Tommy Godwin (record driver)

The title of this article is ambiguous. For the Olympian of the same name, see Tommy Godwin

Thomas Edward "Tommy" Godwin (born January 5, 1912 in Fenton , Stoke-on-Trent , † 1975 ) was a British cyclist. In 1939 he set an endurance world record for one year , which was only broken by Kurt Searvogel in 2016 .

Youth and success as an amateur

Tommy Godwin came from a poor background and from the age of twelve had to contribute to the family income as a delivery driver on a bicycle. He started to enjoy cycling, and when he was 14 he signed up for a bike race. He competed in this race with the heavy bike he used to deliver, dismantled the basket for the goods, installed other running bikes and borrowed suitable shoes. He won the 25-mile race with a time of one hour and five minutes.

Godwin, who became a vegetarian at a young age , joined the Potteries Clarion Cycling Club and later, after moving to London for professional reasons , the Rickmansworth Cycling Club . During these years he won numerous amateur races , especially individual time trials , a discipline that was particularly popular in Great Britain at the time. In 1933 he was seventh in the “Best All-Rounder” ranking. In addition, he took part in several distance races in his home country and resolved to beat the previous world distance record of Australian Oserick Nicholson , who had driven 62,657 miles (104,812 kilometers) in one year - 1937.

Record run 1939/1940

Tommy Godwin began his plan on January 1, 1939, and set Nicholson's record on October 26 of the same year when he arrived in Trafalgar Square . His bike was fitted with a sealed odometer for the record run; he had to document his journeys in writing and have these records signed by witnesses. Referees were posted at certain points. Ultimately, he surpassed Nicholson's previous record with a total of 75,065 miles (120,805 kilometers), which corresponds to a distance of three times around the earth. This did not satisfy his hunger for record, however: He drove thousands more miles so that after a total of 500 days he had reached the 100,000 mile limit and thus exceeded the previous record of the Frenchman René Menzies with 532 days. Godwin reached his destination, Paddington Recreation Ground , on May 13, 1940, where he was expected by his sponsors, family and friends. They say it took him weeks before he could walk properly again.

Later years

Shortly after his record run, Godwin was drafted into the military so that he had no chance of reaping further public recognition and financial reward from his performance. After the war he wanted to take part in races again as an amateur, but was refused by the cycling association, despite the support of numerous cycling fans, on the grounds that he had been a professional during his sponsored record ride . He then worked as a trainer and supervisor at the Stone Wheelers Club in Stone . He died in 1975 after returning from a bike ride with friends.

Honors

In 1939 Tommy Godwin was included in the "Golden Book of Cycling". In 2005 a memorial plaque was unveiled in memory of him at the Fenton Manor Sports Center in Stoke-on-Trent.

Goodwin's record still exists today. The Guinness Book of Records refused to take up this challenge because it was too dangerous.

Web links

• Website about Tommy Godwin
• Tom Godwin in the Golden Book of Cycling
• Tommy Godwin on phased.co.uk
• Tommy Godwin on thepotteries.org

Individual evidence

1. ^ Nigel Wynn: American Kurt Searvogel breaks cycling highest annual mileage record. In: Cycling Weekly. January 5, 2016, accessed November 14, 2019 .