The Great North Road, the Old Mail Road to Scotland: London to YorkHarper, Charles G. (Charles George)
History
The Great North Road, the Old Mail Road to Scotland: London to York
Harper, Charles G. (Charles George)
A1 Road (England and Scotland); England -- Social life and customs; Great Britain -- Description and travel
In 1890, and for several years following, records came and went with
increasing rapidity. In 1890 J. M. James put the safety record at 16
hours 52 minutes, and T. A. Edge soon followed, reducing it to 14 hours
33 minutes, James regaining the record again in 1891 by a bare thirteen
minutes. In the following year, S. F. Edge, on a front-driving safety,
made a splendid record of 12 hours 49 minutes, but had the mortification
to see it beaten the next day, June 27, by F. W. Shorland, in 39 minutes
less. In this year there were several rival tricycle records: that of W.
J. A. Butterfield, of 18 hours 9 minutes being lowered by F. T. Bidlake
by nearly three hours, and beaten again, on September 29, Bidlake’s
figures on this occasion being 13 hours 19 minutes. On the same day M.
A. Holbein and F. W. Shorland rode to York on a tandem tricycle in
exactly the same time.
C. C. Fontaine went for the safety record on August 29, 1894, when he put
the figures down to 11 hours 51 minutes. Fontaine lowered his own record
in the following year, on October 18, by 21 minutes 45 seconds, and this
was disposed of by George Hunt on May 7, 1896, when he got well within
the eleven hours, at 10 hours 48 minutes.
This was lowered by F. R. Goodwin on July 19, 1899, his time being 10
hours 16 minutes; the speed on this occasion averaging rather over
nineteen miles an hour. Even this could not have been accomplished
without the aid of the most perfect motor pace-making arrangements.
Goodwin smashed all these previous records on his way to establish the
London to Edinburgh record of 25 hours 26 minutes, in which the average
was somewhat higher; nearly twenty miles an hour.
The next, and latest, safety cycle record to York was made, unpaced, in
1900; when H. Green performed the journey in 10 hours 19 minutes.
The tandem safety London to York records should be mentioned. The first
two were set up on July 24, 1895, and October 2, 1896, respectively: by
G. P. Mills and T. A. Edge; and T. Hobson and H. E. Wilson, the times
being 12 hours 33 minutes, and 11 hours 35 minutes.
These were followed by:—
Hrs. Mins.
1901. A. H. and P. S. Murray (unpaced) 10 59
1905. R. L. I. Knipe and S. Irving 10 52
(unpaced)
1907. F. H. Wingrave and R. A. Wingrave 9 30
(unpaced)
The London to Edinburgh records are:
SAFETY BICYCLE.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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