By Rob Cole
The new face of Welsh cycling was on parade this week when professional riders Scott Davies and Amy Roberts joined forces with the Mayor of Carmarthen, Cllr Alun Lenny, at the official re-opening of the velodrome at Carmarthen Park.
The track first opened in 1900 and was soon the home of some of the best cyclists in Wales, one of whom was selected for the 1908 Olympic Games in London. Bert Andrews was always referred to as “the Carmarthen flyer” and was obviously as tough as old boots. Why? Well read on!
On 26 July, 1902, he won the 25 mile championship of the world at Pontypridd, beating all the top English riders. It was a brilliant achievement and one that marked him out as a major track cycling star in the making.
He represented Wales at the 1904 World Championships at Crystal Palace, along with another top cyclist “Carmarthen Crack, C.E Baker. He kept on winning prizes and in 1906 he joined the Paddington Cycling Club in London, two years before he was selected for the Olympic Games.
Paddington were the English champions and had riders of the calibre of Leon Meredith, George Summers, and Alf Cordrey in their stable. Andrews based himself in London for three months of the year to compete for them.
Born in Carmarthen in April, 1878, his biggest success was in winning the N.C.U 25 mile amateur title in 1902. He followed his father into the confectionary business, helping him to run a sweet shop in Queen Street.
Evening Express, 2 August 1902
BERT ANDREWS, CARMARTHEN CHAMPION
Bert Andrews, this year’s 25 mile amateur champion, is a native of Carmarthen, and 23 years of age. His prowess may be said to be a direct result of the possession of a cement track by Carmarthen, for it was not until three years ago, when that track was opened, that he took seriously to cycle racing. Altogether, he has won about £300 in prizes, and he is still very far from reaching the goal of his ambition. He can fall back upon a large store of self-confidence, pluck, and determination, and it is the combination of these finalities with a cool judgment under most exciting conditions that has proved of immense value to him throughout his career. He has already won nineteen prizes this year at South Wales meetings, and last year eleven handicaps fell to his lot. With the sporting public he is a great favourite, and can always command very warm support.
He took on the world’s best in 1904 when he competed for Wales at the World Championships in Crystal Palace.
Evening Express, 25 August, 1904
CYCLING
WALES AND THE WORLD’S CHAMPIONSHIPS
The entries for the forthcoming world’s cycling championships at the Crystal Palace have been completed, and, given favourable weather on September 3-8 and 10, the success of the greatest cycle meeting that has ever been held in England is assured. No fewer than ten European countries (including the United Kingdom) will be represented by the best obtainable men and from America and the far distant Argentine Republic and Australia would-be world’s champions are already on their way to England. Wales has eight competitors: Charlie Baker, Bert Andrews, Tom Williams, Sydney Jenkins, Tom James, W. M. Lewis, M. L. Williams, and Ned Barkway.
Two years he won won the ‘Lasso Cup’ in the ‘devil take the hindmost’ three miles scratch race in front of 19,000 people at Crystal Palace. That was in May, but two months late he was involved in a bad crash at the Coventry Football Sports.
He went to the front on the last lap and came down on the final bend, bringing down nine other riders. He was taken to hospital by ambulance with a broken blood vessel in his ankle and had to have 18 stitches in his injured leg.
Having qualified for the 1908 Olympic Games he was injured in a crash on the track at White City on the Saturday before the Games opened. Not only did the crash rule him out of the Olympics, but when he got to the hospital doctors told him they might have to amputate his leg.
Evening Express, 18 July, 1908
Bert Andrews, the Carmarthen flier, is decidedly unlucky. He had got into tip-top form for the Olympic contests, and, naturally, was proud of being selected to represent Great Britain. To be so severely injured in a spill on the track last Saturday is almost equal in hard lines to the accident which robbed Tommy England of his international Rugby cap seasons ago. Some of the English riders wished to lay a protest over the result of the race, but plucky Bert Andrews, who was the worst injured of the lot, and who, undoubtedly, up to the time of the accident looked like winning, said: “It’s all in the game. I’m not going to protest against the winner.” The Carmarthen lad is a real sport and we all sympathise with him over the accident which has, undoubtedly, robbed him of his greatest ambition – an Olympic win.
Both events in which he was selected were won by British riders – the 5,000 metres (Benjamin Jones) and 20 kilometres (Charles Kingsbury) – with the silver medal in the 20k race also being won by Jones. Andrews didn’t lose his leg and went on to defy other suggestions from the medics that he would never ride again – they breed them tough in Carmarthen!
Let’s hope the £600,000 renovation of the track at Carmarthen will inspire a few more ‘toughs of the track’. The project, backed by Carmarthenshire Council, Sport Wales and Carmarthen Town Council, who will run the facility, has seen more than 230 concrete panels replaced.
The track has also been fitted with a safety fence and is now available for training and competition. The track is available to use up to 6.00pm Monday to Friday, and all day Sunday.
“This was Towy Riders’ hub and we’ve been away from this location for a while. Now we’re looking forward to coming back,” said Towy Riders coach Emyr Griffiths.