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ROY LAWTON
3rd March 1933 - 12th October 2019

Roy fought hard with grit and determination to week period he broke the club record for a ‘50’
stave off illness, just as he did in his training and with a 1:54:03, achieved a PB ‘10’ with a 22:54,
racing years, but unfortunately there came the and four days later, took 10 minutes off his great
final timekeeper… friend Graham Wardle’s ‘100’ club record, with a
4:06:39 (which he acknowledged as his all-time
He was born In Congleton in 1933 to Phyllis and
Albert Lawton, eldest of four. Roy met his wife to best ride).
be Marjorie as he worked as a fitter at Heath's Roy ceased racing in 1998 following a club run
textile mill in Macclesfield, introduced to her by her accident that led him to have a hip replacement.
Mum, Annie. They went on However this setback
to have 3 children, 9 could not deter him from
grandchildren and 7 great getting back on the bike
grandchildren. and he armed himself with
a walking stick strapped to
In 1953/54, he served in
the RAF as an airframe his top tube.
fitter, mostly based in He had many, crazy, bad
Germany. He then stayed accidents over the years
in the aircraft industry, and was very well known
working at Avro, which at the Macclesfield District
became Hawker Siddeley Hospital, and ultimately he
then British Aerospace. He became part man and part
retired at 58 after working machine.
on iconic aircraft such as
Roy enjoyed many cycle
the Shackleton, the Vulcan
tours round the UK, and
bomber and Nimrod.
abroad including France,
Roy never owned or drove Majorca, Minorca, and
a vehicle; he was more Cyprus, but he had the
than happy to pedal his tour of his life when he
way everywhere, in any joined his great friends
weather. He used to take Roy and Nora Wesley for a
his family camping and once cycled to Barmouth world tour. They had such a fantastic time.
just to check out a camping site. He then rode
Belatedly, in 1976 Roy started to log every mile,
back, all in the same day, probably a 240 miles racing, training and touring up to when he had to
round trip.
give up cycling in 2015. In that 39 year period he
His first competitive cycle race was in 1949 aged clocked up a staggering 317,000 miles, and he
16 for Congleton CC. He joined Macclesfield estimated that the miles he rode before 1976 were
Wheelers later that same year, and over 49 racing around 150,000. So he was edging toward a half
years went on to win in excess of 30 club trophies, million miles. In some years he would clock over
not to mention winning open events. 13,000 miles, more than many people would clock
in a car!
He recorded every race he competed in, and
between 1982 and 1983 held three club records. Ian Lawton
Already holding the ’30 ’ record, in just a four

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