Percy Stallard facts for kids

Percy Thornley Stallard (born 19 July 1909 – died 11 August 2001) was an amazing English racing cyclist. He brought back a special type of bike race called "massed-start road racing" to British roads in the 1940s.

Percy was born in Wolverhampton, where his father ran a boarding house. This place later became Percy's own bike shop! He joined the Wolverhampton Wheelers Cycling club and loved to compete. He even raced for Great Britain in big international events in the 1930s. This included three world championships in a row from 1933 to 1935. Percy was also a great coach and team leader.

Percy's Racing Journey

Percy Stallard joined the Wolverhampton Wheelers and had his first race on 8 May 1927. He was 17 years old. It was a 10-mile individual time trial on a road called "the Cannock road." By the end of that year, he was riding 50-mile (80 km) races. The next year, he even took on a 12-hour endurance race!

He mostly did time-trials until 1932. Then, he might have tried racing on grass tracks or a hard velodrome (a special track for bikes). He also tried cyclo-cross, which is a race over different types of terrain. Track races became more common for him after 1933.

Racing at Brooklands and World Championships

In Britain, racing alone against the clock was very popular. In 1932, Frank Southall came sixth in the Olympic Games cycling road race. This race was run as a time trial. Soon after, it was announced that future Olympic road races would be "massed-start" events. This meant all riders would start together. The problem was, British cycling rules had banned this type of racing since the 1800s! So, British riders had no experience with it.

The magazine Cycling was not happy. They wrote that a strong protest should be made against this new rule. They felt the Olympics should keep the "genuine international trial of road-riding," which was free from group tactics.

Since they couldn't change the rule, the British cycling group, the National Cyclists' Union (NCU), allowed some races. The Charlotteville Cycling Club in Guildford, Surrey, organized races at the Brooklands car circuit. A big race on 17 June 1933 was called the "100-Kilometre Massed-Start World Cycling Championship Trial." The NCU said they would pick their next world championship team based on this race. About 10,000 people watched.

Stallard remembered a tough part of the race:

The test hill that you had to go up five times was that steep that on the first lap I pulled my foot out of my toe clips and I ran up. I was in the lead then and several other riders passed me. Well, I couldn't get back on my bike at that steep angle, so I ran past these other riders and won the prime [intermediate prize] at the top, running!

Percy was chosen for the 1933 UCI Road World Championships team. He finished 11th, which was the best for a British rider. He learned a lot from this trip to France. He said he learned more about bike racing in his short stay than in six years of time-trialling! He even joked about his old-fashioned handlebars, which the French press called "cow's horns."

The next year, in 1934, Percy raced in the UCI Road World Championships in Leipzig. He rode with Charles Holland and Fred Ghilks. The race was 12 laps around a nearly six-mile circuit. Holland came fourth, even with three broken spokes! Stallard finished seventh and Ghilks 26th.

First Open Road Race

Percy Stallard had never raced a massed-start event on an open road in Britain. The English cycling leaders had banned road racing since the late 1800s. They worried the police would ban all cycling if races caused problems. The National Cyclists' Union (NCU) only allowed races on tracks or special closed circuits like airfields.

However, in June 1936, the Isle of Man allowed a race. It was held on one lap of the motorcycling Snaefell mountain course. The Isle of Man is a separate place from the UK, so British police rules didn't apply there. The island also thought the race would attract tourists. This race, later called the Manx International, became a big cycling event.

The 1936 race had many crashes. Riders had to deal with winding streets for the first time, not smooth race tracks. Stallard finished 17th and felt very inspired by this experience. He won the last race at Brooklands in 1939. But for Percy, these circuit races were not the "real thing."

Fighting for Road Racing

When World War II started, roads became empty because of petrol rationing. Percy Stallard thought this was the perfect time for massed road racing. He believed there would be fewer objections if there were hardly any other cars. In December 1941, he wrote to the NCU:

It is amazing to think that this is the only country in Europe where this form of sport is not permitted... There seems to be the mistaken idea that it would be necessary to close the roads. This, of course, is entirely wrong... There would be no better time than now to introduce this form of racing to the roads, what with the decreased amount of motor traffic and the important part that the cycle is playing in wartime transport.

The NCU wasn't convinced. Percy argued that the airfields and car circuits, where the NCU allowed races, were now used by the army and RAF. So, on Easter Monday 1942, he held a meeting at Long Mynd in Shropshire. He announced his plan for a 59-mile race from Llangollen to Wolverhampton on 7 June.

He even talked to the police:

I just explained to the police what I was doing and told them that things like that were normal on the Continent, and they said they were happy and that they'd try to help

He got money from the Wolverhampton Express and Star newspaper. He offered any profits to a fund for soldiers. Forty riders signed up for the race.

Strong Opposition and Suspension

Percy's plan faced strong opposition from the cycling leaders. Especially from George Herbert Stancer, a well-known writer and administrator. They worried that asking the police for permission would take away cyclists' freedom to race without interference.

Stancer wrote an article titled A hopeless revolt. He said that the "rebels" were taking a dangerous risk. He believed that putting road racing under police control would "sign its death warrant."

Stancer's words influenced the NCU. They banned Stallard even before his race started. Another group, the Road Time Trials Council, also banned him. Percy argued that his race didn't break NCU rules. He said the rules allowed massed-start races if the police approved them in writing. He claimed the police had approved his race. But the NCU said Percy's letters to the police only mentioned a "cycling event," not a massed-start race.

Percy went ahead with his race on 7 June 1942. It finished without problems in front of a crowd at West Park. Cycling magazine reported:

More than a thousand people watched the finish of the massed-start race organised by Percy Stalland, from Llangollen to Wolverhampton, on Sunday afternoon. The Chief Constable of Wolverhampton, an inspector, a sergeant and 15 uniformed policemen kept the crowd back. Police cars and police motorcyclists patrolled portions of the course. A police motorcyclist led the racing men through the streets to the finish. E. A. Price, of Wolverhampton, won the sprint from his clubmate, C. J. Anslow"

The report mentioned the police often, showing the magazine's concerns. It also said the NCU and the time-trialling group had banned the race. Fifteen riders finished. All riders involved were suspended by the NCU. Percy Stallard was banned indefinitely because he refused to explain himself to the NCU. This ban was often called "for life," but it meant "without a defined end." Percy never appealed, so the ban was never lifted.

British League of Racing Cyclists

With no other options, Percy Stallard helped create a new organization. It was called the British League of Racing Cyclists (BLRC). It started in November 1942. It brought together cycling groups from the Midlands and the North. Percy won the 1944 BLRC championship. He also helped organize the first Tour of Britain races.

Percy remained upset with the NCU and even the BLRC for the rest of his life. He felt that trying to change things was impossible.

I have often sat back and thought just how nice it would be if you could relive your life based on the experience gained. For myself, I would never again try to achieve the impossible by trying to change things. On the two occasions I have tried to do this [he tried to introduce age-related racing for riders older than 40], I have failed, not because I lack followers, or because of the opposition of opposing bodies, but because of the activities of anarchists and those who are envious of your success and popularity.

His criticism of the BLRC led to him being briefly suspended from the group he helped start.

In 1959, the NCU and the BLRC decided to merge. Both groups were tired and low on money from their long "civil war." Percy saw this merger as a betrayal. He felt that just three people were allowed to "destroy the BLRC." Until he died, he saw the new British Cycling Federation (BCF) as just the NCU reborn.

His assistant at his bike shop, Ralph Jones, was a BLRC delegate at an international meeting. This meeting recognized the BCF as Britain's main cycling body. Percy fired Ralph the next day! Ralph had finished sixth in Percy's famous Llangollen to Wolverhampton race.

London-Holyhead Race

Percy Stallard believed Britain could have big races like the Tour de France. He was inspired by long races like Bordeaux–Paris. So, on Saturday 9 June 1951, he organized a race from London to Holyhead. It started at Marble Arch at 5 AM. It finished 267 miles later in Holyhead. Thirty-five riders were listed to start.

Chas Messenger, a BLRC official, wrote:

Twenty-eight started out of the 35 listed at the crack of dawn from Marble Arch, sent on their way by Lord Donegal, who was later to become president of the League [BLRC]. In a sea of mist, they wafted up the Edgware Road and on the other side of Dunstable came the first attack which split the field in three..."

At the finish in Holyhead:

"No quarter asked, no quarter given as they tore on to the Promenade... [Les] Scales sprinted 'like the clappers' and took the race by two lengths from [Geoff] Clark and [Fred] Nicholls at a length. Bravo Percy!"

This race continued until the 1960s. It eventually stopped because of heavy traffic on the main A5 road. Riders sometimes had to stop at traffic lights!

League of Veteran Racing Cyclists

Percy Stallard rode his last race when he was 56, in Doncaster. As he got older, racing became harder. The British Cycling Federation's rules said all riders over 40 were "veterans." Percy thought veteran races should be organized by age groups. He disagreed with the cycling authorities again. So, he formed a new group to make this happen.

He wrote the rules from a hospital bed in 1985 while having hip surgery. The League of Veteran Racing Cyclists (LVRC) started in 1986. This time, the rest of the cycling world let him do his own thing.

However, Percy later fell out with the LVRC, the group he had started. He wrote in his private papers that the LVRC was not "up to expectation."

It is little wonder that it was three years before an executive committee was convened, and even then neither the chairman or secretary were able to attend. The fact that no copies of the regulations have been made available since I printed and distributed the original in 1986 does not appear to worry anyone.

In June 1989, he wrote to a journalist: "I regret very much my endeavour on behalf of age-related [racing]. While there is a definite call for this type of riding, a big majority of the LVRC membership look upon the organisation as a means of providing them with a few extra races, nothing more, and have no allegiance to it whatever."

Refusing an Honour

In 1988, the BCF offered Percy Stallard its gold medal. This was for his great service to the sport. Cycling magazine wondered if the old bitterness from the 1940s and 50s had finally gone away. But they were wrong! Percy refused the medal. Cycling reported:

"His initial response was favourable, but now he has written to federation secretary Len Unwin, declining the nomination and an invitation to the annual dinner in December. He [Stallard] wrote: 'Whatever the award is intended for, whether it is my activities of 48 years ago, or my present struggle on behalf of age-related racing, the significance of the award is nil as it does not open the locked doors of the BCF to me or to anyone else with progressive ideas.'"

Percy believed he was never asked to manage a British team or take a national role in the sport. He thought this was because former NCU officials ran the BCF and were still angry about what he had done. Just before he died on 11 August 2001, Percy wrote:

The life suspension inflicted upon me by the NCU is still very much in evidence, whatever the BCF may say. If this is not so, why did they never ask me to manage a British team abroad? After all, I am the only person to have led a British team to individual and team success in the Warsaw-Berlin-Prague Peace Race, then again as the only official accompanying and directing four riders against a team of 117 Mexicans (Tour of Mexico 1952]; our third individual and third team was equal to our WBP achievement.

Later Life and Adventures

Percy Stallard kept cycling into his eighties. In 1965, he rode alone over the Theodul Pass between Zermatt in Switzerland and Italy. This pass is 10,976 feet high! He did it in less than 15 hours, sometimes through deep snow. An organization for cross-country cycling, the Rough Stuff Fellowship, said he was probably the first cyclist to do it.

He also walked over Mount Whitney, which is 14,496 feet high, in the US. He almost died after running out of water while walking down into the Grand Canyon and back out again. He also crossed the Sierra Nevada mountains in four days in 1973.

He traveled 25,000 miles across America by Greyhound bus. He also organized more than 100 bus trips for other walking fans.

His life ended with some sadness. He wrote:

Probably the best six months of my life were looking after the wife of a cycling friend who had died of cancer. She asked me to see her through the ordeal, and though she had stated on a number of occasions that she did not know how she would have managed without my support, immediately she returned to normality, without ceremony she flapped her wings and flew away to greener fields! This episode in my life, even at this late stage, has taught me that one should never expect appreciation for their efforts whatever they may be.

Percy died leaving three children: Mick, Yvonne, and Olwyn. He had divorced in the 1960s. His brother Dennis lived in Perth, Western Australia.

Percy's Personality

The journalist William Fotheringham remembered Percy's strong personality. He said Percy "never lost his cantankerousness or gained any respect for authority." Once, while walking up Scafell Pike, a warden told Percy's group to turn back because of thick mist. The group returned, but Percy kept going! He later told them, "I came to climb the bloody mountain, so I went to the top."

Percy Stallard was a smart and energetic man. He had a clear vision for his sport. But he didn't like arguments or people with different ideas. After the NCU finally accepted massed racing, Percy wanted the BLRC to continue. He didn't want the "civil war" to end by merging the groups.

The NCU were running road races and we were running road races and there wasn't any need for amalgamation [of the NCU and the BLRC, to form the British Cycling Federation] at all.

Some critics said Percy had forgotten the BLRC's main goal: to bring racing to the open road. Once that was done, they felt there was no need for two separate cycling groups. Peter Bryan, an editor of cycling magazines, said the BLRC started as a group of enthusiastic people. But then, others took over. Percy was influenced by those who agreed with him. But in the end, he and others became too much for the BLRC's other leaders. In 1954, the BLRC magazine wrote about "the clash of personality" in the cycling world.

Percy's Legacy

Percy Stallard's actions caused a "civil war" in British cycling. It lasted even longer than World War II! This created a big split in the sport. But it also led to the creation of the BLRC, which many older cyclists still remember fondly.

Percy brought massed-start racing back to British roads for the first time since the 1800s. Some people wonder if Britain would have started massed racing anyway. Peter Bryan says no. He believes the established cycling authorities were too set in their ways. They were too worried about their own fears and interests.

"The NCU and the RTTC were never friends. The RTTC were particular bastards and they had so many clever men in the top echelon, many more than the NCU. They were steeped in the tradition of time-trialling and what it stood for and they wouldn't budge a jot or tickle."

Percy's success was that he showed the UCI (the world cycling body) there was a problem in British cycling. The UCI even threatened to ban Britain from world cycling if they didn't fix the conflict between the NCU and the BLRC. The UCI saw the BLRC as being closer to their goals. So, they suggested they would recognize the BLRC instead of the NCU. Because of this, the NCU finally gave in. They agreed to allow the massed races they had opposed for so long.

The League of Veteran Racing Cyclists (LVRC) now holds a competition named in Percy Stallard's memory.