Blogs | Dieppe seen by Peter Avis
13/06/2010 - 16:15

Neville, the two-wheel hero

Neville <p>I never knew Neville Chanin. But now I have met a hundred and more of his friends, and have learnt what a remarkable chap he was. We were in Dieppe Town Hall where the Mayor, S&eacute;bastien Jumel, greeted cyclists from all over southern England to the thirty-eighth annual &lsquo;Randonn&eacute;e des Trois Vall&eacute;es&rsquo;, an event that Neville pioneered with newly made Dieppe friends back in 1972.</p> <p>Hosted as ever by the merry members of the Club des Cyclotouristes Dieppois, the British clubs represented this year included the Bracknell Geriatrics and the Tuckshop Peddlers, along with less quaintly named cycling tourist clubs from Suffolk, Hertford, Sussex, Berks and Hampshire.</p> <p>There were bikers of all sizes and ages (from the pre-teens to the over-eighties), about to embark on their annual rediscovery of the Dieppe hinterland: you could choose the distance to suit you, from 25 up to 200 kilometres (Neville Chanin&rsquo;s old friend Chris Davies, aged 74, elected for 100 kilometres this year).</p> <p>There were warm words, and some tears, for Neville in the town hall, for he died suddenly two months ago: from a heart attack during his journey home to Bristol (by bike) from his last trip to France.</p> <p>Born in 1935, Neville was bitten by the biking bug in 1948, when the Olympic Games were held in London: Reg Harris was his idol. In 1958, the young Chanin made his first foray to the Continent, exploring mountainous roads in Switzerland, Italy and Austria. From then on, he barely missed a year without taking his bike on a foreign tour. On his two wheels, he discovered much of Europe, plus Turkey, Cyprus, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Algeria, Morocco, South Africa, Chile, Argentina, Cuba, the United States, Canada, Mexico, Venezuela, Sri Lanka, India, Singapore, Java, Bali, New Zealand and Australia.&nbsp;</p> <p>Ten years ago, Neville reckoned he had clocked up a million kilometres on the road.</p> <p>And who was Neville, apart from his cycling prowess? He was employed until his retirement by Wall&rsquo;s Ice Cream, a good worker who was always ready for his holidays when he could be out on the road again.</p> <p>Caroline Street, of the Stubbington Green Runners, spoke movingly (in French) at the town hall reception of the well loved lost hero. And later she confided to us: &lsquo;Neville was one for the ladies. He was a real charmer, but in a very gentlemanly way.</p> <p>&lsquo;He was married to his bike.&rsquo;</p> <p>And, indeed, there can be devotions much less noble than that.</p> <p><em>PS: If you want to add a comment to this blog, please click on the link below: 'ajouter un commentaire'</em></p>

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