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Situated next to the roundabout junction of the A71 and A721 in Waterloo, on the outskirts of Wishaw, is a spherical monument commemorating the life and achievements of local cycling athlete Alexander Stratton ‘Pinky’ Williams.
Pinky was born in Motherwell in 1918 and was first educated at Glencairn Primary School, which he went to on his tricycle every day. When the family moved across town he attended Crosshill Public School, where he developed a rebellious streak that often got him into trouble. On one occasion he climbed the spire of the church on Airbles Road and had to be rescued by the fire brigade.
Pinky enrolled at Beltanefoot Secondary School when the family moved to Wishaw. As a teenager, he had greater achievements in sporting activities than academic subjects. When he left school, he was employed in a bakery. With his earnings he purchased a bike to save on the cost of travelling to and from work by bus. It was during this time that he developed a love of cycling, spending his weekends participating in his new interest.
He left baking and became employed at the Clyde Alloy Steel Works in Netherton. With better wages, he purchased a new bike – the Dawes Super Club. He soon joined the Wishaw Eagles cycling club where he practiced racing. As a novice, he cycled a 10-mile time trial over the Tinto Moor road near Thankerton, completing it with a time of 26.04 minutes, establishing a new course and club record. His next race was the Borders 10TT event held in Duns, which saw him finish second to Scottish champion Bill Scott.
After being conscripted to battle in World War II, Pinky returned home and was keen to get back into cycling, which he used as a coping mechanism for traumas he experienced. Unfortuanely, the Wishaw Eagles cycling club had disbanded, so he joined the nearby Law Wheelers.
Pinky took part in a 25-mile time trial event in Perth, only to be involved in a multi-bike crash caused by wet manure on the road. Despite injuries to his arm and leg, he picked up his bike, continued racing and won, although he was just 11 seconds short of breaking the Scottish record. Fellow riders hoisted him high to celebrate his stunning victory before he was rushed to a local hospital for treatment.
By the age of 40, Pinky achieved eleven cycling championships and finished second in the prestigious Harvey Trophy – a 20-mile time trial. He later joined the Scottish Veteran’s Time Trial Association, where he won the trophy for the fastest rider seven years in a row, with an average speed of 23 MPH. He went on to Paris to ride in the 1962 Pro-Am Gentleman’s Grande Prix, to finish third out of 97 cyclists.
Pinky often took holidays to exotic places, such as Majorca, the Canary Islands, France, Belgium and Italy, where he would continue to participate in his favourite sport and pastime. At the age of 49, he was invited to qualify for the Cape Wrath fellowship. In 1971, Pinky cycled from Glasgow to Dumfries and back again, a distance of 163 miles, when he broke the record by 11 minutes 17 seconds. By the time he was 60 years old, he achieved 560 cycling awards and several Scottish titles, which made him a household name in Lanarkshire and the cycling community. In 1988, Pinky broke the British Veteran’s Championship record, completing the 30-mile event in 1 hour, 16 minues and 16 seconds.
The designer of the Sphere was David Harber and the sculpure is based on his sundial designs. Engravements on both the outside and inside of the monument give details of Pinky Williams life and successes. Visit David Harber’s website by clicking HERE.
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