…when, to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Charlotteville Cycling Club, Les Smith and Mike Willimott proposed running an evening of Town Centre criteriums in conjunction with the launch of the new Guildford Festival fortnight.

Determined efforts were made, with support from the Festival organisers and the local police, but their efforts were unfortunately thwarted by the Surrey County Highway Authority in Kingston.

Undeterred, the duo tried again the following year, and the Guildford Town Centre Races were born. Mike Willimott and Les Smith were joined by Stuart Campbell and Terry Cornell and all the hard work put in the previous year paid off with a very successful evening on 11^th July 1984.

The closed route was almost the same as that used today, and involved a small circuit of North Street, Market Street and a stiff climb of the cobbled High Street.

A large crowd of some 2000 spectators enjoyed some spirited riding in the two events that evening: a 3rd Cat race, and another for 1st and 2nd Cat riders. Cliff Dent won the main event, passing Steve Douce (1983 Cyclocross Champion) in the final stages.

Prior to the racing on that first night in 1984, nine members of the Southern Veteran-Cycle Club rode two laps on veteran machines. The oldest was a French Michaux velocipede from c.1868 ridden by Les Bowerman. There were also two “Ordinaries” (“Penny Farthings”) from c.1880 and a Singer solid-tyred safety from 1890. Anne Bowerman, in period long skirt, was on a lady’s Elswick of 1901, and 77 year-old Ron Beams – who had been a member of Charlotteville Cycling Club in 1932 – also joined the parade on a 1923 Sunbeam tricycle.