‘Who’s that bastard with the long hair who make my legs hurt on the climbs?’
The poser of this question was none other than Poland’s Ryszard Szurkowski, one of the best amateur riders the world has ever seen.
The subject of his profanity?
Tyneside climbing legend and winner of everything from 10 mile time trials to Hill Climb Championships to international stage races in Europe, Mr. Joe Waugh.
We should have caught up with Joe before now but better late than never.
The big question first, Joe – what about the long hair?
“Ironically, my father was a barber.
“I guess it was just part laziness to get it cut and because I liked it that way – it wasn’t rebellious or a ‘statement.’”
Your formative years were with Tyne Road Club; that North East scene had some hardy guys – Paul Blackett, Ray Wetherall to name but two.
“Tyne RC was my first club and I’m still a member, I go to the regular club reunions.
“It was a pure time trial club but yes, the local scene was strong, as well as Paul and Ray who you mentioned there were riders like Eddie McGourley and Pete Chisman, all quality guys.
In the Tyne RC you had the Clayton brothers, Wes was as hard as nails, I used to go on 100 mile Sunday runs with the club on 69” fixed with wired-ons [that’s ‘clinchers’ or ‘high pressures’ to young uns, ed.] – Wes would give me hell on those rides.
“John Sutcliffe was another demon on those runs – it was a tough upbringing.”
You were a Best British All Rounder contender early in your career?
“Yes, 1973, I’d never raced outside of the North East before that.
“I rode the Milk Race that year, Ray Wetherall put a word in to the selectors that I was worth giving a chance to.
“I was in the GB Regions team and had never even ridden a Star Trophy race at that time.
“I got second on Stage Four, Aberystwyth to Great Malvern which went over five third cat. climbs; the Swede Sven-Ake Nilsson who went on to win the Tour de l’Avenir and was to 10 in the Tour de France won it.
“I came out of it with good form, entered the National ‘50’ Champs which was on the Catterick course in a fortnight and finished third behind the late Ian White and Martyn Roach with a 1:54:40 to Ian’s 1:53:53.
“I rode a ‘100’ and did a 3:54 so of course, with those times I had to ride a ‘12’ and got great support from the Tyne, they were 24 hour time trial specialists so knew the score.
“I did 258 miles in my first and last ‘12’ and made the top 12 in the BBAR competition.”
France in 1974?
“Yes, with Colin Davison and Peter Watson, we were with VC Metz.
“I had a couple of wins but with the benefit of hindsight I was too young and naïve for a venture like that and was homesick.
“I rode the Tour de l’Avenir that year and suffered badly, there were three days in the Pyrenees and on the stage that went over the Tourmalet I was fourth over the top, but it was a very hard race.”
That year saw you win your first National Hill Climb Championship.
“Granville Sydney had won it in ’73 with Jack Kershaw second but sadly Granville had died before the ’74 race so Jack was the man to beat.
“I stayed at Jack’s place, we rode out to the start on Holme Moss on an absolutely foul day.
“I did my ride and to my surprise, someone said to me; ‘you’ve won it!’ I’d beaten Colin Berry by four seconds with a 10:41 ride.
“I went on to win again in ’76 and was third in ’75.”
You were always so skinny, I remember seeing a picture where your ribs were just about poking through your skinsuit.
“I was always slim, 11 stone at 5’ 11” – except in France where I ate too many baguettes!”
The ’76 Milk Race, Bill Nickson wins with you second at five seconds against tough opposition: Brzezny, Szurkowski, Jonansson, Prim…
“The same time difference as in the prologue time trial.
“Bill was fifth in ’75 and I was sixth but in ’76, we had a great team, a real team with Phil Griffiths, the late Paul Carbutt, Dudley Hayton and Bob Downs.
“On the last stage a dangerous break went, I covered it and one of the guys in it said to me; ‘come on Joe, you can win the race!’
“But that wasn’t ever going to happen.
“At the post race dinner Bill in his speech said that there were actually two winners, referring to me – that was a nice gesture.”
The Montreal Olympics ’76, you were in the winning break but crashed.
“There were only two races in my entire life where I shed tears and that was one of them.
“I learned later that I was the ‘danger man’ to the eventual winner the Swede, Bernt Johanson.
“Conditions were atrocious with the roads very slick, we’d just gone through the feed and my front wheel went from under me, it may have been a drain cover I slid on?
“But ’76 was a good year for GB, as well as the Milk Race we went to the GP della Liberazione in Rome which Bill won and we performed strongly in the Giro delle Regioni.”
GS Strada and Phil Griffiths; and what about those Strada TTT’s – those pictures in Cycling Weekly looked savage?
“I joined just prior to the Olympic Games in 1976; Tyne was a great club but it was absolutely amateur with no sponsorship and whilst they gave me great moral support it was costing me a lot of money to race with travel and equipment.
“A local shop gave me a bike and then the late Dave Duffield organised a Raleigh for me but apart from that there was no support so to join a sponsored club which was well funded was a great step up.
“People either loved Phil or couldn’t stand him, we had our ups and downs but he’s a great character and has done so much for the sport.
“In ’77 I rode the TTT champs with Paul Carbutt, Dave Cummings and Phil – I blew on our way to a 2 hour 11 minute ride and had to put myself through hoops to finish that one.
“But I learned how to ride them and in ’79, ’80 and ’81 w