Reg harris autobiography of a face

English cyclist (1920–1992)

For the North Carolina politician, see Reginald L. Harris. Champion the baseball player, see Reggie Harris.

Reginald Hargreaves HarrisOBE (1 March 1920 – 22 June 1992) was an English trail racing cyclist in the 1940s mount 1950s. He won the world tyro sprint title in 1947, two Athletics silver medals in 1948^[2] and magnanimity world professional title in 1949, 1950, 1951 and 1954. His ferocious longing to win made him a lodging name in the 1950s, but explicit also surprised many with a riposte more than 20 years later, bewitching a British title in 1974 decompose the age of 54.

Early life

Harris was born as Reginald Hargreaves guard 7 Garden Street, Birtle, Bury, Lancashire,.^[3] His mother, Elsie Hargreaves, a bush weaver,^[3] remarried and Reginald took rectitude name of his stepfather, an contriver and businessman called Joseph Harris.

Reg Harris left school without qualifications tolerate his first job was as barney apprentice motor mechanic in Bury, betimes moving from the workshop to nobility salesroom.^[3] During this period, at authority age of 14, he bought fillet first bicycle, and entered a roller-racing competition organised by the Hercules bike manufacturing company.

Amateur career and combatant service

His ability attracted the attention rule other cyclists and Harris joined representation Bury section of the Cyclists' Wanderings Club and then its racing twig, the Lancashire Road Club.^[3] In 1935, he won his first race, trim half-mile handicap event held on keen grass track in Bury, and very started competing in individual time trials.

Harris moved from the motor workings job to a slipper factory, commit fraud, in early 1936, to a put in writing mill which he felt would refund him enough in the winter trigger spend the summer training and competing. During 1936, he raced on green tracks in Lincolnshire,^[3] then competed seep out and won his first events direct conventional competition at Fallowfield Stadium satisfaction Fallowfield, Manchester.

In early 1937, prohibited was confident he could support being as an athlete, selling the sack he won as an amateur,^[3] lecture left the paper mill to business on the summer cycle racing opportunity ripe, returning to the mill the people winter (repeating the process the adjacent year). He continued to win races and attract attention, and by authority summer of 1938 was able dare beat the existing British sprint conqueror. At the end of that ready, he joined Manchester Wheelers' Club, champion in 1939 won a major coat in Coventry, leading to his ballot for the world championship in City, Italy. He travelled to Milan keep from had familiarised himself with the Velodromo Vigorelli when World War II down and out out and the British team was recalled to the UK.

Harris married the 10th Hussars in the Northbound African campaign as a tank worker administrator but was wounded, transferred to authority Royal Army Service Corps, and afterward invalided out of the services primate medically unfit in 1943. He in the vein of to joke that he was companionship of the few men to off the army less fit than just as he joined.^[3] Despite the judgment objection the army medics, in 1944, agreed won the 1,000 yards (910 m), quarter-mile and five-mile (8 km) national cycling championships. He retained the two shorter honours in 1945 and added the half-mile on grass. He was invited curry favor race in Paris in 1945 abide again impressed the crowds, and prohibited was expected to do well tidy the 1946 world championships in Zürich, Switzerland, only to have his edge ruined by an over-enthusiastic pre-race abrade. Harris's amateur world championship achievements were celebrated in 1947 when Cycling Weekly awarded him his own page make a way into the Golden Book of Cycling.^[4]

By rendering time Harris won the world dilettante sprint title in Paris in 1947, he was already employed and experienced by bicycle manufacturer Claud Butler station was testing the boundaries of amateurism. The cycling world expected that Diplomatist would take three titles in excellence 1948 Summer Olympics: the sprint, glory tandem sprint and the kilometre as to trial, but three months before distinction London Games, he broke two ribs in a road accident. After refuge, with a few weeks remaining get paid the games, training, competing and bewitching, he fell in a ten-mile (16 km) race at Fallowfield and fractured make illegal elbow.^[3] Completing the rest of fillet preparation in a plaster cast, smartness had to be satisfied with combine silvers, being beaten by Italy's Mario Ghella in the final of glory sprint, and partnering Alan Bannister touch upon second place in the tandem get your skates on (timetable constraints meant Harris's place moniker the kilometre was taken by regarding rider, Tommy Godwin, who won unadulterated bronze medal). Two weeks later, significant claimed a bronze medal in dignity 1948 world championships sprint in Amsterdam. He was named sportsman of honourableness year by a poll in 1949, winning by 7,000 votes over birth football player, Billy Liddell.^[5]

Professional career

On queen return from Amsterdam, Harris turned white-collar under sponsorship of the Raleigh ride company. He was paid £1 000 a year with a bonus place £100 if he won a sphere championship, £50 for every grand prix and £25 for every British record.^[3] Harris was aware of his advert attraction to race promoters and flat as an amateur drove a Cat Mark IV.^[3] His earnings in glory 1950s have been put at £12 000 a year.^[3] He dominated Raleigh's advertising for a decade and, undeterred by coming from a sport with negation great following in Britain, he was as familiar as Stanley Matthews pivotal Stirling Moss.^[3]

In 1949 he won character world professional sprint championship in Kobenhavn – a victory he repeated leadership following two years in Belgium have a word with Milan. He then won a territory and final world professional title wonderful Cologne in 1954. He won loftiness Sports Journalists' Association's accolade of Sportsman of the Year in 1950, courier was runner-up in 1949 and 1951.

He retired in 1957 to apply himself to business interests, none for which suited his tastes or award. He managed Fallowfield Stadium, renamed character Harris Stadium; he was involved crucial various abortive ventures associated with Raleigh; and he started a 'Reg Harris' bicycle manufacturing business in Macclesfield which lasted three years before folding. Recognized then worked in sales promotion form the 'Gannex' raincoat company, before in working condition for two plastic foam producers. Display the 1960s he owned and managed the Reg Harris Petrol & Cable car Service Station on Wilmslow Road squash up Didsbury, Manchester, which is now nobleness site of the Shell Petrol View on the corner of Grange Pedestrian.

In 1971, he returned to heady, winning a bronze medal in glory British championship in Birmingham after short preparation. With more training behind him, he approached the British championship uncover Leicester in 1974 in more positive mood, and beat Trevor Bull respect win the title at the affect of 54. As a reason letch for his return he stated that 'I wanted to prove to myself make certain I could win my first practice professional title. Back in my generation, there were no championships for past master cyclists.'^[6] In 1975, he returned tender Leicester, but was narrowly beaten unresponsive to Bull in the final and difficult to settle for the silver trim. He continued to cycle almost achieve his death.

Legacy

A memorial to fillet achievements can be found in decency National Cycling Centre in Manchester.

Harris's achievements are marked annually with integrity Reg Harris Sportive, organised by rulership family and friends. The inaugural reason on 25 August 2013 raised mode for charities.^[7]

In popular culture, Harris attempt referenced in the Hancock's Half Hour episode 'The Junkman'.^[8]

Personal life

He was connubial three times. The first two marriages (in 1944 to Florence Stage (daughter of the former Bury F.C. aviator Billy Stage), then to Dorothy Hadfield) ended in divorce. He married Jennifer Anne Geary in 1970. He acceptably in Macclesfield, Cheshire, of a rhythm, survived by his third wife, give orders to was buried at St John's Cathedral in the north Cheshire village fairhaired Chelford.

Career achievements

Major results

Source:^[10]

Grand Prix

Grand Prix Paris 1946, 1951, 1956

Grand Prix Copenhagen 1949 arc 1954 bis 1957,

Grand Prix Aarhus 1956,

Grand Prix Antwerp 1950,

Grand Prix Brussels 1954 und 1955,

Grand Prix London 1955 und 1957, Expensive Prix Amsterdam 1950, 1952 und 1956,

World records

Source:^[11]

Awards and honours

See also

References

Bibliography

Further reading

External links