The correct hill-climbing attire

Sam Hewitt

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24th November 2018

Looking at the photos in OBM of riders taken before the advent of the “rocker generation” (mine) the one common denominator is TIES!

All the riders of the generation before us are almost always wearing a collar and tie. Readers may be interested in the attached photo of a hill climb on the outskirts of Plymouth, the country lane at the bottom of the hill is now the main link road which serves to join the A38 to the naval base, which back then employed 14,000 people.

Roy Roberts (right) takes a sideways glance at his competition, noting how he looks far less dapper. One wonders just how Mr Roberts Senior decided whether the event in which he was partaking was deemed to be sufficiently casual to not need a tie?…

This picture was taken in the early ‘50s – the leading rider is Roy Roberts, my late father and the inspiration behind my winning ways.

His AJS was his daily transport and we have photos of him using it for circuit racing, trials, grass track and scrambling. In some of those he does not wear a tie.

I have no information on who the other rider is, and would be pleased to know.

John Roberts. Harrowbarrow, Callington, Cornwall PL17 8BQ