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LES DAWSON
3rd June 1926 - 14th October 2019

Les was a lifelong cyclist who grew up 1952 and then spent their honeymoon on
and lived his entire life in Eaglescliffe, their bikes touring Switzerland.
Stockton-on-Tees. He began riding as a The 1950’s were a very successful time
teenager with the CTC Tees-side DA for Les and Mary and the Tees-side RC.
during the war years.
They travelled the country riding the fast
On leaving school, aged 14, he began courses, with Les giving support to Mary
working in the local iron foundry, which in her successful BAR seasons of 1954
was the start of a career lasting more and 1955 and again in 1956 when
than forty years in the various companies unsuccessfully attempting to defend her
that made up the once large and title. This was why he was riding the
prosperous engineering industry of Bath Road 100 in August that year when
Teesside. Ray Booty beat 4 hours for the first time,
Les also improved his personal best on
Les began his racing career
in 1945 joining the Stockton that day. In 1958 with the
Wheelers CC, but he was delivery of his new Higgins
soon told that the CTC Tees- tricycle Les began what was
side District’s racing team to become a great passion
was the Tees-side Road for racing trikes.
Club and he should be After taking a break to bring
racing for them. He joined up a family they resumed
the Tees-side Road Club their racing careers again in
and became a life-long 1978. Both Les and Mary
member, touring, racing, joined the VTTA in 1979. In
organising and officiating; he the following years Les and
was to become Club Mary, both individually and
Secretary for many decades. together on tandem, set an
amazing number of age
He always said his best
season was 1947, as he had records. Les holds the
trained hard through the greatest number of records
previous winter, which set by a man and Mary the
although the winter was a greatest number set by a
hard one, once the roads woman, 173 and a 160
had been ploughed they respectively.
remained clear enough for training and Les was also a dedicated VTTA official.
the absence of traffic meant he could In 1985 he became Deputy Chairman of
ride by moonlight. He won the Tees-side North Group and took over as Chairman
RC championship that year but missed in 1994, a post which he held until 2006,
out on the Teesside Cycling Association when he took on the role of Group
championship by 0.023mph. Secretary. He was also Group Recorder
from 1993 to 2012. Les retired as North
It was whilst riding with the local CTC
that he met his future wife Mary, who Group Secretary in 2017 at the age of
was becoming a very successful racing 91, after over 30 years of unbroken
cyclist herself. They were married in service to VTTA North Group.

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