IF there is such a thing as a cycling evangelist, Tony Bowles is the man.

The 73-year-old president of Bolton Clarion Club – one of the town’s oldest sporting organisations – is a convincing advocate for his favourite sport, having been a keen cyclist all his life.

But Bowles rails at any perception that the club formed in 1896 is an elite organisation, and chooses instead to emphasise that it goes to great lengths to make beginners and returners to the sport welcome.

The Clarion Club has revamped its website, www.boltonclarion.co.uk, as they aim to harness the interest in an activity which is at an all-time high thanks to British Olympic success at track cycling in Beijing.

“Many people have taken up cycling since the Beijing Games,” said Bowles. “I am a member of the Friday night track league at Manchester Velodrome. We have people who race and do time trials, but we don’t currently have people who do road racing.

“We want people to join us and be part of a community of people who are interested in cycling. We can help beginners with advice and there is the social element as well.”

Throughout the winter months, starting in October, the Clarion members meet at Victory Reform Club in Chorley Old Road, Bolton, one Monday in every month for a free quiz with prize and tea and coffee.

Although the Clarion Club is a broad cycling church ability-wise, Bowles himself is a shining example of how fit the sport keeps people into their advancing years.

Two years ago, the former plumber and central heating engineer was diagnosed with prostate cancer and was sent for a course of radio therapy treatment at Christie Hospital in Manchester.

Bowles qualified for ambulance transport to and from his Lostock home, but was told he was being thrown off it because he was using the bus and train to go home.

Then he lost his bus pass, so for six days he made the journey to hospital on his bike.

“Radiotherapy affects people in different ways,”

said the jocular pensioner. “It makes some people very tired.

“When you’re in your 70s you go for an afternoon nap anyway, so it didn’t really bother me that much.”

Thankfully, Bowles recovered and now rides his bike around Bolton’s hilly terrain, laughing off any suggestion that the fixed gear machine makes it overly difficult.

“Put it this way,” he said.

“If you don’t get out of breath, you never get any fitter.”