Memories of Jimmy Saville, a devoted cyclist amonst his other exploits. He was also the DJ on the first Top of the Pops BBC show back in 1964 and also on the shows final broadcast in July of this year when the BBC brought him back to celebrate the 42 years that the show ran.
As a young lad in Manchester in the early 1960's at the start of what can laughingly be called my cycling career, I remember Jimmy showing up at the major meets at Fallowfield in his Rolls Royce with his trademark jacket with a big JS on it, he always looked "dead flash". He would do the race announcements from the track center at Fallowfield. He also famously died his long hair one side white the other side black so he could "look like a lighthouse when I spin round" as he said in one TV interview I saw. He did this for shock value to get himself noticed, which of course worked.
I particularly remember the Manchester Wheelers Meet in 1964 when the star attraction was the 19 year old amateur world sprint champion, Patrick Sercu, who wiped the floor with everyone to win the Gran Prix of the City of Manchester, I even have some old 8mm film of it that my Dad took, showing his phenominal jump after someone tried to take him by surprise, it was no contest, dead easy, too bad I don't have a projector!
I was lucky enough to be working in the track center at that meet as a general helper and "pusher off", and I got my photo taken with the great JS, which I still have and treasure.
For all his fame and money, JS never turned his back on grass roots cycling and used to show up at many events in and around the country, I have seen old photos of him when he was racing and he looked quite useful. He is a deserving recipient of the Knight of the Realm - Long Live Sir Jimmy Saville.
Brian Booth - former Manchester Wheeler Toronto, Canada
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