Bicyle History – A Chronological Cycling History Of People, Races and Technology, James Witherell (2010)

Hours of entertainment from a cheery rattle-bag of cycling facts

McGann Publishing 9780984311705 Paperback 227pp $16.95

I felt slightly bereft the other day when I realised that I had extracted the last crumb of interest from William Fotheringham’s Cyclopedia. Since I received my copy, it has been my reading material of choice in my home’s smallest room. Today, however, I am happy to report that I occupy my throne with my mind stimulated anew – with this fascinating assortment of cycling facts, arranged year by year.

Witherell’s preoccupation is with cycle racing, and his perspective is that of an American who has a deep love for the European pro scene. As he explains in his introduction, the genesis of the text came from a common-place book of cycling facts amassed over a lifetime’s enthusiasm. As it grew fatter, so the idea of publication took hold.

There are all the big race results that you might expect, alongside serendipitous snippets such as this in 1969: “Audrey Phelger McElumury of La Jolla California wins the world road championship on a rainy course in Brno, Czechoslovakia by more than a minute in spite of crashing on her left side during the fourth of the 43.71 miles (70.33 kilometres) race’s five laps. She quickly remounts and catches up to the leaders to win the world title. She has to wait on the podium for half an hour while officials track down a copy of “The Star Spangled Banner”.

Or from 1946: “Sir Harold Bowden of the National Committee on Cycling dedicates a plaque at Courthill Smithy Keir, Dumfriesshire, Scotland to honour the centennial of Kirkpatrick MacMillan inventing the pedal bicycle in 1839. The ceremony has been postponed from 1939 because of the war.”

This point might cause an historical purist to take issue with some of Witherell’s entries- nowhere more so than in his first entry, which read: “1860 – Ignaz Schwinn is born in Hardheim Germany”. Manneheimin 1817 would probably have been the starting point for most cycle historians. Taking pot shots, however, is to miss the delight in the unexpected of this book.

A comprehensive index of cycle history this is not – but that in no way detracts from the delightfully distraction pick and mix of facts that it presents.

PS April 11