MAURICE COWLEY
17/5/1943 - 23/1/2024
I first met Maurice when I was 4/5 years old, I was playing in the back garden and Maurice was in his back garden in Thornhill. He was 11 years older than me. We remained friends until his death. When Maurice finished school, he joined the Royal Navy and was a stoker on the submarines, including the first nuclear submarines. He travelled all over the world, when he returned he worked at Sellafield as a monitor then progressed into being in the offices.
He met Shirley and got married in August 1962 and so in 2022 they celebrated their Diamond wedding anniversary.
Maurice and I learnt to cross country ski at Dufton promoted by the Youth Hostel Association. Then we progressed to skiing in France and Austria. He was always very active and enjoyed fell walking.
He started riding bikes in the 70`s/80`s, when he was in his 40’s, and before long joined the Velo Club Cumbria, the local cycling club for people wanting to race along with Bacca and Steve Hasson. From then on cycling became his main passion and the three of them would compete in time trials ridding 10, 25, 50 100 mile time trials and12 hour events on a regular basis, and they toured round the country with friends from the Otley Cycling Club. The link with the Otley CC came about through Maurice’s brother Mike who was working there at one time. Also Maurice was involved with the Otley Club in taking young people on holidays to Europe. They then started racing with Jimmy Thorburn who introduced them to Trikes with both Maurice and Bacca being stokers on the back of Jimmy’s tandem trike. They raced on solo and tandem trikes and achieved some course records. Maurice and Bacca would train hard together and would think nothing of doing 100 miles or more on a day’s ride stopping for a few beers and food on the way. They also travelled to Europe to watch the Tour de France and Maurice was very proud of the fact that he had done many of the big climbs, like Alpe d’Huez, on his trike.
At trike events they met the Houghton CC lads, from the northeast. Noel Knox from the Houghton CC came over to Sellafield
too work, he would regularly meet up with Maurice and Bacca and go for a ride which would end up in a pub before going home. The link with the Houghton CC has lasted down the years and Maurice and Steve loved to go on their July trip to Brugges. They all raced on the Isle of Man, cycling week was the week after the TT races, this is how their friendship grew. Shirley also cycled and remembers touring holidays in southern Scotland with Maurice. Her name is also on the Solway Ladies Downhill Trophy.
The trio Maurice, Bacca, and Steve left VC cycling club and formed the Solway Sociable Cycling Club in 1996.
When Maurice stopped racing, he carried on riding at leisure and enjoyed many weekends and weeks organised by the club (Solway Sociable CC). Many of these trips away used hostels and he was always first in the kitchen to clean up after everyone. He was a long time Chairman of the club, was involved in producing The Chat our printed newsletter, was a runs coordinator, and a frequent holder of The Wooden Spoon, the trophy for the biggest stirrer. His last ride with the Solway was in October 2022.