George Edwards

George Edwards was born in Nigg, Aberdeenshire in 1924 but his family moved to North Lanarkshire when he was young. He began cycling when aged 11 and joined the Glasgow Nightingale Club. On leaving school in 1940 he went to work as a miner at Cardowan Colliery at Steppes just outside Glasgow, and lived in Chryston, a small village near the colliery. As mining was a reserved occupation Edwards did not get conscripted.

He began racing in 1940 and caught the eye of the cycling world, and not just because of his six feet height and 14 stone: ‘Keen young riders have taken the place of called-up track stars. Newcomers like T. Hislop, J. Conner and G. Edwards are amongst the likely entrants in the cycling events at the Rangers sports on August 3. They are certain to give the remaining oldsters a run for their money, and to give the crowd a chance of seeing some fine riding.’ Edwards talent was confirmed by his winning the Scottish Novice Track Championship that year. His son related that around this time Edwards was ‘involved in secret Time Trial events around the streets of Glasgow donning a balaclava and dressing in black so as not to be recognized by the local bobby.’[1]

In the following years Edwards success continued. At the Ivy Cycle Club’s 25 Mile race in 1941 he beat 48 riders in a time of 1hour 6min 54sec, and later that year, again over 25 miles, beat Jack Tudhope of Crawick Wheelers who previously had won all his six races that season. ‘Surprise winner of yesterday’s opening cycling event of 1942, the Gilbertfield Wheelers 10 Miles was George Edwards, Glasgow Nightingale C.C. who beat a field of 35 and then went off to his work as a miner!’[2] Quite why this was thought a surprise win is hard to understand given his previous success and that just a week earlier Edwards had beaten 30 riders at Dundee Cycling Association’s opening event, a 10 Mile time trial. Like many other cyclists who had challenging jobs, Edwards had to train and race while working as a miner and he would have had little time for anything else. At the Auchterderran Wheelers C.C annual social that took place on the evening of Christmas Day Edwards was due to be presented with a prize for his second place in that club’s 25 Mile race but as the chairman explained: ‘This lad who is miner, was unable to be present at the presentation as he was at work.’

The growing frustration at the NCU ban among cyclists who looked enviously at mass start road races on the continent eventually came to a head in 1942. A sizable number decided to break their affiliation with the NCU and with James Kain as General Secretary formed a breakaway body, the British League of Racing Cyclists (BLRC). The BLRC began organising mass start road races in England and the government expressed displeasure: ‘Mr Herbert Morrison, Home Secretary, circularised chief officers of police, calling their attention to the growing practice of holding massed start cycle races on the highway. The Home Office view is that these races are likely not only to cause obstruction to traffic but to be a source of danger both to the public and to the racers, particularly on roads containing dangerous hills difficult bends. This danger will be increased when more normal road conditions return. A further objection to these races in the present conditions is the waste of police time involved. The circular implies that in future the police will take a more stringent view of what constitutes obstruction by cyclists taking part in such meetings.’[3] The BLRC continued to organise road races in spite of the opposition from the government and the NCU, but not in Scotland.

In early 1945 the BLRC announced plans for a 500 mile race from Brighton to Glasgow along the lines of the Tour de France and it was reported that Scottish cyclists would not participate: ‘The bicycle race from London to Glasgow will receive no support from Scottish riders. This follows a decision taken at the annual general meeting of the Scottish Amateur Cycling Association (SCU), which turned down the idea of massed-start cycle racing on public roads. It is believed in Scotland that this type of racing is dangerous to the public, and not in keeping with the road safety code.’[4] Edwards, Hendry and around a dozen other Scottish riders disagreed and met in Glasgow in March, and agreed to end their affiliation with the SCU and form a Scottish Section of the BLRC.  The members celebrated with the first Scottish mass start on open roads round Lennoxtown a few days later. James Kain later wrote: ‘At that inaugural meeting every member of the small band of enthusiasts started from scratch, with only their enthusiasm and sportsmanship to guide them, but it is my considered opinion that that event heralded a period of intensive progress and achievement, the like of which has never before been witnessed in the 70 odd years of British cycling sport.’[5] 

The five stage event from Brighton to Glasgow, billed as the ‘Victory’ race in celebration of the end of the war, took in stops at London, Bradford and Newcastle, and finished in Glasgow. Among the ninety-nine competitors were the new Scottish BLRC members. The race was run on such a small budget that the only official vehicle was a bike shop’s van that was used as the sag wagon, and the race officials had to take the train to the next stage town in time to judge the finishing sprints. The night before the last stage, the organizer had to ask everyone involved to chip in to pay for meals and accommodation. ‘The promoters of this race have had to conquer many difficulties in making this race possible. They have had many headaches and many sleepless nights writing, typing, phoning, thinking out ways and means where economy is the order of the day. They have done their best and when you encourage the riders with your claps and cheer the riders, as they deserve to be, we feel sure you are including the organisers and helps in your applause without whom the running of this great race would have been impossible.’[6] Yet the limited administrative resource was no barrier to cyclists starved of a high profile mass road race. Nor to the public and national media that had been deprived of high-level sports events during the war. ‘Crack cyclists from France. Belgium, Sweden. Italy and Poland are competing with the best of our road-riders In the Victory Cycling Marathon, which starts from Brighton today and finishes at Glasgow Friday. Eleven French riders, with their cycles and equipment, arrived in London on Saturday night.’[7]

That a large number of those who participated were hard-working men like Edwards and Hendry who had to carve out time for their cycling training and racing was well made in the race programme: ‘Look closely at them. Some have jobs that necessitate their standing all day or all night. Others have jobs where the smell of acid fumes, or coal dust, or cramped positions or long hours, all take from their fitness potential. One thing no work can crush – their determination to give their utmost to beat the other fellows at speed and ability.’[8] When the cyclists arrived in London at the end of the first stage, four, including Alex Hendry, cycled to Buckingham Palace to deliver a loyal address from the BLRC to the king. Two days later Hendry won the third stage from Wolverhampton to Bradford in a time of 5hours 11min 37 sec.  In Wolverhampton some of the British competitors alleged that two of the French riders had ridden sixty miles on a lorry and ignored traffic signals while other riders were waiting. However, the organiser allowed the French riders to continue. A large crowd of around 5,000 gathered in Glasgow to see the finish and many more lined the streets on the way into the city. ‘The race had an exciting finish on the New Edinburgh Road at Carntyne. Robert Batot and a compatriot, Jean Lauck, passed over the finishing line with only half a wheel separating them. Private cars and a convoy of heavy lorries followed in their trail, and confusion developed when the crowd surged on to the roadway and completely blocked the passage leading to the finishing line. Policemen vainly tried to drive the spectators back to the pavements so that the motor vehicles could make headway. A loud speaker appeal to the crowd from Cycling Club officials was partially successful, and between a narrow lane of vehicles Marcel Watershoot, France, and George Edwards completed the day's run to take third and fourth places respectively.'[9] Edwards had been selected to carry a message of greetings from the Mayor of Brighton to Sir Hector Macneill, the Lord Provost of Glasgow and proudly presented it to Macneill at the prize presentation event.

That year was Edwards’ most successful, although often at the expense of his friend Hendry. Both were now riding for the Glasgow Wheelers C.C. ‘In the time trials championship of the Scottish branch of the B.L.R.C., George Edwards. Glasgow Wheelers, beat Alex Hendry, clocking 2hours 8min and 47sec for the 50 miles.’[10] That same month the BLRC organised its first Scottish mass start road race in the Trossachs and Edwards not only came first, pipping his colleague Hendry yet again, but also won the hill climbing section over the Duke’s Pass by 20 yards. Both men entered the ‘Circuit of Clees’ road race in Wolverhampton and travelled all the way to the West Midlands on their bikes. When they arrived in the town they visited the cycle shop in Broad Street run by the famous cyclist, Percy Stallard where they met a number of local riders including, Ernie Clements, the winner on the previous two occasions. A third win would give him permanent ownership of The Spittle Trophy and he asked the two Scots why they had bothered riding all the way from Scotland when they had no chance of winning. Neither Edwards nor Hendry responded but outside Edwards turned to his colleague and said: ‘It’s either me or you who’s going to be first across that line tomorrow.’[11] The two lined up with the other 27 competitors in the Fair Ground in Salop-Street at midday ready to tackle the 98 mile course. By Bewdley, Ted Jones of Wrekin C.C. was in the lead, followed by Hendry and Edwards, but by Shifnal the two Scots riders had gained a five hundred yard lead. ‘The large crowd at the finish had heard nothing of the progress of the race, but before the first riders came into view there was a shout of “The Scotsmen have got it.” Almost immediately Edwards and Hendry came into view and the pair indulged in a hard struggle, the former getting his wheel over the line about half a length In front or his colleague.’ They shared a time of 4hours 28min. With Hendry having been pipped again, one can only hope he was still talking to Edwards on the long ride home.

Edward’s successes came on a variety of bicycles. He was a frequent visitor to David Rattray’s shop in Glasgow and his favourite was Rattray’s famous ‘Flying Scot’ model. This model was so popular that Rattray extended his Murray Street premises and was producing 1,000 a year by 1948. In the autumn of 1945 Edwards established a new club, the Chryston Wheelers and Hendry and forty others joined. Edwards became the club’s first racing secretary and gave cycling lessons to members of the club’s youth section once a week at the local school. In the first Club Handbook for 1946 he wrote: ‘To my club-mates I must say we have a chance second to none in making our club one of the finest in Britain. Let us stay together as a club should; train as a team; race as a team; and share victory together. Since our first night we have met and made some very good friends, whom I know will do everything in their power to see the Chryston Wheelers get to the top of the tree. Remember glory is not easily achieved. You must train hard, learn to suffer, and above all never give in. Finally, champions are not born – they have to make themselves.’[12] By the end of 1946 the club had purchased its own clubrooms.

Edwards and Hendry raced in their new club colours in the 1946 Brighton to Glasgow race. Although Edwards could only manage seventh place overall, he took personal pride in being the first Scottish cyclist to reach Glasgow on the last stage and in his fellow member, Hendry taking second place overall. A woman reporter from the Sunday Post met Edwards at the end of that final stage: ‘"Hey!" said a wee bloke at the door. "Dames can't come in here." But I was in. I had gate-crashed the sacred sanctum, the cyclists' dressing-room. All round were bronzed, perspiring, young men in shorts, caked with mud, recounting their spills and thrills, panic and punctures, on that hard six-day race from Brighton to Glasgow. A crowd of 5,000 gathered at Westhorn Park, London Road, Glasgow, to see the finale. A tall, dark lad in a blue jersey and shorts stopped on my side of the partition. He was 23-year-old George Edwards, of Chryston Wheelers, first man to finish the course. "It's a wonder I finished at all," he told me. "Ten miles from Edinburgh I pulled my handlebars right off. Luckily I didn't fall, and I was fixed up with a spare bike.”’[13] The Brighton to London race became an annual event in spite of the tensions between the BLRC and NUC and in 1958 the Milk Marketing board became the race sponsor. The race was retitled, the Tour of Britain, and nicknamed the ‘milk race’ and ran until 1993. From 1960 to 1984 it was restricted to amateurs, but in 1987 when it became titled under its new sponsor as the Kellogg's Tour of Britain professionals were able to race.

Edwards became friendly with two Australians, Alfred Strum and Roger Arnold, who had travelled to Britain to compete in the 1945 Brighton to Glasgow race. They stayed on in Britain and soon after Chryston Wheelers was formed Edwards invited them to Scotland. He arranged for them both to stay at his grandparent’s house while they were training and racing with the new club. Strom made his mark within a few weeks: ‘Alf Strom, Australian racing cycle crack, yesterday completed a 64-mile circuit in Angus and Perthshire to win the Strathmore Road Race. It was promoted by the Dundee section of the British League of Racing Cyclists. Hampered by strong westerly breeze the field of 24 found the going stiff in parts. Strom and George Edwards were in the lead passing Glamis and were in front all the way. Coming into Longforgan Edwards got a puncture and Strom took advantage to go ahead. The champion lost about one minute stopping to exchange his machine, and the Australian was still in the lead at Invergowrie. Edwards pulled in on him coming into the town and it was neck and neck as they sped along the final stretch to the finishing post but Strom held on, only beating Edwards by half a length.’[14] It may have been the two Australians that introduced the club to the Australian Pursuit Race (APR), a form of handicap race, and Edwards won the first that was raced that autumn. The Australian riders left in November, having turned professional: ‘They are now in Belgium competing against the crack Continental riders. In a letter to George Edwards the two Australian riders do not seem to be particularly impressed with the cost of living across the channel as bed and breakfast costs them £4 .10s per week.’[15] Clearly more than Grandma Edwards had charged.

In 1947 plans for a race between Paris and London were developed and the News Chronicle agreed to sponsor the event and Edwards entered. However, the Road Times Trial Council that supported the NCU ban on massed road racing refused to approve it. This threatened the sponsorship and eventually a fudge was agreed with the NCU and the RTTC agreeing that the Folkestone to London could be a time trial stage, with the cycling press obliged to keep the start and finish lines secret. Of course the secret was common knowledge to cycle enthusiasts who flocked to see the racers pass, and 5,000 were at Herne Hill stadium for the finish. Another Scot, George Fleming of the Belle Vue Cycling Club, won the 236 mile race and although Edwards finished he was unplaced.

Edwards was without doubt one of Britain’s top cyclists at this time and was considered a certainty to be one of the British riders competing at the 1948 Olympics in London. He and a number of other Scottish candidates travelled south to take part in the trials. Up till then the use of ‘flint catchers’ (a device to stop thorns, flints etc. from puncturing the wheel) in races was banned but there had been a rule change just prior to the trials allowing their use. Unfortunately, the Scottish contenders were not informed of the rule change and so rode without. As a result the Scots, including Edwards, suffered a number of punctures and were forced to retire. Thus all lost out on an Olympic chance.

This was a bitter blow to Edwards. Also the continuing dispute between the BLRC and the other cycling bodies NCU grew even more rancorous. In 1951 the RTTC published a statement, The Menace of Mass Start Racing on the Highway: ‘Bunched racing is an utterly selfish and irresponsible use of roads; the policy of the Council is that all such racing should be stopped; the ringleaders and their associates of the BLRC have only financial gain as their motive; unsuspecting commercial concerns and newspapers have been given a distorted story about road racing; BLRC road races violate every one of the principles of clean amateurism, authenticity, and regard for public safety.’[16]

Perhaps it was this atmosphere that led Edwards to decide stop competitive racing, or the decision may have been influenced by having met his future wife, Helen Duncan, as every spare minute from his job was taken up with cycling. They married in June 1950 and ‘left on a tandem for their honeymoon.' 17] Edwards continued to cycle and remained close to the cycling world. In a link to the renaissance in Scottish cycling that would emerge in the 1980s his son recounted: ‘One of his cycle life highlights was being introduced to Graeme Obree at an event in Dundee a few months before he died in 1992.’[18]

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