1995, 1999 (with his wife, Pauline), 2003 and our own London-Edinburgh-London 1400km, with Pauline, in 1997. Tim's first Arrivée, in spring 1996, was in the original A5 format, with Nev Chanin on the cover, but the following year he produced AUK's first A4 Arrivee and, a year later, the first with an A4 colour photograph on the cover. At first, good quality photographs were often in short supply but Tim, a keen and talented photographer himself, was also instrumental in encouraging others to contribute. The magazine content remained black & white until Tim's full colour edition in spring 2004. On the 1st March this year Tim Wainwright and his friend John Gribble were returning from Tadworth roundabout, on Outwood Lane, Chipstead, where, after a descent, the road turns sharply to the right before straightening, with houses on the left. There was a van parked on the left and Tim collided with this. John was ahead and was unaware that anything had happened until he returned to find some motorists had stopped at the accident, among them a first aider. When the ambulence arrived resuscitation was tried, to no avail. To quote Anne Learmonth, 'Another true gentleman of audax gone too soon.' Tim's loss leaves us all stunned. Our most sincere condolences to his wife, Pauline Wainwright.

Sheila Simpson

It is sad to report the passing of Roland Masset on 11th February following a short period of illness. Roland was born in North London in 1931, the son of French parents and spent his first few years here, but in 1939 the family moved house to West Surrey to reduce the dangers from the approaching war. As a teenager he and class-mate Les Bowerman reveled in the freedom afforded in the open countryside locally and he developed a love throughout his life of these and similar surroundings. It was Les who persuaded him to join the Charlotteville cycling club in 1952 where he met, fell in love with, and then married his wife of nearly sixty years, Ann, making many excursions awheel together. They stayed in the area to raise their family and remained stalwart members of the Charlotteville, too, a club which has much to thank him for; it may be said the club’s name was likely engraved on his heart, as he had been, at various times, Club Captain, Clothing Manager, Auditor and President from 1990 – 2002. His forte even then, was long distance cycling and his club 12 hr team time trial record has yet to be beaten. So, the world of Audax would have been a natural progession for him and since joining in 1991 his record there is outstanding, having completed 8 SR series between 1991 and 2008 when he last rode an event. In addition he completed the Grande Randonnee of P-B-P three times, the last one being in 2003 and then London-EdinburghLondon in 2005 a month short of his 74th birthday. Other palmares towards being a “proper” Randonneur include packing on a 1,000km event and riding back home through the night. En route he dossed down in a hayfield, though he did later complain it was a bit cold. His ready smile and open, generous nature will be greatly missed; fellow Charlotteville members will no longer benefit from extent of his experience and Ann, their three daughters and many grandchildren will miss his constant patience and love, so our thoughts and sympathies are with them all.

Richard Phipps