Harry Reynolds (cyclist)

Harry Reynolds (born December 14, 1874 in Balbriggan , † July 16, 1940 there ) was an Irish track cyclist and world champion.

Harry Reynolds began cycling at the age of 18. According to anecdotes, he trained by racing the steam train from Balbriggan to Skerries , and on one occasion he was said to have won a race up a hill on a rigid bike . In 1895, "The Balbriggan Flyer," as he was called, became two-time Irish champions, over five and over 50 miles. In 1896 he became world champion in the amateur sprint in Ordrup near Copenhagen . The following year he finished third at the World Railroad Championships in Glasgow .

Reynolds was the first Irish world cycling champion in history. It then took 117 years for a second Irishman, Martyn Irvine , to win the second track cycling gold medal. At the award ceremony, which was held by the Danish King Christian IX. was made, there was a scandal because the hosts hoisted the British " Union Jack " and played the British national anthem " God Save the Queen ". It was only after Reynolds' furious protest that he was Irish that a green flag was raised and an Irish song played. When he was expected by ship in Ireland, around 150,000 people came to greet Reynolds, who was not on the ship. When he arrived a few days later, all traffic collapsed because the streets were crowded with people cheering him on.

Harry Reynolds later turned pro and raced across Europe, USA, Australia and New Zealand. In 1907 he started together with Englishman Jimmy S. Benyon in the six-day race in New York . When they were relieved, they both had a hard fall, so they had to give up the race.

Reynolds gave his world championship medal to a friend in Balbriggan. In 1920 the site was burned to the ground (known as the Sack of Balbriggan ) by the English loyal Black and Tans , a paramilitary group, during the Irish War of Independence , and the medal was lost.

The Harry Reynolds Memorial is held annually in Balbriggan . There is a memorial plaque on his parents' house and a street is named after him.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Martyn Irvine: How he won Ireland's first gold in 117 years on bbc.co.uk v. February 22, 2013
2. ↑ For many years Reynolds remained the only Irish male medalist in track cycling. It was not until 2013, at the UCI Track World Championships in Minsk in 2013 , that Martyn Irvine succeeded in winning World Cup medals for Ireland.
3. ^ The Day , December 9, 1907
4. ↑ balbriggan.net (engl.)

Web links

• Harry Reynolds in the Radsportseiten.net database
• Harry Reynolds on irishcycling.com