The Masterminds with Grace Lambert Smith – Before the bus pass beckons, Mike Wigley

Continuing our series focussing on the people who work so hard behind the scenes to provide great Audax events, Arrivée contributor, Grace Lambert Smith meets up with famed organiser Mike Wigley.

Before the bus pass beckons

IT WAS A PARTICULARLY sunny day in Derbyshire when I met up with renowned organiser, Mike Wigley to shoot the breeze about his Audax career. His perms have punctuated many a randonner’s season, so it was a great pleasure to meet him in the beautiful Peak District.

A miscommunication meant that he arrived over an hour before me at a lovely cafe in Edale where his bike leaned against a fence and he occupied the sunny terrace around the corner. Audax riders’ bikes are easily recognisable with their full-length mudguards, saddlebag and touring pedals, so I parked my bike on top of his, safe in the confidence that this bike definitely belonged to him.

Mike’s home is on the outskirts of Manchester, a city steeped in cycling history and home to many a handy rider. His first bike arrived at the tender age of seven years old when it became his freedom machine: riding to school, between friends’ houses and back home again. “I wasn’t physically strong at school and I wasn’t interested in organised sports,” he confesses, “but it’s amazing how far one can go at a steady pace, something we randonneurs know so well.”

This steady pace led him to expand his horizons over the years. Attending university in Aberystwyth opened the door to Welsh adventures, a place many of us will have experienced during the highs and lows of any fruitful Audax UK season.

“I remember ascending the Bwlch-yGroes on a steel 5-speed bike,” he says. “Needless to say, I walked it back then but I’ve since ridden up it on a 27-speed bike during Dave Matthews’ Barmouth Boulevard 200.” I hastened to add how many

By day, Grace is a freelance copywriter. When she’s not at her laptop’s keyboard, she can be found riding her bike around the Peak District. She’s completed a couple of SRs and a PBP and is looking forward to pedalling her bike across more countries in the not-too-distant future

ascents of various hills I walked up on my first 20-speed bike not so many moons ago.

Throughout the confinement of 2020, Mike took it upon himself to do a little bit of spring cleaning. You know the sort of thing – putting those dreaded creaks and rattles to bed once and for all and sorting through the ever-increasing pile of brevet cards that inevitably find themselves scattered around the house. The trip down memory lane revealed a lot about Mike’s almost 50-year career in Audax.

“It looks like I rode my first 200 back in 1974,” he remembers, but you won’t find this particular ride on his Audax palmares. This

Mike Wigley in person

was also the year that Audax UK was founded, though Mike wouldn’t be aware of his future for some 18 years yet. During that time he regularly rode 100-milers and a handful of Youth Hostel cycle tours. Though the mileage was not yet at the pointy end of a Super Randonneur Award, he found himself comfortable on the first rung of the ladder, which led him to wonder what might be next for him and his bike. “I had absolutely no intention of riding through the night, what with the poor lights we had back then!”

Finishing a 300 before sunset is a challenge for all but the fittest and fastest even now, so it will come as no surprise that

On the Wigley 200

Mike stuck to 200s for a good few years.

“I was delighted when I learned about the Randonneur Round The Year (RRTY) Award that Sheila Simpson had championed,” he says. Sheila Simpson was a strong rider herself and organised many randonnees from Marple, not a million miles from where Mike is based today. “Back in those days calendar events didn’t happen every month, so we had to make it up with DIYs and perms.”

Eventually, Sheila decided to concentrate on her own riding and PBP and Mike gladly took over the reins of her events including achievement on the bike. Training physically the winter series of 200s she helpfully and mentally for such a distance (no less designed to keep riders motivated than 1500 km) is a huge feat and not to be throughout the colder months. Keen to put underestimated. Like many others, he was his own mark on the Audax scene, he soon defeated by his first attempt in 2009 but added the Eccleshall 200, Eureka 200, returned to make peace with the event again Llanfair 400 and a Pair of Kirtons 600 to the in 2013 when he made it to the finish with Peak Audax series. just 18 minutes in hand. Mike Wigley is full

Mike’s famous Wigley Perms have grown value in every sense of the word. exponentially over the years and he now We wheeled our bikes out of the counts over 450 riders as participants on his courtyard ready for a spin down the Edale routes. “That’s over 1,600 brevet cards I’ve valley. While I was dressed for summer’s validated over the years.” On the topic of final hurrah, Mike opted for a more administration, Mike has also done a stint as “what-if” approach to his attire. His SPD membership secretary which revealed some sandals enveloped his socked feet and truths. “Without events, there is no Audax multiple upper layers made sure he wasn’t UK so I’m particularly keen to offer rides for going to be caught out. Just as I clipped in the ever-increasing membership,” he says. my other foot, Mike’s chain went awry and “And with the help of my Peak Audax his oily hands made sure any further visitors colleagues, I feel we’re doing our bit.” knew his shortfall.

As Mike approaches his 30th continuous “I still have plenty of unfinished business year of randonneuring, he took some time within Audax,” he says, assuring me there’s out recently to reflect his boxes of brevet plenty still that he’s willing to give to the cards he’s collected. “I have over 650 brevet community. “I’ve been aiming for 1,000 cards for more than 200 events,” he says, lifetime points before I get my bus pass and “and I’ve lost count of the number of times the Randonneur 100,000 badge was within I’ve cycled through Church Minshull in reach before injuries and lockdown got the Cheshire!” We both laugh and I’m also better of me.” familiar with the tiny hamlet where I A few cyclists pass us in the other conveniently always need refreshments yet direction to whom we nod, of course. “If it’s all but derelict. there’s one thing I’ve learnt through Audax,

As technology developed, so too did it’s that the head is more important than the Mike’s desire to ride further, longer and legs,” a statement to which I agree. “When under moonlit skies. As well as pedalling you’re cold and wet and riding into a around the UK, his Audax rides have taken headwind, it takes a certain determination to him beyond and he counts Mount Ventoux get to the next control,” he says as my own as a particular high point of his experiences. memories of awful rides flood my mind. Just

A man as well cycled as Mike must have before we bid each other goodbye as we take more favourite rides than I’ve ridden opposite directions home, he leaves me with kilometres throughout my life so far, I one final piece of advice. “When the going thought. “Actually, my absolute favourite ride gets tough, convincing yourself that you are is Llanfair 400 from Poynton to Holyhead really enjoying yourself can get you through and back,” he smiles. I can count the number such temporary difficulties. Some decent of times someone’s said a 400 is their waterproofs and a spare jersey in your favourite ride on one hand. saddlebag can also help.”

“The cycle paths through Cheshire and around the coast of North Wales are some of the best we have in the country,” he says. “The sun setting to a backdrop of Snowdonia is a real highlight, night navigation is easy and the wind is always on your back!” I raise an eyebrow knowing full well I’ve heard that statement from organisers many times before. “Ok, I made the last bit up!” We laugh and tuck into our forgotten flapjacks on the cafe bench.

A goal that’ll be familiar to many of us at this time of the year and indeed the four-year cycle of Big Audax Rides, is London-EdinburghLondon. As for whether it’ll go ahead in 2021, we’ll save for another time but Mike is quick to admit that it’s easily his greatest Start of the Eureka 200