Guy Chapman
Those who read with sadness of the death of BHPC founder-member Steve Donaldson might like to read
the Telegraph obituary, reprinted below.
Available online at <http://www.dailytelegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=&targetRule=-
10&xml=%2Fnews%2F2003%2F05%2F02%2Fdb0203.xml>
- requires registration.
Steve Donaldson (Filed: 02/05/2003)
Steve Donaldson, who has died aged 38, was a noted proponent of recumbent cycling, in which the
rider lies back on a low machine rather than sitting upright, as on a conventional bike.
Recumbent cycles first appeared a century ago and can achieve great speeds. They are, however,
banned from competing in conventional cycling races. As a founder member and secretary of the
British Human Power Club (BHPC), the organisation fostering interest in human-powered vehicles,
Donaldson and his Australian-born wife, Sherri, helped to promote the club's annual recumbent race
series across some eight venues from Manchester to Milton Keynes, and were involved in hosting the
European Championships every six years.
Donaldson owned four recumbents, including a Kingcycle and a K-drive Wasp, both fitted with
fairings of his own design, and competed at every distance from 200 m sprints to 50-mile road
races. In 1995 he represented the United Kingdom at the World Championships. In the heat of
competition he was always good-natured. The duel between him and Nick Green in the open-class final
at the World Championships 2002 at Lelystad in the Netherlands proved intense, yet Donaldson wore
his habitual grin throughout. He once suggested that the unofficial motto of the BHPC might be "Lie
Down And Be Counted".
John Steven Donaldson was born in Aberdeen on April 28 1964, and educated at Robert Gordon's College
and Aberdeen University, graduating with honours in Geography. From an early age he was a keen
cyclist and a lover of the great outdoors; he lived for a time in Ecuador, and ski-toured in the
high latitudes of Norway and Finland.
For the last 15 years he was a project manager with Aberdeen Environmental Education Centre and
designed walking trails round the city, covering themes including the Second World War and "how to
live with trees".
As well as representing the United Kingdom in the International Human Powered Vehicle Association,
Donaldson was a member of the Cyclists' Touring Club, and travelled extensively across Europe,
racing many times, always on a recumbent. While representing the United Kingdom in a series of
international races in Denmark in 1993, he met his wife, who was also a recumbent racing and touring
cyclist. Between them they owned seven machines, and were a familiar daily sight around their home
in Aberdeen.
A gourmet and trencherman, Donaldson was also a great francophile; on one tour of France, he ate his
way through his tight budget and was forced to return home early. He also managed to burn out his
brakes during a spirited 11-mile descent of a Tour de France col.
At the time of his death, on April 23, Donaldson was in the process of building an
advanced-engineered carbon-fibre recumbent, and had contributed to a BHPC publication on building a
human-power vehicle. His favourite machine was The Speedy, a three-wheeled (two at the front, one at
the back) cycle built by Mike Burrows, the engineer who designed the Lotus on which Chris Boardman
took Olympic gold.
A member of Deeside Thistle Road Club, Scotland's largest cycling club, Donaldson was able to
compete against conventional machines in closed club races. He savaged the record time established
by Graeme Obree for a local 10-mile course, clocking just over 19 minutes, an average speed in
excess of 31 mph.
He died in a road accident near his home while riding a recumbent; his wife survives him.
the Telegraph obituary, reprinted below.
Available online at <http://www.dailytelegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=&targetRule=-
10&xml=%2Fnews%2F2003%2F05%2F02%2Fdb0203.xml>
- requires registration.
Steve Donaldson (Filed: 02/05/2003)
Steve Donaldson, who has died aged 38, was a noted proponent of recumbent cycling, in which the
rider lies back on a low machine rather than sitting upright, as on a conventional bike.
Recumbent cycles first appeared a century ago and can achieve great speeds. They are, however,
banned from competing in conventional cycling races. As a founder member and secretary of the
British Human Power Club (BHPC), the organisation fostering interest in human-powered vehicles,
Donaldson and his Australian-born wife, Sherri, helped to promote the club's annual recumbent race
series across some eight venues from Manchester to Milton Keynes, and were involved in hosting the
European Championships every six years.
Donaldson owned four recumbents, including a Kingcycle and a K-drive Wasp, both fitted with
fairings of his own design, and competed at every distance from 200 m sprints to 50-mile road
races. In 1995 he represented the United Kingdom at the World Championships. In the heat of
competition he was always good-natured. The duel between him and Nick Green in the open-class final
at the World Championships 2002 at Lelystad in the Netherlands proved intense, yet Donaldson wore
his habitual grin throughout. He once suggested that the unofficial motto of the BHPC might be "Lie
Down And Be Counted".
John Steven Donaldson was born in Aberdeen on April 28 1964, and educated at Robert Gordon's College
and Aberdeen University, graduating with honours in Geography. From an early age he was a keen
cyclist and a lover of the great outdoors; he lived for a time in Ecuador, and ski-toured in the
high latitudes of Norway and Finland.
For the last 15 years he was a project manager with Aberdeen Environmental Education Centre and
designed walking trails round the city, covering themes including the Second World War and "how to
live with trees".
As well as representing the United Kingdom in the International Human Powered Vehicle Association,
Donaldson was a member of the Cyclists' Touring Club, and travelled extensively across Europe,
racing many times, always on a recumbent. While representing the United Kingdom in a series of
international races in Denmark in 1993, he met his wife, who was also a recumbent racing and touring
cyclist. Between them they owned seven machines, and were a familiar daily sight around their home
in Aberdeen.
A gourmet and trencherman, Donaldson was also a great francophile; on one tour of France, he ate his
way through his tight budget and was forced to return home early. He also managed to burn out his
brakes during a spirited 11-mile descent of a Tour de France col.
At the time of his death, on April 23, Donaldson was in the process of building an
advanced-engineered carbon-fibre recumbent, and had contributed to a BHPC publication on building a
human-power vehicle. His favourite machine was The Speedy, a three-wheeled (two at the front, one at
the back) cycle built by Mike Burrows, the engineer who designed the Lotus on which Chris Boardman
took Olympic gold.
A member of Deeside Thistle Road Club, Scotland's largest cycling club, Donaldson was able to
compete against conventional machines in closed club races. He savaged the record time established
by Graeme Obree for a local 10-mile course, clocking just over 19 minutes, an average speed in
excess of 31 mph.
He died in a road accident near his home while riding a recumbent; his wife survives him.
