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20 Pickwick Bicycle Club Magazine. Volume 9 No.3 October 2012

Bicycling generally may be considered to have improved in the same ratio during the interval. In
the opinion of the writer, an event which conduced more than anything else to popularize the use
th
of the bicycle, was the performance of David Stanton at Lillie Bridge, on October 19 , 1874. Some
time previous Stanton had claimed to have ridden from Bath to London, 106 miles, under the eight
hours and a half. The subsequent performances over the same road have proved that Stanton’s
claim to have ridden the distance in the time had in it nothing unreasonable; still his story met with
some discredit. Stanton offered a second time to accomplish the feat. On this occasion, however,
he arrived several hours behind time at the winning post. He gave as a reason for his failure to
accomplish his task that he had been attacked by some roughs near Maidenhead, who knocked
him over and disabled his bicycle.

This story was not universally believed, which led to Stanton’s undertaking to ride the same
distance at Lillie Bridge (106 miles) within the time (eight and a half hours). This test, however,
was certainly not a fair one, as the two tracks, one a level path and the other an ordinary turnpike
road, could not be considered in any respect alike. However, the match came off, and Stanton
covered the distance in one minute five and a half seconds under eight hours on the “Flying Horse”
bicycle, manufactured by the Coventry Machinists Company. This was considered at the time a
most wonderful feat. In the words of the “Standard” newspaper, “it was the most extraordinary
performance on record of any man, animal, or Machine.”

We may here observe that many members of the London Bicycle Club have since ridden the
same distance over the Bath road considerably under Stanton’s time at Lillie Bridge. This must
not be considered as disparaging in any way to Stanton’s performance, which well merited the
approbation bestowed upon it by the Press.

Public interest in bicycling being thus aroused, the sport began to make rapid strides. Clubs were
soon formed in all parts of the country. It was about this time that the leading bicycle club, “The
London”, came into existence. Among the many and great improvements which the art of bicycling
has witnessed since 1874, is the perfection which has been attained in hill-riding. In 1874 there
were probably not more than two men in England who could have ridden up the hill in High Street,
Guildford. In 1876 John Keen claimed to be the only man who had ever ridden up Reigate Hill.
No average club-rider would now think of walking up Guildford High Street, and the hill at Reigate
has been ridden up by so many men that the feat, for it is really a feat, has lost any claim to be
considered remarkable.

Improvement in the art of bicycling is perhaps more prominently brought before the public on the
racing path. We have already noticed the difference between the time of the championship race
in 1871 and 1874. The average time for a mile in professional races was three minutes twenty
seconds. Today a professional would have small chance of winning a handicap who could not
accomplish a mile in three minutes. This improvement in speed is in a great measure attributable
to the splendid manner in which bicycles are now finished. There is as much difference between
the bicycle of 1869 and Humber’s last fashion as between a modern locomotive express-engine
and the old “Puffing Billy” of George Stephenson.