Memo(s)

I rode with Jim in the 1962 Helyett-Cinzano team, until July that year when I moved to Helyett Slovenia with the UV Aube Team in Troyes, France.
In the 2nd link, Jim is centre, Helyett top, with the great Stan Brittain also cnetre but two back, Viking and Dave Orford, Ovaltine.
This is probably the Isle of Man Pro Race 1961, with maybe Andre Darrigade, Alcyon, in shades and Albert Hitchen, Viking, last in shot. Jim was 73 when he died and was born in Rugby. I worked with Jim, and his Father, at BTH Rugby. Jim was a Toolmaker by trade. He 8 times represented Britain in International events, notable being W-B-P.
Referring to :
http://www.geocities.com/rugbyvelo/
Jim had joined our club, but rode for Fred Dean, we find this extract:
Jim Grieves made a great start to the 1963 season with third place in the London Coureurs Road Race followed by wins in the Ovaltine Spring Classic and the March Criterium series in which Halls was second and Cottingham sixth, Hiatt and Pierce finishing fourth and fifth in the supporting series. Halls too was riding strongly, with third place in the Lane End Road Race followed by second in the Rockingham Forest Wheelers race, in which Elwell was third, and a win in the ABC race. Ridler in second place led Alan George and Elwell to a team win in the Rugby Premier Prix and on the same day, Grieves was second and Halls eighth in the Archer International Grand Prix. In the Red Rose Grand Prix 2-day, former Universities 50-mile champion Alan George put in an epic ride in a gale force wind on a very hilly course to finish tenth beating many top class riders. The Merseyside and Bournemouth 4-day races followed at Easter. Despite a crash Halls finished seventh overall in the former and Grieves would also have been highly placed at Bournemouth had he not lost much time due to a puncture on the second stage.
Just remembered, found & scanned some 'facts re Jim written by the redoubtable Tony Haigh (co-founder of Rugby Velo and author of its History). Jim's crash in W-P-B was just one of many he suffered in that gruelling event. In one, he was run over by no less than Gustav Schur and, with Schur on the small ring, the big ring, covered in oil and coal dust, left Jim with an unwanted tattoo - for life, across his middle back - a series of even dashes!

I was 'but a bit player' but 'boy' was it important to me, riding against the best. By the way, Jim didn't race in 1959, he was probably in East Germany during National Service in the Army. He had trained at Catterick and had had a lot of time off, training and representing the Army C.U. This sort of thing was still going on in 1961 when I rode the Isle of Man International (amateur event), with Dennis Tarr riding for the RAF.


Dave Griffiths

---