Charlie
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Obituary

Charles Henry Westlake

Born November 8 1923 – Died June 15 2001.

The passing of Charles Westlake peacefully in his sleep, after a short illness, was the end of an era for Bury cyclists but not the end of a legend. It’s safe to say that Charlie as he was known to his friends was a living legend amongst the local cycling fraternity.

Charlie was six years old when he was given his first bike and he did his first major bike ride when he was ten. The destination was Ripon. Charlie said that he remembered it well because the roads seemed so steep.

When he was 16 he got his first proper bike with dropped handlebars, he and his friends would ride regularly to places like Blackpool. On one ride to Windermere during the early war years he remembered getting into difficulties because all the signposts had been removed as part of invasion precautions.

Cycling entered into almost every aspect of Charlie’s life. He and his first serious girlfriend joined forces to buy a tandem and went on many a romantic ride, including one from Glasgow to the Isle of Skye. However, when the young lady went off with another suitor Charlie kept the tandem.

As a teenager in the immediate pre-war years, he joined Bury CTC but the outbreak of war meant the suspension of its activities and he joined Bury Clarion, which continued throughout the war. The immediate post war years were halcyon days for cyclists and Charlie revelled in the joy of leading Bury Clarion's A section runs to distant places. In the 1980’s, the Clarion no longer had the members who were willing to ride long distances each Sunday so Charlie returned to the CTC.

Distance was never a problem for Charlie. In fact the further and more difficult the ride the better. In 1955 one of his greatest self-imposed challenges was a ride to complete the off road ascent of the three Yorkshire peaks of Whernside, Ingleborough and Pen-y-ghent. This in itself is a great test of endurance but the ride included the miles from Bury and back home in the day.

If he considered that the day’s route was easy, he would come out on his fixed wheel bike so as to make it more of a challenge and add a loop to get some more miles in. Almost to the end Charlie enjoyed going far afield on his bike, clubruns to Hawes, the Manifold Valley, Langsett all spring to mind. He loved taking part in Reliability Rides, especially those of a longer distance such as the 24 hours, the 150 miles, and the 200 miles to the Humber Bridge and back in a day. This he last did in 1993 at the age of 70. If a destination was down on the runs list, nothing (least of all the weather) would stop him getting there.

People who cycled with him will no doubt remember the annual ride to Pateley Bridge and back on the last Sunday in January. This ride was originally instituted after the war to meet Charlie’s friends who rode down from Middlesborough.

Blizzards, snow, gales - nothing forced a cancellation for Charlie. It is only in recent years that this ride stopped. He tired of riding it alone!

Then there was the annual ride over Salter Fell - a hard ride on rutted tracks over a high and rugged fell between Slaidburn and Caton. In recent years this was run as an event - ‘Charlie’s Salter Fell Challenge’.

He was a great lover of ‘rough stuff’ riding. Years before the age of the mountain bike Charlie used to seek out tracks to ride on during club runs much to the chagrin of some less adventurous riders who preferred to keep to the tarmac.

 

Still riding up to a few months before his death Charlie is quoted as saying, "There’s nothing quite like tearing down a hill in the open air. I love being in the countryside, and sitting on a saddle is the best way to appreciate it."

In an article on Charlie published in the Bury Times on February 16, 1996 it said that he had ridden over 300,000 miles, twelve times around the earth and that he was still going strong clocking up more than 150 miles a week.

Manchester DA has lost a Vice President and the Section has lost it’s President and Treasurer, but more than that we have lost a friend and a stalwart who’s enthusiasm and passion for cycling was as strong as ever, quite simply if there was some cycling to be done. Charlie would be there.

Charlie’s wiry frame and distinctive gait will be seen no more on the lanes of Lancashire and beyond but he will forever live on in our memories.

His funeral service was held at St Joseph church, Bury, at 11.00 am Friday 22 June. Then a cyclist led cortege to Bury Cemetery for interment.

 

R.I.P.

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