Dave Roberts’ family have lost a loved husband, father and grandfather, Acme Wheelers have lost a chunk of our Club history, and we have all lost the friendship of a lovely guy.

Dave Roberts joined the Acme Wheelers as a teenager and was part of a strong group of youngsters competing for the Club. In those early years Dave, along with many others looked to Gwyn Humph as their mentor and Dave was to become a mentor in his own right in later years.

As everyone knows, Dave was always well turned out whether on the bike or in “civvies”.  Because of this and his well coiffured hair, after a ride on a wet and windy day with everyone feeling the effects, Dave got off the bike and his hair was not out of place. Very quickly his friend Wayne Howlett named him Dave “cwmdare”.  That attention to appearance and detail has stayed with Dave all of his life.

Dave went to college in Egham, London where he met Pat, who was also in college but lived in Wimbledon.  Dave would cycle over to see Pat, a journey of around 20 miles each way and Pat started in the way she intended to continue to look after Dave, she kept clean clothes in her flat so that Dave had dry clothes to make the return journey.  Pat was then left with the kit to be washed.

During college holidays Pat went back to the Midlands and Dave would, again, use the bike as his means of getting up to see her.  This time the journey was 100 miles each way, though he could now stay overnight at the family home. On one occasion he arrived so tired and disorientated he forgot the address and, long before mobile phones, had to seek help to get him in the right direction.  Keen to support Dave’s riding Pat knitted jerseys in Acme colours for him to wear in the cold weather. We can all say thank goodness woollen kit is a thing of the past.

After getting married Pat and Dave moved to Altringham, just south of Manchester. Ever the keen cyclist Dave took second claim membership with Seamons CC and if you take a look at their website you will see that their colours are exactly the same as Acme Wheelers.  The Acme was always Dave’s first love and he was determined to maintain his first claim membership for when his inevitable return to Wales happened.

When Pat and Dave’s children were growing up he had a tandem, Rhydian, Bethan and Delyth would eagerly wait their turn to be taken out for rides though Rhianwen was not as bike minded and did not get to enjoy that experience. Safe to say, though, that all the children took their turn at helping out at Club events.

Whitsun holidays for the family would always be a return to Wales for a family camping holiday in Builth Wells during bike week. The Roberts family would meet up with other Acme family groups and many others who Dave knew through his earlier cycling with the Club.

1978 saw Dave and Pat return to Wales with the family and, of course, the tandem came with them.  It was from this time that Dave would become more heavily involved with Acme Wheelers than he was able to in the past. Apart from his own racing schedule he would help out doing all the jobs a good member does during Club and Open events.

Having benefitted from the support of older members when he was growing up Dave was keen to put something back into the sport and did this by qualifying for his BC Coaching Award.  He was as diligent at gaining this award as he was in all things in his life and went on to work with the Go Ride children’s groups as well as supporting and guiding many Club members over the years.

In 1987 Pat’s Church were raising funds and the Minister decided he wanted to ride to Harpenden in Hertfordshire where he had contacts who would offer him financial support and a bed.  This was a ride of around 180mls which Dave thought might be difficult for the Minister on his own, so he decided to, not only offer him some advice, but to join him on the ride which they both did over three days.

Another ride he was able to tick off his wish list was to climb the Horseshoe Pass, near Llangollen.  He left Pat in the campervan parked at the top, rode down to the bottom and turned around to make the climb back up to the comfort of the camper. A ride he never had the opportunity to tick of was LEJOG and that remained a regret for him.

Credai Dave hynny

Nid ydych chi’n stopio beicio pan fyddwch chi’n heneiddio, rydych chi’n heneiddio pan fyddwch chi’n rhoi’r gorau i feicio

Dave lived by the belief that you don’t stop riding when you get old, you get old because you stop riding. Dave rode until the end.

In 2009 Dave was recognised by the community for his coaching work and  was presented with the Rhondda Coach of the Year Award. The award was presented by Welsh rugby coach Gareth Jenkins at an event in the Rhondda Sport Centre. Dave’s wife Pat and ACME members were privileged to support Dave as he received his award in recognition of his efforts coaching cyclists from the Club and outside, which included youngsters under the Go Ride scheme.

In 2020 Dave clocked up 1500mls and much of this was on rollers.  During one week in January, this year, he had covered 90mls on the rollers which is some achievement, and as Dave was an early riser he often had the milkman as a spectator as he worked out in the conservatory.

Within the Club apart from various incidental work he has carried out, Dave has been the Club Treasurer for over 20 years and, as with all aspects of his life, his book keeping has been meticulous.

Hwyl fawr Dave, mwynhau dy reidio di gyda Gwyn Hump, Gerald ac unrhyw un arall  ti’n  gallu findio.

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Memories of Dave, Click Link :- https://acme-wheelers.co.uk/gallery-2/gallery-2020/nggallery/2020/dave-roberts

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Club members have received the sad news of the loss of Club Treasurer and Life Member, Dave Roberts.  Dave will be greatly missed by members for his support to both experienced and inexperienced cyclist and for just being a lovely gentleman.  Dave has been a member of Acme Wheelers since his teenage years and has filled many roles within the Club over those years. There will be a full tribute to Dave in the coming weeks.

Welcome back to the Acme Wheelers website after a short absence.  You may have noticed that we have been off-line for a few weeks, this was because the gremlins had got into the system and caused a few problems which have now been resolved and a safety net put in so that we should not be off-line again in the future.  I would like to thank Kerry Lewis for his, not inconsiderable, efforts to put the photographs and articles back into the system to ensure that the record of Club events is back for everyone to view. Club Champions Section still needs some work which will be done over the coming weeks.

I hope you will enjoy searching through the web site and if you have any items you would like included please get in touch.

There was a three month period when Gerald was not a member of Acme Wheelers, but he has never been a member of any other cycling club. 

Gerald became a member of Acme Wheelers in October 1941, three months after he was born and that is the only period of time when he was not a member of the Acme. His membership was set up by his father Joe, himself a founder member of the Club.

Obviously from that family background Gerald soon took to cycling and one of his early long rides would have been a family outing to Highbridge in Somerset where they had relations.  At the age of 8 Gerald cycled to Cardiff to take the White Funnel Steamer to Weston and then cycled on to Highbridge, near Burnham on Sea.  Just to add to that picture, Gerald’s mother and father made the journey on a tandem with younger brother Chris sitting on the back.

Eventually entering races Gerald became well known on the South Wales racing scene and beyond. He entered the full range of events on offer, road racing, time trials, cyclo-cross, cinder track and hill climbs. 

He competed at all the available distances in Time Trial events though, perhaps wisely, he never rode a 24hr.

He was the Welsh Hill Climb Champion in 1965, and was a member of the Acme winning team on many occasions.  In 1967 he was the South Wales Grass Track Champion. Strangely his only Club Championship came in 1962 when he won the Club 100ml Championship, however, it must be remembered that there was a great deal of serious competition in the Club during the time that Gerald was racing.

Gerald encouraged his family to cycle, as his parents had done, and Anthony became a very accomplished rider winning Club Championships from 10 – 100ml and a 12hr Championship.

Gerald’s wife, Audrey, did ride a tandem with Gerald but after the second ride found that her legs were not compatible with his.

When racing competitively came to an end, in the late 70’s, Gerald took up Time Keeping and became a very accomplished and respected Time Keeper. For many years he was the Senior Time Keeper at the National Schoolboy 10ml Championship and his reputation was eventually rewarded when he became a Time Keeper at the Senior British National Championships.

Gerald served on the South Wales District Council for many years, representing Acme and one of his favourite tasks was finding and working out new courses.

Within the Club Gerald was Chairman on two occasions and has been our President for more years than most members have been in the Club.  In that time he has organised and timed many Club and Open events.

Over the decades that span his dedication to racing and Time Keeping, Gerald has been and continues to be both a highly respected and highly regarded member of the cycling fraternity. As everyone will be aware, ill health in recent years has meant that he has not been able to be involved in the way that he would have wanted to be, however, his significant contribution to cycling will not be forgotten.

Picture Memories of Gerald:-https://acme-wheelers.co.uk/gallery-2/gallery-2019/nggallery/2019/gerald-clements