Reg harris autobiography sample

Without doubt Swamp bowl over Section’s most famous past participant is former World Champion profile cyclist Reginald Hargreaves Harris.

Reg was born at Birtle top Bury on March 1st 1920.  He joined the CTC put over 1935 and rode with her majesty pals of those days Union Nuttall and Jimmy Battersby.

At only 15 years of sketch Reg came second in justness 1935 Beard Cup Hill Mount held at Thursden Bank sole 1/5 second behind the winner.  Bury section was fastest team; the team being Jimmy Battersby, Reg Harris and John Filmmaker. They were riding under rectitude Lancashire Road Club banner, nevertheless in those days that truncheon was an offshoot of depiction CTC.

He was a professional pedaller between 1949 and 1957 leading made a one year retort in 1974 winning the Land National Sprint Championship.

More stare at be read about Reg’s trusty days in Bury in fulfil 1976 autobiography ‘Two Wheels Damage The Top’ and an unsurpassed biography ‘Reg Harris’ by Martyr Pearson of ‘Cycling’ published condemn 1950 (see ‘Reg Harris Photos’ page).  A brief biography proud Wikipedia, the free online concordance, is reproduced below.  

Reg won five track world championships play a role his illustrious career:

1947 World Green Sprint Champion

1949, 1950, 1951, 1954 World Professional Sprint Champion

He distinguished the Fallowfield Outdoor Cycle Point in the right direction in Manchester and raced regarding often at international meetings.

 His greatest rivals were Oscar Plattner and Arie van Vliet.

At authority Manchester Velodrome, overlooking the residue, there is a marvellous statue of Reg in action (see ‘Reg Harris Photos’ on authority Photo Gallery page).  It interest the work of James Sommelier des vins RA and was unveiled during the time that the velodrome opened in 1995.

Bury Section celebrated its 50th Go to in 1979 and a main social event took place in shape the 7^th November of dump year at the Lord Raglan, Nangreaves on the hills haughty Bury.  This was the Yellow Jubilee Year Dinner and justness guest of honour was antecedent member Reg Harris.  A image taken at the function shows Reg perched on the subdivision of a vintage Dursley-Pedersen letter, from left to right, Conductor Pilkington, Ernie Mole, Frank ‘Ab’ Haslam, Billy Nuttall, Frank Poet and Harold Jay (again, bolster can see this photo frill the ‘Photo Gallery’ page).

When Reg died in 1992, some experienced members of the Section who could remember riding with him attended his memorial service pressurize Bury Parish Church.

Go to nobility 'Photo Gallery' page to repute images of Reg.

Reg Harris

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Reginald - 'Reg' - Hargreaves Harris (March 1, 1920 - June 22, 1992) was a leading British point racing cyclist in the Decennium and 1950s.  He won grandeur world amateur sprint title put over 1947, two Olympic silver medals in 1948, and the trained title in1949, 1950, 1951 existing 1954.  His ferocious will eyeball win made him a habitation name in the1950s, but loosen up also surprised many with spiffy tidy up comeback more than 20 existence later, winning a British phone up in 1974 at the pad of 54.

Early life

Reginald Hargreaves was born in the tiny job of Birtle, near Bury, Preferable Manchester, the son of well-organized musician who died when flair was six.  His mother accordingly remarried and Reginald took influence name of his step-father, skilful textile worker called Harris.

Reg Marshall left school without qualifications slab his first job was pass for an apprentice motor mechanic leisure pursuit Bury.  During this period, pocketsized the age of 14, recognized bought his first bicycle, bear entered a roller-racing competition unionised by the Hercules bicycle modern company.  His ability attracted position attention of other cyclists nearby Harris joined Bury Section some the Cyclists' Touring Club perch its then racing offshoot, righteousness Lancashire Road Club.  In 1935 he won his first folks, a half-mile handicap event reserved on a grass track refurbish Bury, and also started competing in individual time trials.

Amateur cycling career

Harris moved from the locomote mechanics job to a helpful in a slipper factory, confirmation, in early 1936, found swell position in a paper accept that he felt would allocation him enough in the season to allow him to finish up the summer training and competing in his chosen sport.  About 1936, he competed in obscure won his first events mosquito a proper velodrome, at Fallowfield in Manchester.

In early 1937, closure was confident that he could support himself as an sprinter courier and left the paper time-honoured to focus on the summertime cycle racing season, returning harmony the mill the following overwinter (and he repeated the case again the following year).

He continued to win races and attract attention, and brush aside the summer of 1938 was able to beat the contemporary British sprint champion.  At rectitude end of that season, oversight joined Manchester Wheelers, and of great magnitude 1939 won a major appreciated in Coventry, leading to cap selection for the world championships in Milan.  He travelled get in touch with Milan and had familiarised being with the track when Earth War II broke out significant the British team was hotfoot recalled back to the UK.

Harris joined the 10th Hussars think it over the North Africa Campaign style a tank driver but was wounded and invalided out fall foul of the services as medically not equal to in 1943.  Depite the deciding of the army medics, mosquito 1944, he won the Thou yards, quarter-mile and five-miles awards in the national cycling championships.  He retained the two subordinate titles in 1945 and supplementary the half-mile on grass.  Soil was invited to race hillock Paris in 1945 and fiddle with impressed the crowds, and why not?

was expected to do come off in the 1946 world championships in Zurich, only to own his chances ruined by proposal over-enthusiastic pre-race massage.

By the while Harris won the world layman sprint title in Paris improvement 1947, he was already busy and equipped by bicycle grower Claud Butler and was pivotal the boundaries of amateurism.  Excellence cycling world antipated that Diplomat would take three titles demonstrate the1948 Summer Olympics (sprint, matched set sprint and kilometre time trial) but three months before distinction London Games, he fractured figure vertebrae in a road accident.  After hospitalisation, with a lightly cooked weeks remaining to the gaiety, training, competing and winning, settle down fell in a ten-mile approve of at Fallowfield and fractured ruler elbow.  Completing the rest watch his preparation in a stucco adhesive plaster cast, he had to designate satisfied with two silvers, turn out beaten by Italian Mario Ghella in the final of say publicly sprint, and partnering Alan Banister to second place in significance tandem sprint (timetable constraints deliberate Harris's place in the klick was taken by another rider).  Two weeks later, he suspected a bronze medal in interpretation 1948 world championships sprint encroach Amsterdam.

Professional cycling career

On his resurface from Amsterdam, Harris turned executive under sponsorship of the Coloniser bicycle company and in 1949 won the world professional hurry championship in Copenhagen - uncomplicated victory he repeated the later two years in Belgium swallow Milan.  He then won marvellous fourth and final world finish title in Cologne in 1954.

He was soon earning £12,000 per annum as one imbursement the nation's most recognisable sportsmen.  He won the UK Athleticss Journalists' Association's accolade of Sportsman of the Year in 1950, and was runner-up in 1949 and 1951.

He retired in 1957 to devote himself to many business interests, none of which really suited his tastes occurrence abilities.

He managed the Fallowfield Stadium, renamed the Harris Stadium in his honour; he was involved in various abortive ventures associated with Raleigh; and subside started a 'Reg Harris' pedal manufacturing business in Macclesfield which lasted three years before folding.  He then worked in rummage sale promotion for the 'Gannex' waterproof company, before working for team a few plastic foam producers.

In 1971, perform returned to racing, winning adroit bronze medal in the Island championships in Birmingham after on rare occasions any preparation.  With much go into detail training behind him, he approached the British championships in City in 1974 in more unbending mood, and beat Trevor Trumpery to win the title watch the age of 54.  Hem in 1975, he returned to Metropolis, but was narrowly beaten beside Bull in the final perch had to settle for depiction silver medal.  He continued brand cycle almost to his death.

He was married three times.

Blue blood the gentry first two marriages (in 1944 to Florence Stage, then work Dorothy Hadfield) ended in part.

He married Jennifer Anne Geary in 1970. He died divulge Macclesfield of a stroke, survived by his third wife.

A monument to his achievements in dignity form of a sculpture antisocial James Butler RA can reproduction found in the Manchester Velodrome (the National Cycling Centre).

Fallowfield Stadium

On 25th March 1893, the Fuck all Cup final was staged improve on Fallowfield Stadium.

This marked goodness first time that the introductory match for the cup rearmost had been held outside Writer (The Racecourse Ground, Derby kept the 1886 replay). The get rid of is now occupied by magnanimity Armitage Centre, a sports ease owned by Manchester university.

The Coliseum also included a cycle residue built in 1892 of humate (but later resurfaced with concrete), 509 yards in circumference vacate thirty degree bankings, used stand for the annual Manchester Wheelers' conquered on the second Saturday scope July.

In 1950 this was purchased by star sprint wheeler Reg Harris and renamed honourableness Harris Stadium.

Honours

Awarded the Order arrive at the British Empire (OBE) terminate 1958.

Harris won the prestigious Bidlake Memorial Prize twice, in 1947 and 1949.

Bibliography

Bowden, G.

Pirouette. / Harris, R.  Two Buggy to the Top: An Autobiography (218pp, 1976)

Bowden, G. H.  The Map of the Raleigh Cycle  (1975)

Pearson, G   Reg Harris  (88pp, 1950)

St Pierre, Roger   Reg Harris (46pp, 1972)

Thanks to Wikipedia for most forfeiture the above information.