Pre-war British competitions & championships.

ut_och_cykla
ut_och_cykla Posts: 1,594
edited September 2007 in Road general
Hi
I do hope someone out there knows someone who knows....
My uncle was an amateur racer before ww2 and I have a signed photograph of him dated 3 July 1939. I think it was just a race (at Donnington?) but might it have been the British championship which he won on a 'Flying Gate'. Hid name was Fancourt.

Sadly anyone in my family that might have known are all dead and gone but it would be nice to know - any ideas?

Also - does anyone know the colours ofthe Yorkshire West Riding cycling jersey for the same period?

Grateful for any ideas, or real info!

Comments

  • Hi
    I do hope someone out there knows someone who knows....
    My uncle was an amateur racer before ww2 and I have a signed photograph of him dated 3 July 1939. I think it was just a race (at Donnington?) but might it have been the British championship which he won on a 'Flying Gate'. Hid name was Fancourt.

    Sadly anyone in my family that might have known are all dead and gone but it would be nice to know - any ideas?

    Also - does anyone know the colours ofthe Yorkshire West Riding cycling jersey for the same period?

    Grateful for any ideas, or real info!

    Well you can't ALL be dead.. or what? :)
  • I assume that the championships you refer to were run under NCU rules and would have been time trials. The club livery was black. Every rider was required to wear black and no advertising was allowed.
  • I assume that the championships you refer to were run under NCU rules and would have been time trials. The club livery was black. Every rider was required to wear black and no advertising was allowed.
    Hi & Thanks for your reply. I'm certain it was a massed start race and I can see from teh black and white photo I have that my uncle was not just wearing black.
    He rode for the yorkshire or west riding club.
    I hope someone has some more information or an idea about where I could find more. Most articles I have photocpoies of are from Cycling of the era.
  • Suggest you start with a more direct approach to the Yorkshire Region of British Cycling - they may be able to point you in the direction of someone with knowledge going back that far.

    http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/web/si ... iewkey=REG
  • Richard L wrote:
    Suggest you start with a more direct approach to the Yorkshire Region of British Cycling - they may be able to point you in the direction of someone with knowledge going back that far.

    http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/web/si ... iewkey=REG

    Excellent - thanks Richard!
  • I assume that the championships you refer to were run under NCU rules and would have been time trials. The club livery was black. Every rider was required to wear black and no advertising was allowed.

    Road races were allowed, but only on closed circuits which didn't use the public highway (this would tie in with the original poster's mention of Donnington, but don't know if it existed as such a venue pre-WW2).

    David
    "It is not enough merely to win; others must lose." - Gore Vidal
  • Yes both Donnington (and I think Brands Hatch?) were prewar race venues in Britain. I know my uncle raced and won at Donnington on more than one occasion. He also raced and won on the Isle of Man.
    What I'm trying to do is find out which race it was he was photographed in on the 3 July 1939 - its a tall order I know but the info must be there somewhere! Sadly living in Sweden I can't just pop along to thecyling museums around the country!