Cycling legend ‘would have been so proud’ to see tour in home town
THE daughter of legendary cyclist Reg Harris says he would have been proud to see the Tour of Britain passing through his home town.
Amanda Harris spent her childhood cycling through the borough while visiting her Olympic silver medallist dad.
Reg, who lived in Lower Withington, trained on the same roads which formed the route of the third stage of the Tour of Britain.
And top cyclists, including Sir Bradley Wiggins and Mark Cavendish, pedalled past the churchyard in Chelford where Reg is buried, during yesterday’s tour.
Amanda, 54, from Northwich, cheered on the riders as they passed through Macclesfield.
She said: “I wish dad had been here to see it. He would have been so proud to see the world’s best cyclists racing through Macclesfield. He would have loved to see how popular cycling is today.” Reg was originally from Bury and took up cycling at 14. In his late teens he was selected for the world championships but was stopped by the Second World War. He served as a tank driver in the North Africa Campaign and was wounded. He returned home and before the war had ended resumed racing. He won the world amateur sprint title in Paris in 1947 and two silver medals in the 1948 Olympics in both the sprint and tandem sprint. He was named sportsman of the year in 1949. He turned professional thanks to sponsorship from Raleigh and went on to win five world sprint titles.
He retired in 1957 to devote himself to business interests, including the ‘Reg Harris’ bicycle manufacturing business in Macclesfield, but made a dramatic return to the sport in 1971, winning the British championship at the age of 54.
He continued to cycle until his death, aged 72. A memorial to his achievements can be found in the National Cycling Centre in Manchester.
Amanda, whose mum Shirley, 80, still lives in Macclesfield, said Reg’s success came from his focus.
She said: “Some of my earlier memories of dad were cycling alongside him around Rushton Spencer and Lower Withington. He loved the countryside.
“I was really in awe of dad, much like many who met him. He had this aura about him, a real presence when he walked into the room. Dad was very focused. It was about winning. That’s why he made that comeback. He still had that desire to race. To be the best.”