Walter William Greaves (April–June 1907 – 1987) was a British cyclist who set the world record for distance ridden in a year - despite having only one arm and falling off numerous times. Greaves rode in 1936.
Personal life
Greaves was born in 1907, his birth was registered in the North
Bierley district,
Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...
. He lived with his mother in Newlands Place, Undercliffe,
Bradford
Bradford is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Bradford district in West Yorkshire, England. The city is in the Pennines' eastern foothills on the banks of the Bradford Beck. Bradford had a population of 349,561 at the 2011 ...
. He lost an arm in a road accident when he was 14. One account says his father owned a car with running boards. His father was driving after drinking and Greaves opened the door, stood on the running board ready to jump, but was hit by a tram. His arm was so damaged that it was amputated below the elbow. Other accounts said that he had hung the arm out of a train window.
He developed an interest in
communism
Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...
which did little to help him find work as an
engineer
Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the l ...
. According to the historian John Naylor, Greaves was unemployed and according to some, almost destitute. Unemployment in Bradford was high but "his reputation as a lefty troublemaker made employers reluctant to take him on". Tim Teale, a
Leeds
Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...
cyclist who knew Greaves said "Walter tried to make you sign up for the young communists but nobody took much notice".
Greaves was an outspoken
teetotaller
Teetotalism is the practice or promotion of total personal abstinence from the psychoactive drug alcohol, specifically in alcoholic drinks. A person who practices (and possibly advocates) teetotalism is called a teetotaler or teetotaller, or is ...
, a practice which had a sequel when he broke the record.
The 1936 World Endurance record
Record background
In 1911 the weekly magazine
''Cycling'' began a competition for the highest number of 100 mile rides or "centuries" in a single year.
The winner was
Marcel Planes
Marcel may refer to:
People
* Marcel (given name), people with the given name Marcel
* Marcel (footballer, born August 1981), Marcel Silva Andrade, Brazilian midfielder
* Marcel (footballer, born November 1981), Marcel Augusto Ortolan, Brazilian ...
with 332 centuries in which he covered . The inspiration for the competition was said to be the efforts of Harry Long, a commercial traveller who rode a bicycle on his rounds covering every part of England and Scotland and who covered in 1910. The world record for distance cycled in a year began in an era when bicycle companies competed to show their machines were the most reliable. The record has been officially established nine times.
[Cycling, 1972, undated cutting] A tenth claim, by the English rider
Ken Webb, was later disallowed.
[Ken Webb's claim was for in 1972. Webb insisted he had completed the distance but others said he hadn't and he was removed from the Guinness Book of Records.]
Preparations
The record that Greaves attempted had been set three years earlier by the Australian professional Ossie Nicholson. John Naylor said:
icholsoncompleted his ride in fine Australian weather, on good roads, with the best equipment and even a back-up vehicle. Much of it was even done on a smooth track, using a special bike. He had a masseur, and a manager who did all the planning, booking and ordering. The contrast with Walter Greaves couldn't be more stark.
Greaves appealed to the cycle trade for sponsorship but had little success. Three Spires Cycles of
Coventry
Coventry ( or ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its ...
provided a bicycle and a small weekly sum in return for advertising rights.
[Three Spires Cycles of ]Coventry
Coventry ( or ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its ...
advertised a "Greaves Record" model for £6 2s 6d, or £6.12½p in decimal sterling. Cyclists around the country offered him accommodation but help from the cycle trade came only once his ride had started.
A report said Greaves was so short of money that he wore clothes "little more than worn-out rags" and lay awake worrying the ride would not continue for lack of funds.
The bicycle
The Three Spires bicycle had a modified handlebar and
twist-grip
A twistgrip is a handle that can be twisted to operate a control. It is commonly found as a motorcycle's right handlebar grip to control the throttle, but is sometimes found elsewhere, such as on a bicycle as a gearshift, and in helicopters.
Hi ...
gear-change to fit Greaves and his single arm. A single lever operated both brakes. But it was not ready when the attempt was due to start on 1 January 1936 and arrived five days later. The record had to be started on 1 January and completed by 31 December. The delay increased the daily distance Greaves was obliged to ride.
Unlike Nicholson's machine, Greaves' bicycle was heavy, with thick tyres to cope with snow and pitted roads. He rode with mudguards, lamps and a saddlebag. His bike had a three-speed
derailleur
Shimano 600 front derailleur (1980)
A derailleur is a variable-ratio bicycle gearing system consisting of a chain, multiple sprockets of different sizes, and a mechanism to move the chain from one sprocket to another.
Modern front and rear d ...
with ratios of 59, 71 and . He later increased the gears to 65, 73 and 78. John Naylor said:
How on earth he rode a heavy, loaded bike up all those hills on a gear and with only one arm is beyond me. And much of the riding was in the Pennines
The Pennines (), also known as the Pennine Chain or Pennine Hills, are a range of uplands running between three regions of Northern England: North West England on the west, North East England and Yorkshire and the Humber on the east. Commo ...
, up long steep gradients. According to his friend, Billy Woods, a special adaptation was made some time into the ride, a kind of cup for the arm-stump which fitted on to a handlebar extension. This allowed his left hand to put its weight on the bike and balance things out a bit. It must have been a tremendous relief, yet still wouldn't have helped him to pull on the bars when climbing.
Alan Magson, in a description of the bicycle, said: "It looks like a fairly standard road bike - not that different from today's machine outwardly at least. Not much in the way of brakes - but then he was trying to break a record and roads were considerably quieter then."
The 1936 record ride
Records had to be attempted during a single calendar year, but Greaves started his ride five days late because of the delay in delivering his bicycle. He rode in one of the hardest winters for years, with snow and ice lying until the end of February. He covered in the first five days but fell off 19 times, including eight times in a day while riding through snow on high roads. A report in the Bradford ''
Telegraph and Argus
The ''Telegraph & Argus'' is the daily newspaper for Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. It is published six times each week, from Monday to Saturday inclusive. The newspaper has offices in Newhall Way, Bradford, from where its journalists work ...
'', written by a reporter who followed him by car, records that Greaves fell twice in the first of the day as cars forced him off the road. In Leeds, he was blinded by a cloud of steam from a steam-powered vehicle, slipped on
tram
A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...
lines and fell off. He got up, cycled out of the city through lying snow and maintained his average .
The ''Telegraph and Argus'' report was headlined ''Persistence on a bicycle'' and began "W.W. Greaves, the one-armed Bradford cyclist, is a hero."
Greaves averaged a day by the end of February. The snow and ice were replaced by gales, hail and rain but Greaves increased his daily rate to . It rained through the summer and then turned foggy all November.
The cycling importer and patron, Ron Kitching, said:
Walter used to ride over to Harrogate
Harrogate ( ) is a spa town and the administrative centre of the Borough of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England. Historic counties of England, Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the town is a tourist destination and its visitor at ...
and I asked him how he was managing with all the ice and snow. Apparently he just kept riding round and round the streets until they were cleared in order to get the miles in. I remember he used to ride with a feeding bottle with milk in it, and eat apples. He was a true vegetarian. And tough!
Greaves collided with a car
[Various reports of his crash at Yarm in July cite a car or a lorry or a telegraph pole.] at Yarm in July and an abscess developed as a result. Greaves lost two weeks in hospital. He rode a day while recovering from the operation. From 20 September to 8 October he rode a day. He rode into
Hyde Park
Hyde Park may refer to:
Places
England
* Hyde Park, London, a Royal Park in Central London
* Hyde Park, Leeds, an inner-city area of north-west Leeds
* Hyde Park, Sheffield, district of Sheffield
* Hyde Park, in Hyde, Greater Manchester
Austra ...
,
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
on 13 December and rode laps of the
Serpentine to match Nicholson's record. He was joined by thousands of other cyclists.
A reception was held in a hotel that evening. Greaves had been a
vegetarian
Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slaughter.
Vegetarianism m ...
since he was 20 and was a fervent teetotaller. Journalists at the reception offered him
champagne
Champagne (, ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, that demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, spe ...
to celebrate, making comments such as "Go on... We won't tell!" Greaves said:
Greaves rode from 8 October until the end of the year to push himself further ahead Nicholson. He nevertheless rode a day, finishing his year at midnight on
New Year's Eve
In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Eve, also known as Old Year's Day or Saint Sylvester's Day in many countries, is the evening or the entire day of the last day of the year, on 31 December. The last day of the year is commonly referred to ...
at the steps of the town hall in Bradford. The ''Telegraph and Argus'' reported "astonishing scenes reminiscent of those associated with the public appearances of famous film stars." The mayor gave him cheques and two trophies.
Greaves' greatest distance in a day was . His longest without sleep was . The shortest day, , finished early because he fell off and had to repair his bicycle.
End of the record
Greaves record was set to fall even as he reached Bradford town hall. Next day another amateur rider, Bernard Bennett, set off to ride . The record fell twice more the same year, the second time to René Menzies - who matched the record at
Alexandra Palace
Alexandra Palace is a Grade II listed entertainment and sports venue in London, situated between Wood Green and Muswell Hill in the London Borough of Haringey. It is built on the site of Tottenham Wood and the later Tottenham Wood Farm. Origi ...
with Greaves beside him
''Cycling'' reported:
Bernard Bennett was reported to say that he was attempting the record just for fun. He set the new record figure of and also setting a new world record of in 642 days. As all this competition was going on in the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
, a year's race had commenced between two widely separated contestants, Ossie Nicholson from Down Under who had already tasted success, and a newcomer, René Menzies, a 48-year-old Frenchman of Scottish descent. René rode in the UK and on the Continent, searching for the hotter weather... Many miles away, Nicholson had found better weather and financial support; at the end of his year he had collected an amazing thus time tasting more than glory as he had also pedalled his way clear of beating the record, this time in 532 days.
Tommy Godwin set the record at in 1939 with the support of a bicycle factory, a manager and pacers. He went on to ride in 499 days.
The Golden Book
Walter Greaves' achievements were celebrated in 1937 when
Cycling Weekly
''Cycling Weekly'' is a British cycling magazine. It is published by Future and is devoted to the sport and pastime of cycling. It used to be affectionately referred to by British club cyclists as "The Comic". awarded him his own page in the
Golden Book of Cycling
The ''Golden Book of Cycling'' was created in 1932 by ''Cycling'', a British cycling magazine,
to celebrate "the Sport and Pastime of Cycling by recording the outstanding rides, deeds and accomplishments of cyclists, officials and administrat ...
.
Life after the record
Greaves became a member of the
British League of Racing Cyclists
The British League of Racing Cyclists (BLRC) was an association formed in 1942 to promote road bicycle racing in Great Britain. It operated in competition with the National Cyclists' Union, a rivalry which lasted until the two merged in 1959 to ...
, an organisation which broke away from the
National Cyclists Union
The National Cyclists' Union (NCU) was an association established in the Guildhall Tavern, London, on 16 February 1878 as the Bicycle Union. Its purpose was to defend cyclists and to organise and regulate bicycle racing in Great Britain. It merged ...
during the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
to promote massed racing on the open road.
[The Bradford ''Telegraph and Argus'' (21 September 2001) quoted Ron Kitching : '' reavesjoined the BLRC and started road-racing. ... if you eased up there would be Walter with one arm. What a man!''] He also founded th
Airedale Olympic cycling cluband in 1949 organised a race from Bradford to
Morecambe
Morecambe ( ) is a seaside town and civil parish in the City of Lancaster district in Lancashire, England. It is in Morecambe Bay on the Irish Sea.
Name
The first use of the name was by John Whitaker in his ''History of Manchester'' (1771), w ...
and back, and his prominent 'route markers' became a renowned distraction to normal traffic.
[The Bradford ''Telegraph and Argus'' (21 September 2001) reported that ''He painted a white arrow from Keighley Road into Swadford Street to take competitors out on the A59 via Broughton Road ... bringing complaints from drivers who thought it signalled a new road system.'']
Greaves had a cycle shop in Bradford and built cycle frames in the late 1940s. He was a talented and innovative frame builder. All of his frames were sif-bronze welded, for lightness and strength. No lugs were used. The ‘La Victoire’ was of conventional design, while the ‘King of the Mountains’ was an unconventional short wheelbase type, built to his own design. It featured an almost upright seat tube with a specially formed seat pin which placed the saddle over the back wheel. There is a ‘King of the Mountains’ on display in Bradford Industrial Museum. The frame was built in 1948 and has nothing to do with his record ride, which was achieved on a Three Spires 'King of Clubs' bicycle.
"Walter Greaves: the man, his story and his bikes"
/ref>
Later, after a fire at his shop, he moved to Craven Forge beside the Leeds-Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
canal, halfway between Keighley
Keighley ( ) is a market town and a civil parish
in the City of Bradford Borough of West Yorkshire, England. It is the second largest settlement in the borough, after Bradford.
Keighley is north-west of Bradford city centre, north-west of Bi ...
and Skipton, it was then known as Winifred's Café.() According to the ''Telegraph and Argus'', Greaves "struggled to make a living in the café and took a job at Water House Pressings. The café was later converted into a forge, making and selling garden ornaments. He also took to writing and singing songs in clubs and pubs in the area."
Greaves kept a monkey as a pet in the flat above the café, where he lived with his wife. He seems to have had an interest in exotic animals: the minutes of Yorkshire section of the British League of Racing Cyclists
The British League of Racing Cyclists (BLRC) was an association formed in 1942 to promote road bicycle racing in Great Britain. It operated in competition with the National Cyclists' Union, a rivalry which lasted until the two merged in 1959 to ...
show that members had to talk him out of his plan to have a dancing bear for the annual dinner.
Greaves contracted Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms becom ...
in 1979, and died in 1987, aged 80.
Peter Duncan, an official of the Vegetarian Cycling and Athletic Club to which both belonged, said:
I stopped my car in the lay-by near the café about three years ago waiting for a friend to catch me up. As I waited, a frail, ragged scarecrow emerged from one of the huts and tottered laboriously up the steps to the house. With a shock I noticed that the left sleeve of the ragged overcoat was empty and I realised that this walking skeleton was all that was left of the robust, fanatical Walter that I had known in the 40s or 50s.
Greaves had been a single-minded, determined man described as reluctant to give way in arguments. The friendship between him and Duncan ended at a club meeting in 1951 when the two disagreed at an annual meeting and Duncan reported that Greaves said:
Notes
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Graves, Walter
1907 births
1987 deaths
Cyclists from Yorkshire
Sportspeople from Bradford
Ultra-distance cyclists