BRC mourns passing of Alan Mark
Ballymena Road Club’s management committee and members
were greatly saddened to learn of the death of their esteemed honorary life
member and former President Mr Alan Mark last Friday morning 1stApril.
Alan passed away peacefully at the home of his
daughter Joan and son in law Hugh McCullough at Tullynahinnion Road
Portglenone, where he and his wife Mary had been tenderly cared for over the
past two years. He would have been 85 on 28th May 2022.
Ballymena Road Club was founded in 1954 and Alan
joined the following year. Whilst he wasn’t quite a founder member of the Road
Club his contribution over the decades has been second to none.
I joined the club in 1971 when Alan was already a well-established
committee member, holding the post of Race Secretary at that time. Apart from a
brief spell in the late 1970’s he continued in this role until the end of the
2007 season when Tommy Wilson took over.
Over the years Alan was ably assisted by his wife
Mary, daughters Carol and Joan and Joan’s husband Hugh McCullough, in the
organising of the club’s demanding programme of club and major open race
promotions. Alan and Mary’s contribution was recognised by the Road Club with
the awarding of the club’s "Friendship cup” as club member of the year in 1989
and 1999 respectively.
The Borough of Ballymena also awarded Alan their
prestigious "Services to Sport” accolade in 2004.
After being Race Secretary Alan became Vice President
for 2008 and one year later took over the President’s role from Rex Bonar, who
was retiring from club committee duties. Alan was to remain as President until
ill health caused him to take a back seat. In 2019 the Road Club again
recognised his outstanding contribution to the club by making him an honorary
life member.
During his six decades as a club official Alan was
also active as a signing on steward, timekeeper, finish line judge, marshal and
road race commissaire. He also found time to actually ride his bike and one of
his proudest achievements came in 1973 by establishing a place to place
competition record, aboard a tandem, with his workmate and fellow BRC member
Sammy Connor, who piloted the outfit.
They completed the approximately 75 miles course, from
Londonderry’s Guildhall to the City Hall in Belfast, in 2 hours 49 minutes,
which beat the old record by 9 minutes. A section of that ride saw the pair
cover 5 miles in 8 minutes on the descent of the Glenshane pass. They also
established a 100 miles tandem record of 4 hours 5 minutes a short time later.
Alan was a plasterer by trade and was blessed with
great manual dexterity and could turn his hand to painting and decorating and also
floor and wall tiling whenever the need arose.
Many of the older club members will remember his bike
shop just off the Crankill Road, and in more recent years at Fenaghy Road,
Galgorm, where an array of lightweight equipment and cycling clothing was
readily available. Needless to say he was also a superb bicycle mechanic.
Most weekends he would travel in the club’s events
vehicle, which in the 1980’s and 1990’s would have been packed with youth
section riders, to races all over the Province.
At Provincial level Alan served on the Executive of
the Northern Ireland Cycling Federation and was race director of the Easter
Tour of the North stage race.
Cycling Ulster has posted a lengthy tribute to Alan on
their website, an extract reads "Alan Mark was a key figure in the talks
between Cycling Ulster, Cycling Ireland and the NICF and was ready to listen to
all sides. Marian Lamb, current Treasurer of Cycling Ulster, was also involved
in those talks along with Tommy Lamb, Gordon Parker, Jack Watson
and Micheal Concannon. She remembers Alan as one who put the
good of cycling above politics. He said to her "I see the young people
competing against each other and then coming together afterwards, laughing and
talking. That is what sport is all about. As Chairman of the NICF it is my duty
to look to the long term future of our young people and give them a future
together.” In December 2006, at a special meeting of the NICF, held in the
Templeton Hotel, the Northern Ireland Cycling Federation member clubs voted
overwhelmingly in support of a major change in direction that will see them
amalgamate with Cycling Ulster and thus affiliate to the UCI World governing
body via Cycling Ireland for 2007. Alan Mark chaired the meeting, which
saw a landslide vote of 29 in favour and 2 against the proposals set out by the
negotiating team that had been in discussions with Cycling Ulster in preceding
weeks. This was perhaps his greatest achievement.” Concluded Marian Lamb
On a personal level I enjoyed many miles cycling in
Alan Mark’s company and also sharing his great love of live music. His
favourite artist in recent years was Texan troubadour Tom Russell who was a
regular performer at Belfast’s Errigle Inn "Real music club” In Alan’s opinion,
Russell’s rendition of the famous Marty Robbins song "El Paso” was the
highlight of the show.
Ballymena Road Club extend their sincere sympathy to
Alan’s wife Mary, children Carol, Samuel and Joan, son in law Hugh,
grandchildren, great grandchildren and the extended family circle.
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