Picture the scene. It’s late April 1981, and frame builder Sam Hudson is enjoying his passion for cards during a break at Raleigh’s elite Specialist Bicycle Development Unit (SBDU) in Ilkeston. Halfway through a hand, his boss Gerald O’Donovan calls to him, his voice straining to be heard above Making Your Mind Up by current Eurovision darlings Bucks Fizz, crackling from the radio.
“Build yourself a bike if you like,” O’Donovan says, with a smile. “Help yourself to some parts, but don’t use anything too expensive.”
