To HAMBURG ... by bicycle
By Tom CARREY, Hutchesontown, Glasgow.
I shall always remember Wednesday, 3rd September, I969, as the day I had a brainstorm. I had nipped into my local for a slight refreshment before going home after an exhausting day in the Office, when I bumped into friends. During the conversation I idly mentioned that I had a ticket for the West Germany v. Scotland World Cup game in Hamburg and was undecided as to how I should travel-it was either by plane or bicycle. The reply was that I " could not cycle from the pub to the Central Station " (about 400 yards). Being an "athlete
I was hurt by this and accepted a bet of a half and a half pint, that I could not cycle to Hamburg and back.
After the preparations had been made, I set out to cycle to Harwich, sail to Esbjerg, Denmark and then cycle to Hamburg. But if a pilgrimage has been more disastrous than mine then it has never been recorded.
In Britain my troubles started outside Bathgate. I got lost and spent about three hours trying to find the Edinburgh road. At I arm., without lights - (they had broken on failing off in Glasgow) it was not easy! I arrived in Edinburgh at about 4.30 in the morning of Saturday I8th October (having left Glasgow at 6.45 the previous evening) and, being behind schedule, I boarded a train for York. I cycled from York heading towards Harwich but at Ely the gears and chain snapped. I therefore had to rely on British Rail once again to get me to my destination on time, and arrived in Harwich twenty minutes before the boat sailed.
After an uneventful sail, during which I repaired the chain but not the gears, I arrived in Esbjerg, 200 miles from Hamburg at about I2 noon on Monday 20th October, two days before the game.
Not much happened on the run through Denmark and I arrived in Germany shortly after 8 o'clock that evening. Beginning to feel the strain, I put up at the first hotel that I came to, in a village about three miles from Niebull. (My actual route on the Continent was from Esbjerg through Ribe, Skaerbaek, Bredebro, Tonder, across the German border to Niebull, Husom, Heide, Itzehoe, Elmshorn and then to Hamburg.
I set off the next morning at about 8 o'clock for Hamburg and had only passed through Niebull (about I20 miles from Hamburg) when a lorry stopped and gave me a lift into the centre of Hamburg. Luck at last was smiling on me, or so I thought. I arrived in Hamburg at about I o'clock but by 6 that evening I was still without a room for the Wednesday night. Plenty of vacant rooms for Tuesday were available but everywhere was full up for Wednesday. Resigning myself that I would have to leave for home immediately after the game, I went out on the town to enjoy myself.
Wednesday arrived and I dressed up for the game, tartan shorts, Lion Rampant draped around my shoulders, Union Jack and tartan 52 tammy, put my trousers, etc. in my bag and set off to look for fellow Scots. After a fruitless search, I went into a cafe for a refreshment and. found about 40 Scots there lifting the rafters with songs like " Bonnie Scotland Follow Follow " and the favourite of the day " Go Home Ya Huns After spending a few hours getting in tune I decided it was time to leave for the match and cycled into trouble. I had only travelled about half a mile when I had my first crash, with another cyclist. Unfortunately for him his rear wheel was badly buckled and he had to carry his bicycle away while I cycled happily on. Little did I know that fame and heartache were only a few minutes away.
Once again I got lost. I parked my bicycle, walked about 200 yards to where a policeman was standing, and asked him for directions. When I returned to my bicycle I discovered that my bag was missing. The policeman told me to report the theft after the game, so I parked my bicycle in a car park, went into the ground and suffered as Scotland, by far the better team, lost-in my opinion - because of a very inefficient referee. Returning to the car park I found that my bicycle was missing. I then went to the Stadium police to report my losses, and was told that the place to make my statement was in a City police station.
To the City I went and en route I found my bicycle lying on the pavement (maybe I was happier than I thought I was!) and so I cycled to the police station. There I was told that I could not report my theft to them, but would have to go back to the Stadium police. The time was now 2 am. on Thursday morning and as I was very tired, with no hotel room I managed to persuade the police to let me sleep in a cell. I should not have bothered because the amenities consisted of a wooden bed and one blanket. I managed to sleep for about 30 minutes and at 6.30 oil Thursday morning left Hamburg for home - minus my trousers but plus a German hat that I acquired at the game.
On the outward trip, I had managed to get a lift, but the homeward journey was fruitless in this respect. Still I could not complain because I had set off to cycle to Hamburg and back, so now I had to cycle home. But I found the lack of trousers in cold, wet weather a disadvantage. I had another crash when I went off the road not far from the Danish border, and not only damaged myself (cuts and bruises) but also the bicycle (buckled front wheel, bent handlebars, and damage to the crank wheel). But despite these handicaps I arrived back in Esbjerg at 4 o'clock on Saturday afternoon for a 6 o'clock sailing. When I arrived in Esbjerg I decided to christen the bicycle " REGARDLESS " because throughout the journey it had been " CARREY ON REGARDLESS Once on the boat I borrowed a pair of trousers from another Scot -it would have been very embarrassing to walk about Glasgow wearing tartan shorts! I arrived in London on Sunday evening, boarded a train for Glasgow, arrived in that fair City at 8.I5 on Monday morning and was back behind my desk by 9.
I was looking forward immensely to Monday evening to collect my winning bet, but my so-called friend refused to pay up, so my pilgrimage was in vain. In away it is a pity that Scotland failed to qualify for the World Cup Finals because I think that I might have enjoyed cycling to Mexico!