"Handout Mentality is written by Richard Bailey The views expressed
are his alone and the Central Victorian Veterans Cycling Club Inc.
does not endorse them.
Richard started cycling over 50 years ago in Cambridge England and
came to Australia in 1968. He started writing cycling articles for
the Cambridge Daily News in 1963. In 1966 he became the youngest qualified
coach in the British Cycling Federation. In Australia he struggled
to make the grade with the pros and opened a bike shop in Melbourne.
The shop was not a success but he did get to sponsor Moscow Olympian
Kelvin Poole, the first interstate rider Charlie Walsh hired and the
first he fired. Richard qualified as a Level 2 coach on Charlie’s
courses. He later qualified as a State Level Commissaire with what
is now Cycling Victoria and obtained a Level 2 Certificate as a Sports
Trainer.
Richard moved to Echuca in the early 80s and was Secretary of the
now Echuca-Moama Club for six years when the club was very active
in running track races on the old Victoria Park track and starting
the movement for a new velodrome. He was also Press Secretary for
eight years writing and supplying developed photo prints for the Echuca
Riverine Herald.
Richard started race calling in Echuca in 1982 at the monthly twilight
combines. He has been fortunate enough to interview Hubert Opperman
and was the first person to interview Shane Kelly. He is currently
the commentator-M.C. for the South Pacific Easter racing at Maryborough,
calls the veterans’ Camperdown-Warrnambool and has called the
Mooroopna Roller Derby for the last 21 years. He has a two hour weekly
show on Radio 104.7 EMFM which starts with show tunes and finishes
with opera. He also produces his wife’s three hour show which
starts with rock ‘n roll and finishes with blues.
Richard joined Central Veterans in the first year of the Club. Around
the millennium he was tricked into the position of Handicapper. After
two and a half years in that role he never attended another Club meeting.
As a way of explaining his handicapping theories he introduced an
information sheet which morphed into the newsletter Harry’s
Handout, “Harry” being a mythical handicapper. When health
problems prevented him competing and staying in touch with Club affairs,
he started writing on professional racing to fill out the newsletter,
using the internet for research. The name “Handout Mentality”
was meant to be a cheap take on Hugh Hefner’s “Playboy
Philosophy.”
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