Cycling at the 1948 London Olympics

[GuyBoden]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGJUpof-5X0

GB's, Reg Harris won two Silvers for the Sprint and the Tandem Sprint. Edurance legend, Tommy Godwin won a bronze medal.

1948, Manchester Cycle legend Reg Harris was warned to start training in London, (Presumably Herne Hill, he broke his arm just before the games.)

 

[Sharky]

It's even more amazing, seeing those riders, when you consider that ww2 had only ended 3 years prior.

Most of those riders would have been doing national service for their countries and missed several years of cycling.

 

[Smokin Joe]

Seeing someone changing a tub brought back a few memories.

 

[Dogtrousers]

I've read the Herne Hill Velodrome is the only venue from the 1948 Olympics that's still in existence. Although Wembley still exists, albeit in a much changed form. So maybe one of two.

Edit: Just had a look at this Venues of the 1948 Summer Olympics - Wikipedia and quite a few of them still exist. But maybe only Herne Hill Velodrome hasn't been rebuilt.

 

[Blue Hills]

Been meaning to read this book for ages.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3394665-the-austerity-olympics
don't know how much cycling features in it.

There was a very good TV doc, probably BBC4, on those games a few years ago, maybe based on that book.
I loved the tales of the cobbled together events.*

Always seems to me that what Britain achieved in the immediate postwar years (NHS etc) was as heroic as the war-years.

* A review refers to foreign football teams being told to bring their own balls

 

[DRM]

It's even more amazing, seeing those riders, when you consider that ww2 had only ended 3 years prior.

Most of those riders would have been doing national service for their countries and missed several years of cycling.

iirc when Fausto Coppi was released from an allied POW camp, he was left in Southern Italy and having acquired a bike rode it home to Northern Italy, and later won the 1949 Giro

 

[GuyBoden]

Is it a coincidence that Reg Harris, the legendary track cyclist, who was the instigator of the Manchester Velodrome is buried in the church at Chelford in Cheshire, the same village as Jason and Laura Kenny now live.

Reg Harris at the original Manchester Velodrome in Fallowfield.

Re

 

[Sharky]

I swapped waves once with Reg Harris, when on a club run near Jodrell Bank in about 1968.

 

[cougie uk]

Is it a coincidence that Reg Harris, the legendary track cyclist, who was the instigator of the Manchester Velodrome is buried in the church at Chelford in Cheshire, the same village as Jason and Laura Kenny now live.

Reg Harris at the original Manchester Velodrome in Fallowfield.
View attachment 603773 Re

Spooky !

 

[matticus]

Is it a coincidence that Reg Harris, the legendary track cyclist, who was the instigator of the Manchester Velodrome is buried in the church at Chelford in Cheshire, the same village as Jason and Laura Kenny now live.

Oh my. Are you suggesting some satanic ritual took place? That Reg was killed by velomancers, who infused the young Kennys with his life essence??

 

[Hacienda71]

I cycle past Reg Harris's house on my way into work sometimes. Ride To Reg Harris's House | Strava Ride Segment in Macclesfield, UK, England, United Kingdom

 

[GuyBoden]

Oh my. Are you suggesting some satanic ritual took place? That Reg was killed by velomancers, who infused the young Kennys with his life essence??

Obviously, "The Secret Squirrel Club" won't divulge the facts, but is it a coincidence that Reg Harris died in 1992 and nine months later in that same year, Laura Kenny was miracously born.

Reg Harris at the (new) Manchester Velodrome.

 

[Big T]

I actually raced against Reg Harris. In his later years, after his sprint comeback, he took up time trialling and rode a 25 mile event on the old O2 course, on the A1 near Blyth in Nottinghamshire. He was off about 5 minutes in front of me. This was in the early 1980’s and Reg would have been in his sixties by then. I was around 23. I did a PB that day of 1.03.08. I can’t remember what Reg did and whether I beat him. It was a middlemarkers event, for those who had not previously 1hour 3 mins for 25 miles.

 

[Sharky]

I rode the O2 a few times. I was amazed the first time I rode it, with the finish. It was a down hill sprint for the last quarter of a mile. I wonder what Reg would have clocked for the last 20 metres.

 

[Smokin Joe]

I rode the O2 a few times. I was amazed the first time I rode it, with the finish. It was a down hill sprint for the last quarter of a mile. I wonder what Reg would have clocked for the last 20 metres.

That was THE course, the one everyone wanted to ride. It could be hard to make the start list as events there were always well over subscribed. I remember two clubmates travelling up from east London to try for the club's 25 mile TT record, but they caught a foul day with heavy rain and strong winds so no go.