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András Szilágyi's cycling page
I wish to encourage every young and not any more so young cyclist with
the
description and some photos of my cycling tours to experience the
whistling of the spokes,
to enjoy the breathtaking view from the mountain passes ,
the relief and joy felt by reaching the pass top.
.
view from
Col des Montets (1462m)
towards Mont Blanc
I in the same time recall the delight of the abondened racing downhill
from Zoncolan
( Dolomits, Italy ), while I was - though in a sharp turn- overtaking
the truck of Astana
team victoriously at the age of 58 ..
How has it begun ?
Not many events worth to mention had
occured since my birth in 1949 until 1962.
But during this summer vacation I as usual stayed at my
grandparents in Ecser.
My cousin Magdi, who was three months younger than me had been riding a
bycicle for a few years as a girl !
I very well remember even now : it was a pretty hot summer noon. Nobody
had been seen around, so I pushed a bycicle out of the shed, where
several ones used to stand.
I set in the saddle on the empty street. Better said I started to pedal
under the frame, because I was too small,
and landed straight in the trench on the opposite side.
Apart from my scare I did not get hurt.
So I tried it again.
That was the start my cycling 's "career" over few hundred
thousand km.
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I soon asked my parents to buy me a bike.
This model was simply called that time "Russian bike".
It was a heavy, but stabile "vehicle".
I studied all maps available in our house. I dared to pedal
on the country road nr. 4 as far as Cegled.
As soon as I caught sight of Cegled's houses I quickly turned, because
I was afraid
not to arrrive home in time.
For we used to play table tennis for example at Gyuszi
Ferencz, I got in a table tennis club. I had to come late home after
the tirering trainings. My mother
worried, because I had to walk 10 min. from the tram stop at night.
So I got an idea. I appealed to my parents to get a race bycicle
on exchange
for leaving the table tennis trainings.
I found in a short while a beautiful red used race bike of model
"Bianchi ".
Now noone should think it was a real Italian one. But it did not care
me then .
It was not in my mind even, it could not be a genuine model.
I had to promise my mother I will not go to any cycling club.
Of course I had already the address of well known Újpesti Dózsa.
I also went to the abutment of Margaret bridge,
but somehow I missed the start of the training.
I was ashamed of myself, so I went to another club: BVSC on Garay
square.
They took me, because I had my own bycicle.
I made through two juvenile and two junior racing years.
I was a cyclist with very average ability, without any rankings
in the races.
But as I should have been preparing myself for the matura exams, I
attended the Hungarian adult cycling team's tranings and managed to
keep 15-20 km along with them, I got in better shape.
During the 100 km-es Budapest Road Championship less than 10 cyclist
broke away on the hills of Naszály. I was also this time among them,
for I used to be very light.
But after 60 km ride in the breakaway group as I saw the finish banner,
I took all my power and mostly my courage to start a long sprint first
time in my life.
My club mate, the excellent sprinter Fülöp Józsi, waited long cleverly
and overtook me and even Mohácsi winning the championship thus .
So I made a third rank first time in my life .
Uncle Patyi - our coach was not to be held that afternoon running
up and down among the coaches and the cyclist kept on boasting :
three cyclists from BVSC team in the first 5 !!!
It turned out later that I became a member of the Hungarian junior road
cycling team.
On the excuse of our low performance - and obviously lack of money - we
did not take part in the European Junior Road Cycling Championship in
Constanca (Romania ).
We won the team
championship, because my late friend Legner Laci was also
in the breakaway group, actively taking part in the lead work.
We won some 100 km road team cycling championships. Our forth team
member was my former school friend Ferenczi Gyuszi, who had left us for
ever since.
I happend that our other club mates caught us from the saddle avoiding
falling down to our shame after the finish line.
The rest of my cycling "career": is not interesting of mentioning.
In May 1968 then as cyclist of the good club " Tipográfia" I
retuned my cycling "kit " partially on advice of sports physician
(hypertonia).
With my friend Legner Laci we planned then to go to the Black Sea over
the Carpathians, before also he was giving back his race bike with
accessories to Uncle Patyi.
But the compulsory daily police registeration held us up.
I thought then, I left cycling
forever.
It
has not happend like that luckily !
In
the former GDR I often went to work by bicycle and for tours of shorter
distances.
So happaned that I own several old bicycle of brand "
Diamant".With the oldiest (at least 35 years old ) I sometimes go to
work.
But even my touring bicycle is almost 20 years old.
By the way the first race bicycle I received from my club
was the same brand.
My new bicycle: Neuzer Wirlwind
1.0
In 1989 I persuaded a (West)German friend of mine, to take a 900
km tour in Ceasescu"s
Romania (North-Eastern part)
At 818 m Setref was the highest pass between Săcel (Izaszacsal)
and
Năsăud (Naszód), after the previous day's 587 m high
Huta
pass between
Negreşti-Oaş (Avasfelsőfalu) and Tecea ( Técső ). At end of May
reaching the pass top stripped to waist I had enough time to enjoy the
view of the snow covered peaks of Radna and Máramaros mountains.
The following downhill race in the picturesque valley established my
fond and respect to the mountain passes..
In the menu left are only those bicyle tours of mine listed,
where I shotos.
The picture in the texts can be opened >>>> by
clicking on the links .
Enjoy them !
Have fun with cycling !
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