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The Latest Focus on NIMBYs versus Lycra®Louts
By Mick Hartley

It seems that the latest NIMBY gripe-of the-month has originated in the
village of Great Budworth, a “sleepy hollow” near Knutsford, Cheshire. This
matter has recently featured in all the major newspapers, the most

Great Budworth Cheshire
user-friendly probably being Joe Shute’s “They’re Ruining Our Way of Life” in
The Telegraph of 17th July 2016. I found this latest controversy particularly
sad, because Great Budworth itself has rather a happy association for me
personally from years gone by. I then belonged to my first-ever cycling club,
the Irwell Valley Road Club - the original “Dirty River Boys” of the now-defunct
North West BCF Division. My tale here is therefore rather ironic as it concerns
a 1966 massed-start road event which was held close to Great Budworth
and used the village as the race HQ. These arrangements passed by without
incident and at that time seemed to be quite well received locally.
On Saturday, May 7th 1966 I travelled from Manchester to Great Budworth
as a lowly 3rd Cat. Roadman, keen to get my first-ever BCF licence
endorsement. The race was an Australian Pursuit which attracted a full field

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