Our forefathers, were they nails?

I’ve been interested in cyclesport from the 50/60s. And everything I’ve seen and read about them makes us look puny.
I’m not trolling. When it comes to speed, they weren’t much slower. Distances seemed much greater and equipment wise…..well?
And I’m talking amateurs here as well as pros. If you delve into that era you’ll be amazed at what they did on heavy equipment and very often fixed.

Nearly at my point.
I’m just old enough to remember the older riders moaning about being short changed if we only did 100 miles on a Sunday. And since the kilometre came along we have somehow craftilly turned the 100 miler into 100 Km…nearly half that.

So my point/s is this. Are we lazier? is it because we choose to do less, but do it faster? do we work longer? has modern technology freed us or enslaved us? or is it image, are we no better than track suited JJB enthusiasts and kid ourselves that if we look like we’re doing something…we are?

Talking to an old fella today (with good credentials) he would ride 160 miles to a race, do the race (which were often 100 miles plus) and the hitch hike home.

I always find that sort of talk a bit ‘Four Yorkshiremen’.

The average riders probably don’t have very interesting stories to tell, so like any tales from history, you only get to hear the legendary ones, and as with most old stories there’s also generally a hearty dose of exaggeration, so you end up with a pretty skewed outlook.

Both my grandfathers were fairly serious cyclists but were unremarkable enough at it that there’s no reason for me (or them, when they were alive) to harp on about how monstrously awesome they were.

If there any differences between then and now, it’s probably that people didn’t expect to live 30 years into a comfortable retirement before suffering any sort of joint issues like we do today, so had no self preserving qualms about hammering their cartilage into a useless gritty paste like we do today.

That said, working down’t pit twelve days a week toughens you up a fair bit more than a career in IT.

Distances covered back then were often higher (riding miles out to races and back again, etc) but average speeds for non-racing were lower. Club runs would often be out all day, 8hrs or so, to cover those 100 miles. Whereas now a decent group going less than flat-out would be covering that in 5-6 depending on terrain.

Maybe peoples attention spans are lower now? Riding for 8 hours is boring.

In the 1930s my uncle rode for Charlotteville CC. I have the 12hour cup for 1937 in front of me now. 216 miles on a fixed.

Best part is that he had to retire from the 1936 with toothache. Next day he went to a dentist and has ALL HIS TEETH PULLED OUT so that it wouldn’t happen again.

Uncle Jim was hard as…

people were tougher in every sense of the word.
most men worked in tough manual labour based jobs, people walked or cycled to work.
food was grown a lot of the time, in the garden. nearly every job from work to home chores was tougher and harder to do.

how many people do you know who’s job involves proper hard graft.
no many nowadays.

Uncle Jim sounds brilliant

That’s dedication that is.

Audi A4 Nein Danke

Think I’ve still got a pair of wheel carriers lurking in the shed somewhere. Haven’t used them for a few decades though !

Ton sums it up.

jackthedog and ton are more or less covering it here I think. On top of that there are probably all sorts of other factors, for instance there probably weren’t as many other fun things to do competing for their time as there are now. People probably didn’t spend as much time commuting to work, and maybe the missus did most of the stuff that husbands spend some of their time doing now. Maybe children’s leisure pursuits weren’t so much of a priority as now, so Dad could bugger off on his bike all day rather than taking them to footy or whatever. In this respect more car ownership probably has a big indirect impact too as it opens up lots of things that take a lot of time.

Long story short- lots things are different to back then even if people aren’t. Most of the above is probably way off too!

how many people do you know who’s job involves proper hard graft.

Dead right. We had a builder round for a few days recently. Trying to keep up with him absolutely exhausted me.

Ton is dead right, I reckon I work fairly hard (construction) but it’s nothing compared to what it would have been like down the pit, or laying railways or whatever.

On the rare occasion I spend a couple of days manually digging footings, I spend a week feeling like I’ve been run over by a stampede.

Are we lazier?

I am

is it because we choose to do less, but do it faster

I don’t

do we work longer?

I don’t

has modern technology freed us or enslaved us?

Its a tool, it depends on the user

are we no better than track suited JJB enthusiasts and kid ourselves that if we look like we’re doing something…we are?

Its hard to look like your cycling if your not actually cycling.

was it better in the old days…….of course…. 😀

For the most part we live easy sedatory lifestyles these days. A little hardship is good for the mind, body, and soul.

Yes. Absolutely hard as nails. You can see that when you ride with some of the 60 and 70 yr old audaxers who think nothing of riding 200 milers.

I’ve just finished reading a book about a Sheffield guy from turn of last century who regularly rode his penny farthing out to Lincoln and did llandudno (sp?) to Sheffield in a day.

there is a nice mini article in this issue of sixer for those of us in S6

In the 1930’s my grandfather used to cycle from Barnstaple to Exeter (40 miles ish) looking for work, my father-in-law used to cycle to work on the Monday (20 miles or so) carrying a ladder and his carpentry tools, sleep in a barn during the week and cycle home on Friday. All done on heavy steel framed single speed bikes.

Some of the first 6 day races where brutal. For example *in 1897 Charlie Miller rode 2093 miles in a six at Madison Square Garden. In the whole 6 days he only stopped for 10 hours. Amazing.
The 2011 tour de france was 2130 miles covered in 21 stages. Soft gets.

*nicked from Robert Penn – It’s all about the bike. Good book with lots of other historical titbits.

when my grandparents (late 70’s now) were teenagers used to ride 30 miles for a day out at the beach, mess about at the beach, then ride back.

most teenagers wouldn’t dream of doing that, some cyclists think of 60 miles on the road as a big day out.

my grandparents were at all sporty or outdoorsy – this was normal.

Im shamed by the lack of younger people now riding bikes, every wednesday there is a seniors ride from the Eureka cafe, and the blokes all look about 75 and older, and some look really fit for their age.

Thing is the younger generation turn up in cars at a trail centre, ride a bit and drive home, why not ride to a ride.

thomthumb – Member
when my grandparents (late 70’s now) were teenagers used to ride 30 miles for a day out at the beach, mess about at the beach, then ride back.

most teenagers wouldn’t dream of doing that, some cyclists think of 60 miles on the road as a big day out.

my grandparents were at all sporty or outdoorsy – this was normal.

+1

That and the mud of flanders etc

when my grandparents (late 70’s now) were teenagers used to ride 30 miles for a day out at the beach, mess about at the beach, then ride back.

most teenagers wouldn’t dream of doing that Can’t blame todays kids, if I’d had ps3/xbox/wii/laptop/smartphone/lifts to mates house/pick up from school…..

Thing is the younger generation turn up in cars at a trail centre, ride a bit and drive home, why not ride to a ride.

Few years back (about 20 years) i was tols of a block that rode form home 25 miles to the start of a 50mile TT. Rode the TT then rode 25 miles home.

On a more personal note, back in 1964 my mother set 3 club records for 50, 100 and 12 hour TT, it was only last year that her 50mile record fell.

Riders back in the 50’s/60’s where certainly a lot tougher, having ridden a big TT or road race would then join their club mates on the Sunday club tea run.

Riding for 8 hours is boring.

erm … no it isn’t !

stAn-Bad Brains MBC – Member

Riding for 8 hours is boring.

erm … no it isn’t !

Oh yes it is 😀

I don’t think that our forefathers were nails, I think its more that we are soft as shite.

Purely talking about bikes, I think maybe road & mtb are a bit soft generally, but theres some proper hard as eff & equally talented BMXers.

I’m currently reading Maglia Rosa, the history of the giro. The men who were doing it in the early 1900’s were incredible, makes todays pros look like wimps!
In the 20’s Binda once finished fourth in the tour of lombardi. the day before he cycled 200 miles to get to the start line. On a fixie. At 16mph. Crazy.

also reading the Maglia Rosa. Astonishing.

Pro’s don’t count, they’re mad to start with….

Dunno about the nails thing but…

Before marriage my mum lived 30 miles away from my dad. He cycled (a black raleigh steel single speed 2 ton thing) to see her, then they both cycled to the “local” dance – maybe 8 miles (sometimes she got a backie), then he cycled home.

Twice a week, he never ever saw himself as a cyclist. Just getting the job done.

Thats what his and hers generations did. Just glad to be able to get about and his mates all did something similiar. Whats different for us is that cycling is now a choice (against driving) – they didn’t.

I think the old timers were mentaly very tough, no crying because you’ve just been arguning with someone, oh no.

Down the mines for god knows how many hours then off for countless rounds in a boxing match, a few hours kip then back down the mines.

We do not have the mental strength of our predecessors that is for sure!

Few years back (about 20 years) i was tols of a block that rode form home 25 miles to the start of a 50mile TT. Rode the TT then rode 25 miles home.

I’m not that old and I’ve done plenty of things similar, so do quite a few other people. It might not be the norm nowadays but it does happen.
Later generations have continued doing the hard bits in the middle (i.e. the races, hard rides etc) but without the extras at either end.
I’d more than agree that the older generations put in more work, but I bet if you gave them a chance of driving somewhere they’d have taken it! My grandad used to do an 8 mile round trip twice a day, basically up and down the other side of a great big hill in Derbyshire, on a 50lb singlespeed with rod brakes. As soon as could afford a motorbike he stopped doing it 🙂

Quick example from my road club. We have club records for 10, 25, 30, 50, 100, 12hr timetrials.
All have been set in the last 3 years (yours truely even has the hill-climb record 😀 ) except for the 12hr. This was set in 1964 and still stands. I am going for it this year, but I’ve not got within 20 miles of it so far… Surely my new Plasma must be faster than whatever Nev was riding back then!
I suspect it will stand a while yet.
.
Related point, anyone ever tried to pull a standard medeveil longbow? Anyone succeeded?
Anyone tried to weild a broadsword? I just about managed to lift one!

Yes, tougher and less lazy in the past

…………….tosses coin…………

UK av Life Expectancy has risen by about 2yrs for every decade over last half century.

reading about Tommy Godwin from nother thread I’d say a resounding yes!
http://www.phased.co.uk/index.php/tommy-godwin-mile-eater.html

my wifes grandparents are both 90, a few weeks ago her grandad had a minor stroke. When he came home social services called round saying they had come to help him. She told them to get lost. Stubborn maybe but they have the we’ll just get on with it attitude which is sadly lacking now.

All the old tour tales and epic stages were mental, albeit the riders were drugged and pissed out of their skulls on brandy, red wine etc. so riding for 20 hrs was doable. Still hard riders in our modern times look at Landis epic solo win in the tour de france a few years ago it was amazing and he was only a little bit “juiced up”

Also Riis who is a big bloke on the big ring flying up all the mountains in le tour as if they were flat and dropping all the mountain specialists !!

All the fastest stage times have been set in the last 20 years !

EPO.

Doesn’t stand for evening primrose oil…