Frankie's Story

My name is Frank Thompson and I suppose you will think I’m a bit of a cheeky sod, but anyway I’m writing to you from South Africa where I have lived since 1962.  I have read your book and I think it was really terrific!

I remember you as Isabel Clements, you were quite the girl cyclist in those years and are still today.

 

Well Isabel what I am about to write is all about me, Frank Thompson for your new book, ‘Recycled Memories” if you wish to include me.

My cycling days started when I was 14 years old and went Youth Hosteling at the weekend.  We did it for years, it was great and we met such fantastic people.

 

Cycling was in my blood and all I wanted to do was race.  I had seen them on the Antrim Road doing the time trials 25 mile with my old bike and the saddle bags.  I could catch them and stay with them so I knew I was as good as them.

I joined the Windsor Cycling Club in 1956 and rode a few time trial 25miles in the last one.  Sammy Kerr was my minute man and I was catching him after +/- 10 miles.  I put my head down to catch him and gave him a fight, but I ran into a parked taxi.  I was taken to court in Antrim where I was given a warning, but the NICF (the official cycling association of Northern Ireland) gave me a three month suspension from racing.  So Isabel, what I did then was joined the NCA, the rebel cycling association, I could not wait three months to race again! 

I think I was the only protestant in the association – I rode with them for three years and never met another one! But that didn’t worry me in the slightest, all I wanted to do was race.  They were three terrific years, the cyclists and all the people involved in the association were wonderful.

I was a founder member of The Glen Cycling Club (NCA), after which I joined the Northern Cycling Club (NICF).  Some of the members at the time were John Snodden, Seamus Herron, Dave Kane. Raymond Auld, Dave McConkey, John Corkin, Jack Watson, Dan McGurk and W F Reilly.  I’m still in touch with Seamus Herron.  I have lunch and a round of golf with Dan McGurk and Dave McConkey whenever I’m in Ireland.

In 1957, I rode the Ras Tour of Ireland, and that particular year the race went into the North of Ireland making it the longest stage of the race – we rode 50km to get to the South of Ireland and a further 250km to get to the finish in Ballina.  Con Carr (38 years) and myself (18 years) finished that stage 1^st and 2^nd respectively.  I think we were the oldest and youngest competitors that year. 

 

The LA10C Route De France of 1960

We rode a three day race in the South of Ireland.  I was 2^nd in the 1^st stage, 20^th in the second stage and 2^nd to Sonny Cullen in the 3^rd stage.  At the dinner after the race, the team for the Route De France 1960 was announced: Peter Crinnion, Basil Whelan, Jimmy Kennedy. Vincent Higgins, Frank Thompson and Ian Moore with P Mac Quaid as director.

I was told to get to the start in La Rochelle, France by 26 July 1960.  I had two or three weeks to raise the money and get there!  I had not a cent, so I got in touch with my sister, Shirley, who was working as a nurse in Canada at the time and asked her to help me. Shirley was the eldest of a family of eight children brought up in a two bed roomed house in Devonshire Street, Belfast.  She had no hesitation sending me the £30,00 I needed which as I’m sure you remember was the equivalent of a months wages in Belfast at the time.

The trip to La Rochelle, on my own was epic, who would do this today?  I walked with my suitcase and bicycle to the docks in Belfast and sailed from Belfast to Heshem on the English coast, then a train from Heshem to Huston Station, London and another train from Huston to Dover.  Then back on a ship from Dover to Calais (France) and a train from Calais to Paris and finally, a train from Paris to La Rochelle. How about that for a trip to ride the bike harder than ever before for eight full days?

Ian Moore was living in France at the time as a semi-professional, and the rest of the team traveled together from Dublin.  I arrived two days before them, but was looked after by the other teams like one of their own.  The French were especially good to me.

My ride in the tour was pretty good, as was Ian and Peter’s until the last day riding into Pau which is described very accurately below in the “Northern Newsletter” of September 1960 edited by Raymond Auld,

‘Congratulations to F. Thompson on being chosen to represent Ireland in the Route De France and also to W. Stewart who was first reserve. From the very sparse reports that we have heard we gather that Frankie rode a very aggressive race attacking all the time, but being dogged by punctures and falls and missing vital breaks after being away in other attacks.  To crown it all, Frankie fell heavily 18 miles from home on the last day, was injured, got up and tried to continue, but was forced to retire almost within sight of home.  Exiled Northern man Ian Moore who is now an independent living in France, finished 19^th and P. Crinnion from Brey Wheelers was an excellent 28^th”

Our Green and White Ireland jerseys were taken back from us at the finish, including mine that was all in tatters!!!

Now I had the same trip back to Ireland shortened by one leg, Ian Moore drove me in the back of a panel van to Paris from where the epic journey began again, only in reverse.

The trip back was somewhat uncomfortable since I was cut from head to toe from my fall on the last mountain downhill, caused by a tubular that was not stuck on properly rolled off the rim.

By this stage, I had developed high hopes of going to the Olympics in Rome (1960), But as it turned out, it was not to be.  Seamus Herron was the one who won the team place for the road race.  By the time I arrived back in Belfast, after spending a week with my sister Carol and her husband, Bill, I knew I wasn’t going to the Olympics. I had only joined the NICF about 18 months previously after being advised to leave the rebel association, so I guess I had been almost too ambitious.

If I remember correctly, it was a Friday afternoon I heard the news, and I walked down to my local bike shop, Ossie Melloms.  We all used to meet there and I was looking for Seamus Herron, but he wasn’t there and I was told he was in the Black Bull pub down the road.  So off I went to congratulate him on his place in the Olympic team.  As I walked into the pub, he spotted me right away, he came straight over to me, hugged me and said, ‘well Frankie Boy, you nearly made the team, and you should have, but there is only one place and this is a once in a lifetime event that I get to go to the Olympics, and I’m so happy it is me.

And honestly, I was really happy for him too.  We still keep in touch, he is a terrific person and a real friend.  In fact, I’m seeing him in June/July 2010 when I will be in the UK and we will plenty to talk about, you Isabel!

 

 The story of the broken arm……..

1957: Training ride with the boys.  We were all sprinting for the Lurgan town sign and my foot came out of the clip.  Over I went and got an arm held together with a plate and 4 screws.

1958: 2 Day race in the South.  Sprinting for the finish in Phoenix Park when I touched the wheel in front of me.  I came down and broke the same arm. I walked over the finish line and came 3^rd overall.

1959: Racing in Spain and France.  I had the idea of turning professional and was racing in Pau.  A 100km race and going up a hill after about 20kms, I touched a wheel and came down again.  I was in hospital for two weeks as they had to move the plate.  They could only get one screw out, so they gave up, stitched me up, put the arm in plaster and sent me home.  I still have the plateand screws in my arm to this day!

The moral of the story is, never give up.  Three years in a row I broke the same arm, but I kept on racing…..and winning!            

 

South Africa

My riding days in South Africa were not as eventful or as much fun as they were in Ireland.  I had to train on my own, not like back home where all the lads met at the bike shop for a training ride and got together on weekends to ride before the racing season started. 

I rode in South Africa for about 3 years and won two road races and one time trial paced by a motor bike.  And then, at age 29, I hung up my cycling shoes, called it a day and never rode at all again until I was 52.

My brother Fred, who is a great marathon runner, and I decided to ride the Cape Argus Cycle Tour – the biggest timed event in the world.  At maximum capacity, there are 35 000 starters, so you can imagine the size of this race.  I t was 108kms which I did in 3h35 and my brother Fred did in 3h30.  Well, you would have thought he had won the world championships.  He told everyone who would listen that he beat the “Great Irish International Cyclist”.  In fact, I’m surprised it didn’t reach world news, he was so proud!

My daughter Kelly will finish off now with a little information on the years since I retired from cycling.  Kelly is the eldest daughter of my children, Seamus (46), Kelly (38), Michele (34) and Dorethy (31).  After 4 marriages and 3 divorces, I sincerely hope my current wife of 20 years, Lesley, will be my last.  What A life I have lived, it has been fantastic!

 

 Some of my best results…………..

All Ireland Junior Championship NCA (50 Miles)           1^st Place

 

All Ireland Senior Championship Road Race                   3^rd Place

 

Northern Ireland 25Mile

 

Time Trial Championship 57min 19sec NCA                   1^st Place

 

Northern Ireland 100 Mile Championship

4h28 NICF                                                                  3^rd Place

 

Northern Cycling Club                                                    Best All Rounder

Time Trial 25-50-100 Miles

 

Tour of Tyrone                                                              1^st Place

 

Tour of Mourens (Down)                                                1^st Place

 

Tour of Portadown                                                         1^st Place

 

Newry to Bundorin and back 2 Day Stage Race            1^st Place          

 

Ras Tour of Ireland 4^th Stage1959                              Yellow Jersey

(Race Leader)

 

Ras Tour of Ireland 8^th/ /Last Stage 1957                  1^st Place

 

Ras Tour of Ireland 3^rd Stage 1956                             2^nd Place to Con Carr

 

Longest Stage +/-300km

I rode many other races and had too many 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd places to mention.

 

From my daughter, Kelly……

I can fill in the blanks from my dad stopped riding in about 1967 to today. 

He arrived in South Africa in 1962, a tool maker with about £30 in his pocket with the intention of earning a fortune in the land where the streets were paved with gold.  He soon found a job and though he was not making a mint, the prospects in South Africa were a lot better than in troubled Northern Ireland at that time.

He met my mom Merle and they married in 1963 and my brother Seamus, no prizes for guessing where that name came from, was born in 1964.

Once settled in South Africa, he began to bring his entire family (siblings and mother) and a few friends to South Africa.  South Africa has had it’s fair share of trouble over the years and the family is now scattered all over the world.  Each sibling forging out his/her own place in the world each being a success story in itself. 

The marriage lasted only five years and they parted ways in 1968.  However, it seems their chapter was not over and they re-married in 1971 for another five year stint!  1971 was an important year for my dad as he and his brother Fred opened their business, Thompson Machine Tools on 18 October 1971, 3 days after I was born. The company grew from strength to strength until finally the brothers parted ways in 1982.

During this time, my dad had re-married (yes, the third one) and had two more daughters, Michele and Dorethy.  His third marriage was looking a little shaky, but the new business he had opened, Harp Machine Tools was a solid as a rock.  Seamus joined the family business and has been loyal to it for more than twenty years now. I can’t say the same for the girls however.  While I had a four year break from the family business, only to return with some hard earned experience, Michele and Dorethy have worked for the company in short bursts over the years.  This successful business is now run by my brother Seamus and he is supported by my dad’s younger  brother John and myself and always under the watchful eye of dad.

The third marriage had by this time failed and he had re-married for the fourth, and we honestly hope final time.  He has been married to Lesley for over 20 years now and it looks like he has finally found the stability of his business life in his personal life.

My dad has been an inspiration to all of us, he is successful at anything he puts his mind to and everything he touches turns to gold.  He has always had a sympathetic ear and loads of good advice for us over the years through the trial and tribulations of our lives.  He has guided us, and in some cases pushed us to achieve what we he always knew we were capable of.

 He has bought each of his children a bicycle at some stage in the hope that one of us might find the joy and passion he found in cycling, but it was not meant to be.  Until, I was going through some tough times of my own about 4 years ago and I tried a little road ride of 2.5km to rid my system of the frustration I was feeling at the time. Well the bug bit, albeit at the tender age of 38, and now you will find me riding over one or other mountain most weekends on my mountain bike and occasionally on the tar.  In 2009 I rode my first Cape Argus Cycle Tour and was under a lot of pressure to avenge my dad’s loss to Fred all those years to go.  I did it in 3h33 and it was 1km longer than their race – that was good enough for my dad!

I will be traveling to Italy in August to explore Tuscany on my mountain bike, and I so wish I could get my dad to understand the joy of riding off road, or even to get him to ride with me on the road.  But at 72, I think he has earned his right to do exactly as he pleases!  His passion now is golf, he is a 14 Handicap – not too bad I believe.