Fred Wood (cyclist)

Fred Wood (1 March 1861 – 28 January 1935) was an English cyclist, one of the leading professional riders of the 1880s who became world penny farthing champion.

Fred Wood
Personal information
Born(1861-03-01)1 March 1861
Rushden, Northamptonshire, England
Died28 January 1935(1935-01-28) (aged 73)
South Shields, England

Career

Born in Rushden, Northamptonshire, Wood was a keen cyclist as a teenager, and moved to Leicester around 1878 and joined Leicester Cycling Club to take advantage of better facilities and stronger competition. He won a string of championships in the 1880s over distances ranging from one mile to fifty miles and set several record times.[1][2][3]

His success inspired N. Corah & Sons of Leicester to produce the 'Fred Wood Champion Suit' for cyclists in 1883.[4]

In 1886 Wood competed in the United States, winning a one mile professional race and a five mile handicap at Roseville, New Jersey.[5]

By 1887 Wood was the World Penny Farthing Champion, and visited Australia and New Zealand during 1887 and 1888;[6][7] At Ballarat in November Wood won the professional championship, and in New Zealand he set a world mile record of 2 minutes 50.6 seconds.[8][9][10]

Wood moved to South Shields in 1888 where he went into business, becoming a licensed victualler.[11] He became a local councillor for St. Hilda Ward in 1914.[2][12] He set up the catering company Messrs. Johnson and Wood with Thomas Henry Johnson.[13]

In 1891 Wood toured Britain competing in events at various tracks.[14]

On 26 January 1935, Wood suffered head injuries in a fall down cellar steps at the pub that he ran, The Mariner's Arms, and died two days later in the Ingham Infirmary aged 73;[2][15] A coroner's inquest determined that the death was accidental.[16]

References
  1. "Cycle Cracks at Long Eaton". Derby Mercury. British Newspaper Archive. 18 August 1886. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
  2. "Former Champion's Death". Hull Daily Mail. British Newspaper Archive. 28 January 1935. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
  3. "Fred Wood, of Leicester, won the 25 Miles Bicycle Championship on Saturday". Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette. British Newspaper Archive. 14 June 1888. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
  4. Wilson, Elizabeth & Taylor, Lou (1989) Through the Looking Glass: A History of Dress from 1860 to the Present Day, BBC Books, ISBN 978-0563214410, p. 56
  5. "Fred Wood in America". Evening Telegraph. British Newspaper Archive. 15 October 1886. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
  6. "The Champion Cyclist Feted by the Sydney Bicycle Club: Fred. Wood's Principal Performances", Sydney Morning Herald, 6 December 1886, p. 5. Reproduced at trove.nla.gov.au. Retrieved 19 July 2014
  7. "Cycling", The Sydney Mail, 19 February 1887, p. 20. Retrieved 19 July 2014
  8. "Cycling: A Few Facts About Fred Wood". Sheffield Daily Telegraph. British Newspaper Archive. 13 January 1888. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
  9. Kennett, Jonathan & Wall, Bronwen (2014) Phil O'Shea - Wizard on Wheels (New Zealand Cycling Legends Book 1), Kennett Brothers, p. 57
  10. RIDE - The Story of Cycling in New Zealand, Kennett Brothers, p. 88
  11. "Fred Wood's Farewell to Leicester". Shields Daily Gazette. British Newspaper Archive. 5 October 1888. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
  12. "Municipal Elections". Newcastle Journal. British Newspaper Archive. 3 November 1914. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
  13. "Business Pioneer Dead". Sunderland Daily Echo and Shipping Gazette. British Newspaper Archive. 16 January 1934. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
  14. "Fred Wood's Cycling Tour". Shields Daily Gazette. British Newspaper Archive. 13 July 1891. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
  15. "Obituary", Cycling, 6 February 1935
  16. "Coroner's Tribute". Sunderland Daily Echo and Shipping Gazette. British Newspaper Archive. 29 January 1935. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
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