This article first appeared in Volume 30: Health.

Eccentrics?

Eccentrics?
Never,” quips Michael Ely. “We’re all completely
normal, well-rounded members of society.” I am chatting to Michael
about The Rough-Stuff Fellowship, the self-proclaimed oldest
off-road cycling club in the world, which unites those drawn to
byways and tracks. The fellowship was formed in 1955 and was
inspired by the writings of Walter MacGregor Robinson, the
so-called “Wayfarer”, a fearless rider and one of the first
cyclists to publicise taking a bike over a mountain pass in the
years after the First World War.

Coined in the early 20th century, the term “rough-stuff ” means
the opposite of “smooth-stuff”, aka tarmac. The fellowship was born
in rebellion against the motorised road. Frustrated by increasing
traffic in the 1950s, Bill Paul and other founding members sought
peace in nature. “We wouldn’t describe ourselves as mountain
bikers,” Michael, the Membership Secretary, tells me. “The ethos
has always been concerned more with the love of the countryside
than sporting competition.” During rides, they don’t battle against
the landscape. This spirit means there’s no judgement against
walking – in fact, it’s encouraged. Riders often hike their bike
across rough terrain, sometimes lugging the heavy frame on their
shoulders.

A typical Rough-Stuff ride is varied; you don’t go off-road
without reason. You can travel from a dual carriageway to a dirt
track, canal path or epic mountain crossing. “I’ve waded through
rivers and ridden tracks on a tandem,” Norman Hodghton, the Editor
of the bi-monthly Rough-Stuff Journal, excitedly explains. “Looking
back, I’ve done some very silly things; I’ve finished long trips
and realised no one at home knows where I am.” The Journal captures
this essence of freedom and adventure. Within it you can find tales
of cyclists trudging through snow or camping out for a week.
Norman, who has been a member since 1962, jokes: “Sometimes I think
the club has got very soft. When I read the articles now, they’re
heading to the pub for lunch. I remember eating picnics in the
rain.”

Recently the club appointed an archivist and the photographs,
maps and memories uncovered have been put together in a photobook
by Isola Press. The pioneers in these images wear shirts and ties,
baggy trousers, waterproof ponchos and leather shoes. There is
nothing of the high-tech gear and outdoor-wear we’re used to seeing
today.

Brimming with quirk, the photographs depict the characters at
the heart of The Rough-Stuff Fellowship. They are riders that see
the funny side of a challenge – whether it’s a sudden downpour,
fall or transporting a bike down a cliff-face – and they embrace it
with a smile, tea or a pipe. The Rough-Stuff is a proudly amateur
cycling club; no one takes themselves too seriously.

Today, it has several groups around the UK, which meet
throughout the year. Should you ever encounter them on a track, you
might wonder at the eclecticism. Ex-Chairman Steve Griffith writes:
“On a ride once, I counted a couple of traditional steel touring
bikes, a Brompton, a Rohloff and a range of off-road machines.” The
only thing that’s generally agreed upon is the need for low gears
and a good guard against all the mud.