Introducing...
Every month, we introduce one of the Kingston Wheelers. April 2004's candidate is Tim Lawn.
Name: Tim Lawn
Age: 36 (a master but not a vet!)
Significant Others: Married to Steph, with 2 children, James (4½) and Rebecca (2).
What made you start cycling? I always liked riding a bike, but having spent a long exchange holiday in France and watched daily coverage of the Tour, I was bitten by the racing bug.
Why did you join Kingston Wheelers? A friend of mine living in Ham wanted to join a Club and had heard about Kingston Wheelers. I agreed to join with him for company, he lasted a few weeks and I’m still here!
Date you joined the Club: 1984
Who is your favourite pro or inspiration? I always admired Laurent Fignon’s attacking approach to racing and we share the same birthday. When I first joined the Club, Des Borland was incredibly helpful and encouraging towards me offering advice, mechanical assistance and lifts to races.
What bike do you ride? My race bike is a Principia RSL frame with Campagnolo Chorus equipment.
Give us a brief cycling background: I have always preferred road racing and concentrated on it. I cut my teeth in Surrey League handicaps on the M25 at Leatherhead before it was open to the public and went on from there, achieving a 1st cat licence before there were Elites and now hold a 2nd cat licence. Once upon a time, I had a reputation for hill climbing and won the Catford Hill Climb 3 years in a row in the 1990’s, but it is a young man’s game so I have curtailed these activities. I have also ridden some mountainous randonees but never the Etape.
What was your best performance? I always feel that my best performance was 9th place in the 1995 National Hill Climb Championship. It was one of those very rare days when you feel totally in control and in good form. Plus it was on Ditchling Beacon with a great turn out of Club members cheering me all the way to the top.
What was your worst day on the bike? Riding the Louison Bobet Randonee in 1994, my brother and I had already been over the Galibier and Izoard and had to go back over the Galibier and descend to the finish. The last few kilometres of the climb were painfully slow with much hallucinatory zig zagging across the road. I was so tired I didn’t trust myself to make it down the descent and so we sat at the top like zombies for 15 minutes before heading down to the finish. We later found we had missed a gold medal ride by about 10 minutes, but we were better off than the guy that passed us and then disappeared off the edge of the next hairpin.
What is your favourite race food? Sliced up malt loaf, (not buttered).
Where is your favourite cycling location? I have great memories of trips to the Pyrenees.
Most likely to say: "No, Daddy didn’t win today."
Least likely to say: "I’d like to order a Colnago C50 please."
Previous interviews
Kingston Wheelers ©2009 | Contact Us | Terms & Conditions | Privacy | Links