The Volunteer Diaries: James Lawn
Some people leave school when they turn 16, I joined the Wheelers. Having ridden bicycles (but never seriously) since I was knee high to a 4th Cat (to butcher a common phrase), including an ill-advised attempt to ride an U10s Road Race at Dunsfold on an MTB while only 8 years of age – thanks to fellow Wheeler Nicola Wadham for shepherding me round while quite some considerable distance off the back!
While I spend the majority of my time disturbing local waterfowl (including the KW swans) rowing on the Thames, post-GCSEs I decided it was time to follow in the family footsteps and throw my leg over a ‘proper bike’, and there was naturally only one club that I considered joining.
I started volunteering at a KW Road Race (2017 if I remember rightly) down on the Staple Lane (Chobham) circuit, sitting in one of the lead cars with Hans Stiles, which I thoroughly recommend as a unique perspective of watching a race.
I briefly spent 6 years studying Architecture at university in Nottingham which provoked an interruption in KWCC volunteering (although I made up my volunteering karma by helping to organise/ marshal the local crit series up there).
On my many returns I led a couple of club runs (including one of the first New Joiners’ after COVID with club hero Tobias Rosenkranz), as well as starting to help out with the TTs.
I worked with Adam Bidwell and Kevin Denson to organise 2020’s Sporting 14 and Open 10, and have done various roles at the Gil Jessop Sporting 14 in the years since. Unfortunately for the fidelity of the race series’ results, this led me to get involved timekeeping the Club 10s series, which is great fun if you love counting down from 5 to 1 every minute for 20 minutes!
Since finishing university (finally) in 2023 I’ve continued with a wide range of things, including marshalling at the Bedfont Lakes CX a couple of times, helped out with the Kingston Crits team, and then offered to flex my design brain when the Centenary rolled around in 2024.
While the amazing kit that we all love to wear is firmly a Grunshaw production, I chucked my tuppence into the design of the Bidons, Mugs, T-Shirts, and also the recently acquired KWCC gazebo!
Following the news at the AGM of Sam’s departure as Kit Officer, I applied to take on the role, and very recently discovered I was successful. I’ve since started some behind the scenes work in this field – stay tuned for the latest developments!
Hopefully it’s come across by the range of names I’ve mentioned, and things I’ve volunteered to do, but there really is a mini army making KWCC tick! There are so many options of things to do (and nearly all of them require no pre-experience!) – if I can do it, anyone can!
Everyone is always welcome to help out, in whatever way, shape, form they can, whether that is helping to organise something, or waving a red flag on a circuit corner!
I think that’s the best bit about a club like the Wheelers, there’s always something going on to get stuck in with, from Audaxes to Wednesday Night Park Laps (I tried to make A-Z work, if anyone knows of a KWCC event starting with a ‘Z’, answers on a postcard please).
The club’s made 100 years off the back of an amazing group of people, everyone reading this has their own opportunity now to shape the next 100!
I look forward to seeing you all out there riding your bikes (as long as I’m not busy keeping up human-duck relations)… after all, we’re all cyclists and that’s what it’s all about!
