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Bob Maitland
Robert John Maitland (31 March 1924 – 26 August 2010) was a British racing cyclist. He won national championships in Britain, tackled long-distance records, was the best-placed British rider in the 1948 Olympic road race, and rode for Britain in the Tour de France. His career coincided with a civil war within British cycling as two organisations, the National Cyclists Union and the British League of Racing Cyclists, fought for the future of road racing. Early career Maitland was born in Birmingham and developed an interest in cycle-racing in his teens. He collected autographs from pre-war riders such as Eddie Larkin and Charles Holland and sometimes cycled out to watch them ride time-trials, which were then the only cycle races held on the road.The National Cyclists Union had banned racing on the road in the 19th century, fearing that police reaction would affect cyclists generally. A rebel organisation, the Road Time Trials Council, as it came to be known, resisted the ba ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West Midlands metropolitan county, and approximately 4.3 million in the wider metropolitan area. It is the largest UK metropolitan area outside of London. Birmingham is known as the second city of the United Kingdom. Located in the West Midlands region of England, approximately from London, Birmingham is considered to be the social, cultural, financial and commercial centre of the Midlands. Distinctively, Birmingham only has small rivers flowing through it, mainly the River Tame and its tributaries River Rea and River Cole – one of the closest main rivers is the Severn, approximately west of the city centre. Historically a market town in Warwickshire in the medieval period, Birmingham grew during the 18th century during the Midla ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cycling At The 1948 Summer Olympics
The cycling competition at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London consisted of two road cycling events and four track cycling events, all for men only. The track cycling events were held at the Herne Hill Velodrome in south London. The road race events were held in Windsor Great Park, south of Windsor. Medal summary Road cycling Track cycling Participating nations 188 cyclists from 33 nations competed. Medal table References External linksOfficial Olympic Report {{DEFAULTSORT:Cycling At The 1948 Summer Olympics 1948 Summer Olympics events 1948 Events January * January 1 ** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated. ** The Constitution of New Jersey (later subject to amendment) goes into effect. ** The railways of Britain are nationalized, to form British ... Cycle racing in London 1948 in road cycling 1948 in track cycling 1948 in cycle racing Cycling competitions in the United Kingdom ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tour Of Britain
The Tour of Britain is a multi-stage cycling race, conducted on British roads, in which participants race across Great Britain to complete the race in the fastest time. The event dates back to the first British stage races held just after the Second World War. Since then, various different events have been described as the Tour of Britain, including the Milk Race, the Kellogg's Tour of Britain and the PruTour. The current version of the Tour of Britain began in 2004 as part of the UCI Europe Tour. From 2014, the race was rated 2.HC by the UCI. The race became part of the new UCI ProSeries in 2020. Tour of Britain (1945–1999) Origins The Tour of Britain has its origins in a dispute between cyclists during the Second World War. The British administrative body, the National Cyclists' Union (NCU), had feared since the 19th century that massed racing on the roads would endanger all racing, including early-morning time trials and, originally, the very place of cyclists on the roa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
British National Hill Climb Championships
The British National Hill Climb Championship is a hill climbing competition held annually by Cycling Time Trials with the location varying year on year. The first edition was in 1944 and it has been won by some of the best all-round British cyclists, such as Brian Robinson, Paul Curran, Malcolm Elliot, Chris Boardman Christopher Miles Boardman, (born 26 August 1968) is a British former racing cyclist. A time trial and prologue specialist, Boardman won the inaugural men's World time trial championship in 1994, won the individual pursuit gold medal at the 1 ... and Jeff Williams. Historically, competitors often chose to use a fixed gear bicycle for lower weight and the ability to maintain pedalling momentum. Due to advances in gearing technology, geared bikes have dominated the field over the past decade. 2019 Championship The 2019 British National Hill Climb Championships was held on Haytor Vale in Devon on 27 October 2019. The winners took record-breaking victories ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
William Fotheringham
William Fotheringham (born 1965) is a sports writer specialising in cycling and rugby. As a newspaper journalist he writes for ''The Guardian''. Fotheringham was a features editor for ''Cycling Weekly'', the features editor of ''Cycle Sport'' and co-founder of ''Procycling'' magazine. He is a current writer for '' procycling Magazine''. A graduate of Cambridge University with a degree in French, Russian and Italian, Fotheringham won the IPC Media Specialist Writer of the Year award in 1993 and 1998. He has been a racing cyclist for nearly 40 years. He is described by Rapha as being "one of the finest writers in the ‘Pro Tour’ pressroom". His 2012 biography of Eddy Merckx ''Half-Man, Half-Bike'', was the first cycling title to achieve No 1 status in the Sunday Times bestseller lists. He is the brother of fellow cycling journalist Alasdair Fotheringham. His most recent books are Sunday in Hell, an account of how iconic director Jorgen Leth made the film of the same name a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lanterne Rouge
The ''lanterne rouge'' is the competitor in last place in the Tour de France. The phrase comes from the French for "Red Lantern" and refers to the red lantern hung on the rear vehicle of a passenger railway train or the brake van of a freight train, which signalmen would look for in order to make sure none of the couplings had become disconnected. Cultural uses In the Tour de France the rider who finishes last, rather than dropping out along the way, is accorded the distinction of lanterne rouge. Because of the popularity it affords, riders may compete for the last position rather than settling for a place near the back. Often the rider who comes last is remembered while those a few places ahead are forgotten. The revenue the last rider will generate from later appearance fees can be greater than if he had finished second to last, although this was more true when riders still made much of their income from post-Tour criteriums. In the 1979 Tour de France, Gerhard Schönbacher ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ian Steel
John "Ian" Steel (28 December 1928 – 20 October 2015) was a Scottish racing cyclist who in 1952 won the Peace Race, a central European race between Warsaw, Berlin and Prague. He was the only Briton, and the only rider from the English-speaking world to win it, as well as the first Briton to win any major race. He also won the Tour of Britain as a semi-professional and was at one stage second in the 1952 Tour of Mexico before crashing. Biography Steel was born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1928, to John and Jane (née White) who ran a dairy shop, and grew up in Glasgow and Dunoon, where he and his sister lived with their grandparents after being evacuated due to the start of World War II. He joined the Glasgow United club at 18, in 1946,The Bicycle, UK, 8 April 1953, p22 having been introduced by a friend, John Brierley. His first race was a 25-mile (40 km) time-trial, in 1946. He finished third in 1h 13m 55s, two minutes behind the winner. He improved and won time trials at 2 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brian Robinson (cyclist)
Brian Robinson (3 November 1930 – 25 October 2022) was an English road bicycle racer of the 1950s and early 1960s. He was the first Briton to finish the Tour de France and the first to win a Tour stage. He won the 1961 Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré stage race. His success as a professional cyclist in mainland Europe paved the way for other Britons such as Tom Simpson and Barry Hoban. Early life and amateur career Robinson grew up during the Second World War, which began when he was eight years old. His family lived in Ravensthorpe and moved to Mirfield in 1943. Both his parents worked at a factory producing parts for Halifax bombers, Henry at night and Milly by day. The family rented a small area of land, known as an allotment, where they kept rabbits and two pigs.Fotheringham, William (2005), Roule Britannia, Yellow Jersey, UK Early career Robinson rode with the Huddersfield Road Club at 13 and joined when he reached the club's minimum age the following year. His elder ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tony Hoar
Tony Hoar (10 February 1932 – 5 October 2019) was a British racing cyclist. He represented England in the road race at the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Vancouver, Canada. He gained selection for the Tour de France, where he finished in last place in the 1955 Tour de France The 1955 Tour de France was the 42nd edition of the Tour de France, taking place from 7 to 30 July. It consisted of 22 stages over . The race was won by Louison Bobet, the last of his three consecutive wins. Teams As was the custom since the 1 .... References External links * 1932 births 2019 deaths British male cyclists People from Emsworth Cyclists at the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games Commonwealth Games competitors for England {{UK-cycling-bio-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dave Bedwell
Dave Bedwell (28 August 1928, Romford, Essex, now the London Borough of Havering – 28 February 1999, Kingskerswell, Devon) was one of Great Britain's most accomplished racing cyclists in the 1950s, known as the "Iron Man" of cycling. He won four stages in the first Tour of Britain, rode for Britain in the world professional road championship in 1953 and 1956 and rode for Britain in the Tour de France.Cycling Plus, UK, April 1999 Origins Bedwell, who was tall, lived on the outskirts of London, in Romford, now part of Havering. His family were cyclists but Bedwell was more interested in swimming.Cycling, UK, 16 January 1993 He began cycling as a way to get to water. He bought a bike from a local dealer, Rory O'Brien, and turned to cycling instead. He rode time trials and raced on grass tracks, winning the Essex five-mile championship as an under-18 and then as a senior. He won the title three times as well as the all-London junior sprint championship at Paddington track. He sai ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Birmingham Small Arms Company
The Birmingham Small Arms Company Limited (BSA) was a major British industrial combine, a group of businesses manufacturing military and sporting firearms; bicycles; motorcycles; cars; buses and bodies; steel; iron castings; hand tool, hand, power tool, power, and machine tool, machine tools; coal cleaning and handling plants; sintered metals; and hard chrome process. After the Second World War, BSA did not manage its business well, and a government-organised rescue operation in 1973 led to a takeover of such operations as it still owned. Those few that survived this process disappeared into the ownership of other businesses. History of the BSA industrial group Machine-made guns BSA began in June 1861 in the Gun Quarter, Birmingham, England. It was formed by a group of fourteen gunsmith members of the Birmingham Small Arms Trade Association specifically to manufacture guns by machinery. They were encouraged to do this by the War Office which gave the BSA gunsmiths free access ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hercules Cycle And Motor Company
The Hercules Cycle and Motor Company Limited was a British bicycle manufacturer founded on 9 September 1910 in Aston in England.Company registration 111679: Companies House – http://www.companieshouse.gov.uk/ The name Hercules was chosen for its associations of durability and robustness. The company was founded by Edmund and Harry Crane and started life in Coventry Street, Birmingham, England, initially producing 25 bicycles a week.Birmingham Voice, 24 September 2003 History Crane's parents bought the Petros Cycle Company which was subsequently managed by Edmund's mother, Edith. Their children, Harry and Ted, left school at 14 and helped their parents with the business. In 1906, Jack Crane was declared bankrupt and the family moved to Lightwoods Hill. There they sold bikes at auctions. The bankruptcy finding meant they were bought in the mother's name and sold to the sons even though she had also been made bankrupt. In 1911, Harry and Ted rented a derelict house in Coventry ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
