Sponsored by
Stuart Holdsworth
STUART Holdsworth's reputation in the cycling community of Yorkshire and much farther a field rested on the unique contribution he made to the promotion of an activity to which he was dedicated.
His death at 64 in a road accident was greeted with shock and dismay. He had been out for his daily ride in the countryside he loved and was fatally injured in an accident involving a car with a caravan at a road junction on the Settle bypass.
Stuart and his younger sister Anne were born and brought up in Great Horton, Bradford, their father a leaded light maker. From an early age Stuart took up cycling, at which he had such an ability that in due course he would be making his mark as a First Category amateur.
In the 1960s he was cycling some 40 miles a day after work but, finding that insufficient, began early morning rides of about the same distance, and come sun, rain, wind or snow, what became known in the area as the Dawn Patrol would attract five or six other enthusiasts.
Many might have predicted a professional career, but in the 1970s he was diagnosed with a serious illness. As one of his friends would later remark, "Stuart wasn't having that".
He recovered, and although his prospects in the sport were no longer what they were, he took up cycling again, a comeback which saw him come third in the Yorkshire championships.
The stoicism which so characterised him had already been in evidence. In 1968, an accident involving a Land Rover left him with a broken knee and fractured skull, injuries he put behind him. In 1976, following his recovery from his illness, he crashed and broke his hip and leg in several places, and once again fought back to fitness.
Rather than be discouraged by setbacks Stuart seemed always to be spurred on by them.
His energies increasingly turned to encouraging others, and the organisation of competitive and non-competitive events including the popular Woolmark GP, which took place in the Bradford area in the 70s and 80s
In 1981 best friends Stuart Holdsworth and Christine Clegg were married, and outside the world of cycling his career took him to a senior position in IT at the Bradford & Bingley Building Society. He moved to Langcliffe, near Skipton, 12 years ago.
Stuart's reputation spread beyond Yorkshire through his involvement with the Dave Rayner Fund, set up in memory of the Bradford professional cyclist who died tragically in 1994. The fund supports around 20 young cyclists so they can spend the seven-month cycling season gaining experience in continental events, and Stuart was a key figure in its fundraising efforts. Perhaps he was best known for organising the 110-mile Etape du Dales Cyclo-sportive event – this year's attracting 800 competitors – its proceeds going to the fund. And he was co-organiser of the fund-raising dinner held annually in Harrogate where guests have included some of the top names in world professional cycling.
Mr Holdsworth was also secretary of Settle-based World Wide Wheelers Club. He leaves his wife, their daughter Sofie, his sister Anne and two nephews.
Email to a friend
Print this page- Rival chips in with £500,000 to restore the original Harry Ramsden’s
- SportsTalk: Leeds United’s manager search, Super League and Calcutta Cup
- Visit from Princess as Serbian culture celebrated
- Strategic review will lead to job losses at Yorkshire Bank
- NHS spends £20m a year on translators and interpreters
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Yorkshire
Wednesday 08 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: -5 C to 2 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: North
Tomorrow
Light sleet
Temperature: 0 C to 1 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: South
