The 1st Tour of Britain: 1951

"VIDEO 1951 TOUR OF BRITAIN"

In 1951 I was 15 years old and had my first lightweight bike; I would have to wait another year until I could race at 16 years old.

It was also the year the first Tour of Britain was held; I remember riding with a school friend, 40 miles to watch the final stage as they passed through Baldock, Hertfordshire on the A1, on their way to London.

The event was run by the “British League of Racing Cyclists,” (BLRC) a “Rebel” organization that had broken from the National Cyclists Union (NCU) in the 1940s when they organized a race on open roads from Llangollen in Wales to Wolverhampton in the West Midlands of England.

The 1940s was of course during WWII and there was very little motor traffic on the roads; in spite of this the NCU refused to sanction the race, and a group of riders lead by Percy Stallard from Wolverhampton ran the race anyway.

The NCU, recognized at the time by the UCI as the official governing body of cycle sport in the UK, had upheld a ban on mass start cycle racing on the open road since the late 1800s. By the 1950s the BLRC had proved that massed start races could be held on the open roads, safely and with full cooperation from the police.

The first Tour of Britain was sponsored by the “Daily Express” a major national newspaper. As these old British Pathe Newsreel clips show there were huge crowds of spectators out to watch the race. It shows hundreds of club riders following the race on bikes as the riders leave London.

Also these Pathe Newsreels of the race were shown in theatres throughout Britain, creating more interest from the general public. The TOB was a huge success and has been held every year since 1951. It became known as the Milk Race for a number of years when the Milk Marketing Board took over sponsorship from the Express.

"TOUR OF BRITAIN" - HALFWAY

The race brought about credibility and acceptance for the BLRC; eventually the BLRC and the NCU would reach agreement and amalgamate in 1959 to become the British Cycling Federation. (BCF) I wrote a three part series on the History of British Cycle Racing.

In the first TOB the roads were not closed and the riders had to deal with normal traffic as they raced; although at that time not anywhere near as heavy as today’s traffic.

In the first video there is a shot of Dave Bedwell sprinting to win the second stage with cars coming in the oposite direction. Dave Bedwell would later be part of a British team to ride in the 1956 Tour de France. Pictured below (Left.) riding along side none other than Fausto Coppi.

The second video shows Scottish rider Ian Steel who was the eventual overall winner of the 1st. TOB; it also mentions Derrick Buttle in a break away over “The Shap” one of the bigger climbs. I recently read that Derrick Buttle is still riding to this day, now aged 81.

One thing always stands out when I see these old clips from the 1950s and before; the high cadence these riders pedal at. 14 teeth was the smallest sprocket you could get back then, the largest standard chainring was 51 teeth. The highest gears were reserved for downhill or sprinting; on the flat sections they would be riding 51 x 16. (86 inches.)

People riding road races in the UK today can thank these early rebel pioneers, without them there would be no Mark Cavendish or Bradley Wiggins competing in the Tour de France. Time Trials on flat courses are not condusive to developing world class riders and that is where the UK would be stuck if it were not for the BLRC, “The League” as it was affectionally known

TOWN OF CYCLES

This final clip has nothing to do with racing but shows Oxford in 1950. Note that no one locks their bike; they just park it and leave it and the bike is there when they return. But few people locked cars either back then; these were simpler times.

My thanks to regular reader Mark Frank who turned me on to the Pathe News website. The videos do not play live here, but click on the pictures and they link to the Pathe News site. If you type in "Cycling" in a search you will find other old clips from the Tour de France, Giro d'Italia, the Classics, Cyclo-cross, etc., some dating back to the 1930s. All great stuff.

                         

Charly Gaul: The Angel of the Mountains

With this year’s Tour de France less than a week away and one of the favorites being Andy Schleck from Luxembourg, I am reminded of Charly Gaul (Pronounced Gowl.) a former TDF winner from that same country.

Luxembourg is a tiny land-locked nation bordered by France, Germany, and Belgium; just under 1,000 square miles (2,586 sq. km.) with a population of 500,000 people.

Charly Gaul is still regarded as one of the greatest climbers of all time, his frail innocent look, and his ability to go up mountains with apparent ease earned him the title, “l’Angelo della Montagna.” (The Angel of the Mountains.)

He won the Tour de France in 1958, and the Giro d’Italia twice in 1956, and again in 1959.

He was also an accomplished time-trialist winning all three time-trials in the 1958 TDF beating one of the greatest ever against the clock, Jacques Anquetil.

His other Tour de France successes were 3^rdplace in 1955 and 1961; he also won the TDF King of the Mountains Jersey 1955 and 1956. And as well as winning the Giro d’Italia twice Gaul was 3^rd in that race in 1958 and 1960. He won the Giro King of the mountains in 1956 and 1959.

Charly Gaul’s climbing secret was no secret at all really; he rode a very low gear and pedaled at an extremely high cadence.

He would simply decimate the opposition by his relentless pace, infrequently climbing out of the saddle he would do so with an air of apparent ease.

Another great rider of that time, Raphaël Géminiani once said Charly Gaul was, "A murderous climber, always the same sustained rhythm, a little machine with a lower gear than the rest, turning his legs at a speed that would break your heart, tick tock, tick tock, tick tock."

He was especially good during cold, wet weather. In the heat he would often suffer and sometimes lose out to lesser climbers.

With his boyish good looks and “Giant killer” style, Gaul was loved by fans of cycle racing, but by his fellow riders, not so much. For a man who had the nick name “Angel” it seems he possibly had certain demons.  

He spoke to very few people, and never seemed happy; even his own team members said he would not discuss team tactics with them or share his prize money.

When he retired in 1962 he became a recluse, living alone in a cabin in a forest.

Gaul  emerged from isolation in 1983 when he was honored on the 25^th Anniversary of his Tour de France win.

Many were surprised to see him as a shadow of his former self, a some-what curious figure with scruffy beard and a large paunch.

Charly Gaul died in 2005 of a lung infection two days before his 73^rd birthday. VeloNews said: "Gaul raced in a different era, and his like will never be seen again."

                         

The King: Alf Engers

Alfred Robert Engers, better known as Alf Engers was the first British Time Trialist to record a time under 50 minutes for the 25 mile distance. (40.23 Km.)

He did this phenomenal ride on August, 5th 1978, in a time of 49 minutes and 24 seconds. This meant that he averaged 30.36 mph (48.87 Kmph.) for the distance.

A measure of the greatness of this ride was that this record stood for 13 more years.

One also has to realize that this record was set in an era when there were no disc wheels, aero bars, skin-suits and aerodynamic helmets. Even to this day, there are only a handful of riders who can manage a sub fifty minute ride for 25 miles.

Alf Engers was no youngster when he set this record; he was 38 years old with a career that had spanned almost two decades.

In fact he had originally set a new competition record for 25 miles at aged 19 in 1959, with a time of 55 minutes, 11 seconds.

He was an interesting rider in that he not only trained and prepared himself physically for his rides, but before each event he would sit quietly and meditate, to prepare himself mentally for the task at hand.

By the 1970s Engers was a “Rock Star” in the British cycling community; he was known as “The King,” and like a Rock Star, his career was not without controversy.

He was constantly “at odds” with cycling officials, mostly those in the Road Time Trials Council, which was at that time the governing body of the sport.

In the early 1960s Alf briefly turned “Independent” which was a semi-professional class at the time, where riders could ride in both amateur and pro events. However, when Engers re-applied for amateur status in 1963 he was denied, again and again, and was not allowed to compete until 1968.

When one is “hated” by officials that govern a sport, it makes it difficult when that person is so good that he cannot really be ignored.

After his come back to the sport, Alf Engers answer was to break the 25 mile record, not once, but twice the following year in 1969.

Bringing the time down to 51 min. 59 sec., and later that year to 51:00.

This record stood until Alf himself broke it and put it out of reach in 1978.

Engers was constantly warned by officials throughout his career for his habit of riding down the center of the lane.

Whether he actually rode in the middle of the lane, or just a third of the way out from the edge, is not clear. This makes more sense to ride where the inside wheels of motor traffic run, where the road is smoothest, and cleanest, and there are less chances of a puncture.

In 1976 he was stopped by the police during a time trial event. He claimed he was on to a potential record breaking ride at the time. He was stopped for “riding dangerously,” and the RTTC suspended him for the rest of that season.

Even his sub 50 minuet record breaking ride in 1978, was marred in that the RTTC refused to ratify the record for several weeks, stating that Engers had once again, ridden dangerously by riding in the center of the lane. (See the “Cycling” headline on the left.)

To understand the mindset of officials running British time-trialing during that period, one only has to look at the history of bike racing in the UK. For so many years up until the 1960s the sport of time trialing was run like a secret society, publicity was shunned, and large crowds of spectators were discouraged from attending events.

Alf Engers, with his “Rock Star” persona brought large crowds whenever he rode, and that did not fit with the establishment that was the RTTC.

I never met Alf but from what I have heard, I can speculate that he most likely had a “Don’t give a shit,” attitude towards the officials, which probably didn’t help. But when one is “The King,” surely it is okay to have an attitude.

Engers was a trend setter, he was largely responsible for the 1970s craze of drilling holes in components to reduce weight, known as “Drillium.”

Another trend was “Fag Paper” clearances, where the wheel just barely cleared the frame tubes, on bikes built by Alec Bird, and Alan Shorter. (See the color “Cycling” picture near the top.)

Alf Engers set this record in spite of huge obstacles placed in the way of his career. He was banned from competing during most of the 1960s, and one has to realize these would have been his peak years as an athlete.

Most would have quit competitive cycling altogether under these circumstances. The fact that he didn’t shows the pure grit, determination, and character of the man. There is a reason they called him “The King.” 

Here is a recent two part interview with Alf Engers in which he talks about that era, and his record. Here is the link to Part I, and Part II.

Here is a link to a firsthand account of the actual record breaking ride, by Gordon Hayes

                          

Gears: On Reflection

When I posted the first article on gearing a week ago, it was not my intention to extend it into a series. However, it is a subject that has caused me to reflect on how things were, and to speculate how we arrived at where we are today.

Going back to the turn of the last century, because Britain was initially the center of the bicycle industry, the bicycle chain was quickly established at half an inch pitch. It has remained the standard worldwide ever since, even in countries where the metric system has always been in place.

Although chains are made in all manner of pitches for industrial use, ½ inch pitch has always worked fine on bicycles, and there is little reason to change it. I seem to remember Shimano introduced a one centimeter pitch chain for track bikes back in the 1980s, but it was short lived.

Sprocket and chain width was set at one eighth of an inch, and remained so for 50 or 60 years. The introduction of the five-speed freewheel made it necessary to make the sprockets narrower, and the 3/32 inch wide chain came into being.

The six-speed freewheel was introduced (I believe.) in the early 1970s, and was achieved by widening the spacing between the frame’s rear dropouts, from 120mm. to 126mm.

This remained the standard set up until about the time I left the bike business in 1993. I know this because all the frames I built in the US had 126mm. rear spacing.

Soon after gears quickly went from 6 to 7, 8, 9, and 10 speeds; and with it 130mm. rear spacing; all within a relatively short span of years, considering how long the 5 and 6 speed was the standard.

The reason this came about? Index shifting, MTBs and the power of the American market.

I remember when Shimano first introduced index or click-shifting in the late 1980s, I was one who scoffed at it, along with most Europeans.

I remember talking to people from Campagnolo and they likened the idea to “Putting frets on a fiddle.” A violin has no markings where to place your fingers to play a given note; throughout history people learn by experience where to place their fingers.

It was the same with shifting gear on a derailleur. People like me who grew up using friction shift gears could not understand why anyone would want to complicate something so simple.

Of course the mountain bike was a whole different story, down tube shifters were not practical, and it lent itself to a ratchet type, handlebar gear control. Also, here was a whole new generation of users not raised on the traditions of road bike use.

Throughout history, the design of the racing bicycle, and its components, was always dictated by what the European professional riders used. The MTB was an American phenomenon and the rules changed.

I remember Campagnolo lost a huge share of the component market in the US to Shimano, because they were slow to get into index shifting, and spent several years playing catch up.

Click shifting made it possible to go up to 10 speeds. Although it may have been possible with friction shift; never-the-less it would not have been practical.

One commenter asked if riders were stronger in the old days; I don’t think so, we just made do with what we had.

The Tour de France was run on single gear bikes up until the late 1930s, and the riders went over the same mountains they do today; plus the roads were often no better than dirt tracks.

Our top gears were in the 90s, but we trained on very low gears and so learned to pedal fast. At the other end, I never had a gear that was lower than 50 inches, and never found a hill I couldn’t climb on it.

I was always taught that in terms of energy spent it was better to climb a hill on the highest gear possible. I don’t know how that jibes with today’s thinking, but when 50 inches was your lowest gear  you had no choice but to stay on top of it and keep the revs at a reasonable level, or you were finished.

With today’s gears in the 30s and 40s, it is only natural that you are going to use them, and spinning a low gear on a steep gradient is exhausting.

I am not talking of a slow walking pace, but one of racing speeds. It takes a special rider of great stamina to do that   

Footnote:

Top picture is my current set up. I was lucky enough to find a 48 chainring on eBay; it was actually an inner ring, but works fine as an outer. The inner ring is a 39. With a 14 to 19 straight up six-speed freewheel it gives me gears from 92 to 55 inches. Pretty close to the range I had in the 1950s 

                       

Gearing in the 1950s

My previous article about gearing made me think back the early 1950s when I started racing. My first lightweight bike had a single chainwheel and a four-speed freewheel with 1/8 inch wide chain and sprockets.

Then I upgraded to a five-speed freewheel with a double chainwheel, or “Double-Clanger” as we called them. Chain shifting was by a lever operated changer, pictured above.

The 1/8 inch wide chain was pretty much standard from very early on in the development of the chain driven bicycle.

The five-speed freewheel used a 3/32 inch wide chain and sprockets; this was the standard width chain up until the late 1980s when rear gears went beyond six-speed.

I’m not sure when the 3/32 chain came into being, but I have the impression that it was fairly new in the early 1950s, because there were a number of people still using three and four speed 1/8” freewheels.

Typically, the number of sprocket teeth on a five speed were 14, 16, 18, 20, 23, the chainwheels where 47/50, there was also a 49/52 chainwheel available.

The three teeth difference on the two chainwheels is about the same difference a one tooth on the rear freewheel. (See gear table left.)

The rear sprockets were usually at least two teeth difference, so the small one step gap on the chainrings gave the in-between gears.

I’m not sure what the thinking was behind this set up, I am guessing it just took a while for manufacturers and riders to experiment with a wider gap on the front chainrings.

Three and four speed freewheels with one tooth difference were popular in the UK for Time-Trialing, which is probably why some riders stayed with them.

The above ten-speed set up was more in line with what the European Pros were using. I'm sure for the Grand Tours the pros used even lower gears on the mountain stages; 14, 16, 18, 21, 25 would more likely be used.

Everyone from the pros on down trained and raced on much lower gears than people ride today. I usually raced on 79 to 84 inches, and trained as low as 63 to 67 inches.

This made me think of an amusing phenomenon of that era. In the early 1950s there were a lot of bicycles on the road; not just racing cyclists but people who used a bike as transport. Few working class people owned cars in the UK at that time; that became more common in the late 1950s and 1960s.

Most of these “Utility” riders used a roadster or a sports roadster bike, heavy steel, usually with a Sturmey-Archer hub gear. These were three or four speed; with a top gear around 86 inches. The middle gear would be around 70 inches, and the bottom about 60 inches.

It was not unusual to be out training with the local “Chain Gang,” twiddling along in a 60 something gear, when a “Tuggo” (Our term for a non-racing cyclist.) would come flying past us in their 86 inch top gear.

One has to remember these utility riders were also pretty fit; they rode everywhere, and it is not difficult to pass a rider using an 86 inch gear, when he is spinning his eyeballs out in a mid 60s gear.

We usually ignored them completely and let them have their moment of glory, because we would always catch them on the next hill, but usually they turned into the nearest pub, which probably accounted for their hurry.

Bikes and gears were less complicated back then, but then so too was life. Fond memories