USERNAMES!!!

The lads I trained with back in the day used to call me supersonic because I was fast, sadly I'm having to write this in the past tense!

Might not have the speed anymore but still loving the cycling!

First post!

How dull of me... using my name!

My username has a bittersweet meaning for me. When I was 12 years old, a pal of mine and I were very much into the offroad/bmx style riding before BMX was even invented. We got better at doing jumps and getting longer airtime than anyone we ever saw, even guys with motorcycles. By age 14 I was so consumed with riding in the dirt and getting airtime with my 20” Huffy that most days I didn’t come home until after dark. My Dad finally lost his patience with me and put me on a severe 2-year restriction. I wasn’t able to even touch a bicycle for 2 years. “Incorrigible” was the adjective my Dad used to describe me. I think only the hardcore BMX crowd and perhaps the hardcore MTB crowd can even imagine my anguish. I love my Dad, and I know he only wanted the best for me, but to this day I’d give everything I own to turn the clock back to 1974 and try to change things.

OK, rant over. Sorry for the negativity and the longwindedness. Back to continually trying to make up for lost time. Maybe that’s why I buy so many bikes? What’s your excuse?

The first forum I ever joined was a 1980s one and everybody had some kind of 80s-themed name. Bobtoo comes from Rita, Sue and Bob Too, one of my favourite films of the 80s.

...mine is the first car I owned

There's a race on the velodrome called devil take the hindmost. Last over the line every lap is eliminated. At most track meetings there used to be eliminations until there was 3 left and they sprinted it out. There was only money for the first 3. So getting 4th means going the whole distance and coming away with nothing. Kind of summarises my racing career, pretty good but missing out at the top level ( eg I was 4th twice in senior British track championships but never got an individual medal and a few 2nd places in Masters but never got a champions jersey). It's not all doom and gloom though, still love all forms go cycling and plugging away at racing since my first 10 mile TT in 1986.

4th in the devil

Foz due to being called "Foz" or "Fozzie" most of my life (Surname Foster)
BigFoz as I'm the biggest of my tribe... Though aiming to be a little less so this year!

TGR - a Bill and Ted character which i am said to resemeble - especially with a hangover!!!

Richard

When coming back from a muddy ride I was always pretty clean compared to everyone else hence the teflon tag, so I added it to my nickname.