Hugh Porter showing no signs of slowing down as he hits 80

On Sunday, the day before he turns 80, one of Wolverhampton’s most famous sons will celebrate by doing what he is known for best, at the venue with which he is arguably most closely associated.

Porter will ride 80 laps of Aldersley Stadium, the place where he first became a British champion, put in much of the training for his four world titles and where there is a road named in his honour, as part of a charity event in aid of Compton Care.

Speaking about it in a quiet corner of a city centre cafe earlier this week, the excitement in his voice is palpable.

“It is quite funny,” he remarks at one point. “I was out on my bike this morning riding along when I thought you know, this is just like the old days when I was preparing for big events, only this time without a number!

“It isn’t uncommon for cyclists to mark a birthday by doing so many miles to celebrate.

“But I wanted to do something unique and as I won my world medals on the track, I wondered how I could incorporate it.

“Aldersley is just down the road from where I live. I used to train there while preparing for a lot of big events. It is intertwined with my professional career and so 80 for 80 sounded just the job.”

Porter cannot recall a time in his life when he has not been on a bike, his love for two wheels having been instilled at the earliest age by his father Joe, himself a handy rider and local club champion.

As a youngster, he remembers riding from the family home in Rooker Avenue, Parkfields, to Rhyl for the summer holidays.

“I was either 11 or 12, I can’t recall exactly,” he says. “I asked my mom if I could do it and she said yes.

“I often look back now and think: ‘How did I do that?’ But I did it. I think it must have been about 93 miles.”

A junior member of Wolverhampton Wheelers, cycling was always a bit more than just a pastime for Porter, who became a professional in his late teens but saw his career really take off when he focused on the track and in particular the individual pursuit, where he claimed each of his four world titles and Commonwealth Games gold in 1966.

It is also through cycling he met the love of his life, the Olympic swimming champion Anita Lonsbrough, while on a late night flight to Tokyo for the 1964 Games. The couple, who were married the following year, remain as inseparable as ever.

Porter, meanwhile, remains on his bike, going out for a couple of hours, three mornings a week.

“If I am being brutally honest, I am almost afraid to stop!” he says, with a chuckle. “I know that might sound strange, but I have never known anything different. If I stopped cycling now, I’m not sure my motor would like it!

“It is almost like a therapy to me now. Any former sportsperson will tell you what we put our bodies through, while trying to compete at the top level puts some pretty serious strains on the joints. Cycling helps me with that.

“I ride three times a week. I generally ride for time, usually a couple of hours. I am certainly not breaking any records!”

That may be true, though there are plenty of cyclists half Porter’s age who would be satisfied with the distance of 26 miles he claims to have covered in two hours the morning of the day we meet.

Neither is it any surprise to find Sunday’s event has been planned with meticulous detail. More than 60 riders, some travelling from as far away as Worthing, will join Porter on the track. None are being charged to ride but all have been encouraged to make a donation, with each receiving a print of a portrait of Porter riding in his world champion’s jersey, which has been produced by Cardiff-based artist Carolyn Merrifield.

A further 20 have donated £10 each to ride the total distance (22.7 miles) on spinning bikes situated around the edge of the track.

“It could be quite the sporting jamboree, really,” says Porter, who is effusive in his praise for how the council have supported the event. The Mayor of Wolverhampton, councillor Claire Darke, will drop the flag to start the event at 11am.

“Claire has been brilliant and is even saying she might ride a couple of laps,” he said. “When I first started planning the event I was not sure how much interest there would be but people have really got behind it.

“You get a buzz through the camaraderie. Anita and me have a saying that friendships made in sport last forever.

“There are going to be people there who I have been riding with since the age of 15. There are friendships that have been here all my life. That is the buzz. That is the attraction.”

Above all else, there is the fundraising. Porter describes Compton Care as a ‘magnetic cause’ and it is one of three charities of which he and Lonsbrough are patrons, the others being Kingswood Trust and New Cross Hospital Wulfrun Radio.

It is part of what they describe as their ‘third career’, the first being their sporting exploits and the second spent in the media. Lonsbrough worked as a journalist following her swimming career, while Porter’s commentary at 11 Olympic Games (eight summer, three winter) means his voice remains familiar to millions.

“We’ve been lucky and we always feel whenever you get the chance, you should try to put something back,” he says.

“Compton Care is very close to my heart and I want to dedicate my birthday toward it. I want every penny this can generate to go to it.

“Any time you can draw attention to these good causes, I think it is worth it.”

Those wishing to donate can visit justgiving.com/fundraising/hugh-porter80