What was true then is true now...

rflynnr

Doing a bit of research on cycling in Victorian Ireland, I came across the following (from Irish Cyclist and Athlete, November 1885)

"The rapid movement, the keen rush of the wind past his ears, the fresh air filling his lungs, the healthful glow that pervades his frame, the exultant feeling of strength and power with which he drives the rapidly-revolving pedals, and which causes him to realize that he is complete master of his mount, and to hail with pleasure the slightest rises in the road as an opportunity to given rein to his superabundant vigour. All these contribute to make the cyclist look on the sunny side of life, to drink in the glories of the surrounding scenery with an open mind, to confess that life is indeed worth having, and that true and lasting enjoyment may be partaken of without overstepping the bounds of what is right. And yet ignorant and prejudiced people will rail against the sport and call cyclists men of one thought, enthusiasts and so forth, whereas, in truth and reality, they are frequently immeasurably superior to those who carp at them and whose narrow minds would be incapable of receiving or retaining the impressions which gladden the heart of the true cyclist."

That about captures it for me.

Lumen

A-ha! The Victorian precursor to the homoerotic spin-the-Sidi advert.

"Superabundant vigour" indeed...

Bunnyhopper

There's a book by Brian Griffin called Cycling in Victorian Ireland that's worth a look if you haven't already come across it. It's on Amazon.

rflynnr

Bunnyhopper wrote: »

There's a book by Brian Griffin called Cycling in Victorian Ireland that's worth a look if you haven't already come across it. It's on Amazon.

That's a coincidence: I was reading an article by him in Eire-Ireland this morning. Is the book any good?

p

rflynnr wrote: »

Doing a bit of research on cycling in Victorian Ireland, I came across the following (from Irish Cyclist and Athlete, November 1885)

"The rapid movement, the keen rush of the wind past his ears, the fresh air filling his lungs, the healthful glow that pervades his frame, the exultant feeling of strength and power with which he drives the rapidly-revolving pedals, and which causes him to realize that he is complete master of his mount, and to hail with pleasure the slightest rises in the road as an opportunity to given rein to his superabundant vigour. All these contribute to make the cyclist look on the sunny side of life, to drink in the glories of the surrounding scenery with an open mind, to confess that life is indeed worth having, and that true and lasting enjoyment may be partaken of without overstepping the bounds of what is right. And yet ignorant and prejudiced people will rail against the sport and call cyclists men of one thought, enthusiasts and so forth, whereas, in truth and reality, they are frequently immeasurably superior to those who carp at them and whose narrow minds would be incapable of receiving or retaining the impressions which gladden the heart of the true cyclist."

That about captures it for me.

Yep. Looks like cyclists had a chip on their shoulder in the 1800s too.

Bunnyhopper

rflynnr wrote: »

That's a coincidence: I was reading an article by him in Eire-Ireland this morning. Is the book any good?

Yeah, I enjoyed it. It's a proper academic book but it's still a good read if you're interested in the topic. It's about 200 pages, has lots of old b&w photographs, illustrations and adverts from period journals, plus plenty of references if you want to follow up sources. It's quite a broad overview but it does cover cycling and touring clubs, racing, the different kinds of bikes and bikeshops, the social class and gender of cyclists, etc. in useful detail.

rflynnr

Bunnyhopper wrote: »

Yeah, I enjoyed it. It's a proper academic book but it's still a good read if you're interested in the topic.

No worries: I'm a proper academic.

Bunnyhopper

rflynnr wrote: »

No worries: I'm a proper academic.

I suppose Eire-Ireland would be fairly unusual reading otherwise...

I was just getting at the fact that it is solidly researched and referenced (but there's no index, which is always annoying).

showry

Hi rflynnr,
you might be interested in some info & photos on the first cycling club in Ireland, Dungarvan Ramblers, here

Ghost Rider

I'm changing my username to "Master of my mount".