The West Suburban Wheelmen Legacy

adapted from notes by Nick Steder

Early in 1964 a group of bicycle racing enthusiasts felt there was a very real need for an organization of bicycle racers in Chicago's Western suburbs. Several meetings were held and it was determined that there was indeed considerable interest in speed cycling in this area. The first two or three preliminary gatherings were held in the recreation room of the Van de Velde residence on Ardmore Avenue in Villa Park. Among those in attendance were Ray Dickow, Sune Bergman, Harry Sievert, John Fitzpatrick, Nick Steder and both Babe and Al Van de Velde. A constitution was drawn up, and the first general meeting was held in May of 1964.

The attendance of that first official gathering was encouraging, and The West Suburban Wheelmen were on their way. The early membership was mostly older cyclists, but the leadership was very much in evidence, and the younger cyclists were soon to follow. Probably one of the most contributing factors towards the encouragement of the younger riders was provided by Johnny Fitzpatrick. Sunday morning training rides developed into a "Seminar on Wheels" with John providing endless discourse on the techniques of training and racing to enlighten the youngsters with the rudiments of successful competitive cycling. Those in the club at the time will long remember John's "Seminars", and his leaving the midwest to live in California left a void that has been hard to fill.

The club gatherings moved to the civic center in Addison, and the large meeting room on the second floor of the old town hall still echoes the enthusiastic banter that featured the club meetings during the early days of the West Suburban Wheelmen. The officers of the organization provided unusual imagination with different workshop activities such as the proper method of building a racing wheel, or the fastest way to repair a sew-up tire, or how to determine the correct position on a racing bicycle for maximum performance and prolonged stamina. The committees were able to arrange for some of the finest experts in the Chicago area to instruct as well as entertain those in attendance at many of the meetings during the early 1970's. There is little doubt that these imaginative sessions were most responsible for the club's ability to sustain its position in the cycling community.

The West Suburban Wheelmen produced one of the most accomplished bicycle racers that ever developed in the Chicago area. John Van de Velde was a member of one Pan-American Olympic Team, and two International Olympic Teams. Additionally, John competed as an amateur throughout the United States, in Mexico, and the West Indies for close to ten years, winning numerous titles, and major road and track races. Following his amateur career John rode a number of professional "Six-Day" races, and paired with his partner Jackie Simes was quite successful in the limited competition that was offered in this country.  

The dedication and experience of these riders has been passed on to another generation.  Christian and Melissa Van de Velde, the son and daughter of John have attained national and international recognition on the bicycle racing circuit.   Christian is well known as a member of the U.S. Postal  Service pro cycling team and he is team-mate of Lance Armstrong, a multiple year winner of the Tour de France.

The WSW, although with less formal organization, has retained the enthusiasm of the "early days" that continue to set a high standard for all riders. The influence of the Van deVelde's remains strong with younger family members carrying the legacy of Babe, Al and Uncle Henry, who still show up at morning rides to pass on their cycling  tips and stories of the early days.    


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The Dead Horse

from BikeDave, Naperville

In the early 70's, I used to ride every morning at 4:45am, with a group [West Suburban Wheelman] that started out in Villa Park. I joined them in Glen Ellyn. We'd ride out towards the Fox River and back. Since it was in the wee hours, we'd avoid much of the traffic.  3/4'ths of the year, we'd be in the dark the first half hour or so, and more in the Spring and Fall.

It was a Saturday ride that we'd usually add 15 miles, and ride north up to Wayne on Rte. 25 to Army Trail Rd. Bike lights were not what they are today, and mostly consisted of a dim arm or leg lamp powered by one or two "c" cells, so road visibility was not possible.

With only fully dialated pupil visibility, we were moving at about 20mph when the lead rider yelled "Stop!" One can't fully stop a close-riding pace group on a dime, but the obstacle in the road did the job for the brakes. 3 or 4 riders hurdled over the object and the rest merely slid sideways into it.

When we collected our senses, we discovered, to our horror, that it was a horse. We checked for movement or breathing. It was warm, but definately dead. There are many equestrian paths up that way, so we'd frequently see equestrians enjoying the early morning hours as we did. None of us was seriously hurt, and even if they were, the sight of a dead horse in the middle of the road would have sobered them up in short order. We surmised that it might have been hit by a car, but it didn't look damaged, and the rider was nowhere in sight.

It was later determined that it had dropped from a heart attack, and might have been spooked by a car or truck. Other cars stopped shortly thereafter, and saw the horse, and us, and were quick to conjecture that the evil cyclists killed the horse. In reality, it almost turned out the opposite.

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Squirrels and Other Wildlife

from BikeDave, Naperville

One morning heading west on Geneva road, west of Main Street, Wheaton, Henry [with the West Suburban Wheelmen] had an encounter. For some reason this particular stretch was special for Henry and animals. Many times a small finch would fly next to our echelon and Henry would always jokingly reach out to try to catch the bird in his hand. This went on for a couple seasons. One morning, to our surprise (and the bird's), he did. Then he yelled loudly, "Now what do I do?" But this isn't a bird story.

About the same place one morning a squirrel tried to make it across the street via our riding group. It got confused, as they do, and leaped into the air at Heny's bike, and into his front wheel. We all stopped just about immediately, and inspected the carnage. The squirrel was still alive, very injured, and wrapped firmly around the front hub, totally on the inside of the wheel. We discussed for several minutes what we could do, but decided the best thing to do was to wait for it to die. I never knew that squirrels could make noises, but this one was screaming as loud as one probably could.

Twenty minutes later, it was still suffering, and we had to take further action. One idea was to take the wheel off and try to shake it out, but its head ws too close to the quick-release skewer and it was still a bit vicious. We had to kill the poor thing (it would probably die slowly anyway). Someone came up with the idea of stabbing it to death. Gathering sticks along side the road, we rubbed some on the concrete to sharpen them. I turned away as the deed was done. Death is not as fast as on TV. It would not die. The technique was applied again. And again. About 15 minutes later, it was motionless.

The squirrel's body was eventually removed from the wheel, and by that time we were all late, so we rode home as fast as we could. Gotta watch that wildlife!

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