In 12 hour and 24 hour Time Trials which are races some riders did use full guards when competing in these events. They might not have been the cracks but they still stayed the course no DNF for them when the weather got grotty. Just a personal battle to improve on their personal best. This is why they used full guards they didn't want to get any wetter or colder by not using guards as added protection. These were the sort of riders who rode the whole event with lamps fitted and are you ready for this a bag as well, some of them had lighted fags passed up by helpers and I can remember some of them stopping for a beer and occasionally a sit down knife and fork! Now I am not one of the elitists testers more of what you would describe as a " Hopeless Tosser" when it came to racing but these are the sort I competed against in the few twelves I rode. Not for me the exalted company of Ken Joy and other greats but I can say hand on heart that I have been passed loads of times by Alf Engers. Our club use to run an evening 10, real sporty course quite lumpy, course record a long 21 well Alf turned up one night signed on the line. This particular night I did a short 26 on pressures well I was going flat out for the finishing line when about a 100 yards out this rider came steaming past me free-wheeling and with no hands, yeah it was Alf he wasn't happy with his time and decided to just freewheel in. His time was a short 22 and he was going faster with no hands and freewheeling than I had done all-night! But thats cycling and what makes it great the characters laughter and stories.
Thats all for now. Keep those wheels spinning, in your memories if not still on the road. Be lucky Mick Butler Huntingdon UK.