Feargal McKay
@cycologies.com
Reviewing cycling books and writing about professional cycling's mythological past and the reality behind the stories told and retold by cycling's duff historians
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Something I am not clear on is why Charlie Holland turned professional. His book tells us it was late April before he took the plunge.
Was it Bill Mills at the Bicycle who convinced him to join the cash ranks?
Was it Bill Mills at the Bicycle who convinced him to join the cash ranks?
November 29, 2025 at 6:24 PM
Something I am not clear on is why Charlie Holland turned professional. His book tells us it was late April before he took the plunge.
Was it Bill Mills at the Bicycle who convinced him to join the cash ranks?
Was it Bill Mills at the Bicycle who convinced him to join the cash ranks?
But within weeks - early in January 1937 - the plans seemed to be taking shape and the talk was of a four-man team at the Tour.
November 29, 2025 at 6:04 PM
But within weeks - early in January 1937 - the plans seemed to be taking shape and the talk was of a four-man team at the Tour.
Right from the off, the naysayers were talking down British cycling.
November 29, 2025 at 5:54 PM
Right from the off, the naysayers were talking down British cycling.
This, for instance, is from November 1936:
November 29, 2025 at 5:44 PM
This, for instance, is from November 1936:
It was, then, clearly the Comic what won Tour entry for the Brits
Well, according to themselves it was.
According to L'Auto, however, this was bunkum and the real credit was due to Bill Mills and Bill Bailey at the Comic's rival, the Bicycle.
Well, according to themselves it was.
According to L'Auto, however, this was bunkum and the real credit was due to Bill Mills and Bill Bailey at the Comic's rival, the Bicycle.
November 29, 2025 at 5:24 PM
It was, then, clearly the Comic what won Tour entry for the Brits
Well, according to themselves it was.
According to L'Auto, however, this was bunkum and the real credit was due to Bill Mills and Bill Bailey at the Comic's rival, the Bicycle.
Well, according to themselves it was.
According to L'Auto, however, this was bunkum and the real credit was due to Bill Mills and Bill Bailey at the Comic's rival, the Bicycle.
In his Daily News article, Bill Mills had written that "Strong protests are being made to the race organisers." And just few days after saying there wouldn't be a British team, L'Auto announced there would be a French team.
Who gets the credit for the volte face?
Here's Holland in the Comic:
Who gets the credit for the volte face?
Here's Holland in the Comic:
![Immediately we [Holland and Cycling's editor] decided to send a telegram to L'Auto asking for a statement on the position, and it was not until the next day [June 17th] that I received a final telegram – sent care of Cycling's Birmingham office, which ran as follows: 'Following your wire dated yesterday agree engagement if you agree yours – L'Auto.' Naturally, I agreed to the new arrangement, whereby Bill Burl, Pierre Gachon of Canada and myself would comprise the British Empire's Ace team. Previously it was decided that we should ride as individuals.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:mpz4d6cysl2lek6eokvvtmbb/bafkreicycmemyys4iug65265pm3ee7y2v4pvej5zbvaejr2kvhx7z3qquq@jpeg)
November 29, 2025 at 5:24 PM
In his Daily News article, Bill Mills had written that "Strong protests are being made to the race organisers." And just few days after saying there wouldn't be a British team, L'Auto announced there would be a French team.
Who gets the credit for the volte face?
Here's Holland in the Comic:
Who gets the credit for the volte face?
Here's Holland in the Comic:
Over in L'Auto, though, the story wasn't the British being thrown over in favour of the Italians. It was about the British fannying about and not getting the finger out:
November 29, 2025 at 5:10 PM
Over in L'Auto, though, the story wasn't the British being thrown over in favour of the Italians. It was about the British fannying about and not getting the finger out:
A last minute team of Italians was not to be sniffed at, not when it included Gino Bartali who, a fortnight earlier, had won the Giro d'Italia.
November 29, 2025 at 5:04 PM
A last minute team of Italians was not to be sniffed at, not when it included Gino Bartali who, a fortnight earlier, had won the Giro d'Italia.
Are you curious why Holland didn't name the English daily in which the news had appeared?
It was the Daily News, a column written by Bill Mills. Whose own cycling weekly, the Bicycle, was in direct competition with the Comic.
Which is why knowing who actually wrote Holland's diary entries matters.
It was the Daily News, a column written by Bill Mills. Whose own cycling weekly, the Bicycle, was in direct competition with the Comic.
Which is why knowing who actually wrote Holland's diary entries matters.
November 29, 2025 at 5:04 PM
Are you curious why Holland didn't name the English daily in which the news had appeared?
It was the Daily News, a column written by Bill Mills. Whose own cycling weekly, the Bicycle, was in direct competition with the Comic.
Which is why knowing who actually wrote Holland's diary entries matters.
It was the Daily News, a column written by Bill Mills. Whose own cycling weekly, the Bicycle, was in direct competition with the Comic.
Which is why knowing who actually wrote Holland's diary entries matters.
The most interesting part of the story, though, is the beginning. Here's how Holland told that, how just two weeks before the Tour started he discovered he wasn't entered to ride the race:
![I had signed a contract to ride the Tour de France and at the same time posted to a few friends, including the Editor of Cycling, intimation that I had done so. Exactly two weeks before the race was due to start [June 16th] I met Cycling's Editor at his Birmingham office. He had two newspapers with him, the French L'Auto and an English daily. Much to my amazement, L'Auto, which newspaper is, of course, the promoter of the Tour, stated that neither Bill Burl nor myself would be riding the race. The English newspaper gave similar information, and as the writer was supposed to know something about it, I was in an awkward predicament in view of the arrangements I had made.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:mpz4d6cysl2lek6eokvvtmbb/bafkreictnf7mjkpru4g4u4z4r2g4gnxf4bj52knoqpbtebqzdppmlees2i@jpeg)
November 29, 2025 at 5:04 PM
The most interesting part of the story, though, is the beginning. Here's how Holland told that, how just two weeks before the Tour started he discovered he wasn't entered to ride the race:
The main source for the story is the book Dancing Uphill, put out by Charlie Holland's daughter, Frances in 2007. The Tour bits of the story come from a series of 'diary' articles published in the Comic. Whether Holland wrote them himself or whether they were ghosted for him isn't clear.
November 29, 2025 at 5:04 PM
The main source for the story is the book Dancing Uphill, put out by Charlie Holland's daughter, Frances in 2007. The Tour bits of the story come from a series of 'diary' articles published in the Comic. Whether Holland wrote them himself or whether they were ghosted for him isn't clear.
This is how William Fotheringham told their story in his Roule Britannia book about British riders and the Tour:
![The isolation was not total. One Briton, Bill Mills, rode for a Paris-based professional team in the 1930s. Two more, Bill Burl and Charly Holland, had been invited to the Tour in 1937. […] At the end of June 1937, England had been the only onlooker at Victoria station when Charles Holland and Bill Burl boarded the Golden Arrow for Paris and the great bike race. They were accompanied by 'very little luggage apart from two pairs of handlebars'; bikes, standard yellow, were provided by the Tour organisers.
They were handicapped partly by injury – Burl was getting over broken ribs, Holland a fractured collarbone – and partly by inexperience. The greatest bugbear, however, was that they had no experienced back-up or support staff and were constantly forced to ask for help from other teams. Holland had ridden the world road-race championship, but he and Burl started the Tour in almost total ignorance. 'The riders who live near the mountains practise, so I am told, coming round the bends at terrific speeds... Cornering plays an important part. I hope to learn all about it!' wrote Holland before the start for England's magazine.
The Tour of the 1930s was as much a test of individual initiative as of physical strength. Burl and Holland were issued their race bikes only to find they were not in working order. The bikes were cloistered away before the start to avoid tampering, to enter the room to work on them the riders needed a pass from the race organisers, who, at the vital moment, were at a banquet. Cobbled roads, huge potholes nicknamed 'birds nests', unlit tunnels in the mountains and tramlines in town centres meant crashes were a constant danger. Most of the higher cols were unmetalled, and turned to mud as the snow melted. 'No matter what the weather, we always arrive at the end of a stage covered in mud, dirt or tar,' wrote Holland. Nick-named 'Sir Holland' by the French, he lasted fourteen days as the lone representative of the three-man 'Empire Aces' team, two c…](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:mpz4d6cysl2lek6eokvvtmbb/bafkreiaegrxb3i33pviavnvkmn5qgumu6xpohiln4afltdz7qchztvrelu@jpeg)
November 29, 2025 at 5:04 PM
This is how William Fotheringham told their story in his Roule Britannia book about British riders and the Tour:
The story of how Holland and Burl (not the health food shops) got to the Tour is a classic of the genre, a proper "it'll be alright on the night" story that veers between farce and impressive.
November 29, 2025 at 5:04 PM
The story of how Holland and Burl (not the health food shops) got to the Tour is a classic of the genre, a proper "it'll be alright on the night" story that veers between farce and impressive.
If you're British, you'll know that Charlie Holland + Bill Burl were the first British riders to start the Tour de France, in 1937 (Reginald Shirley may have been the first to enter, in 1908, while Brian Robinson + Tony Hoar were the first to finish, in 1955).
November 29, 2025 at 5:04 PM
If you're British, you'll know that Charlie Holland + Bill Burl were the first British riders to start the Tour de France, in 1937 (Reginald Shirley may have been the first to enter, in 1908, while Brian Robinson + Tony Hoar were the first to finish, in 1955).
Charly Gaul rode for EMI in 1959 and 1960, winning the Giro in 1959.
But - contrary to what his most recent biographer claims - EMI was not the record label.
They actually made espresso machines and related coffee kits. Same as Faema did.
But - contrary to what his most recent biographer claims - EMI was not the record label.
They actually made espresso machines and related coffee kits. Same as Faema did.
November 29, 2025 at 3:26 PM
Charly Gaul rode for EMI in 1959 and 1960, winning the Giro in 1959.
But - contrary to what his most recent biographer claims - EMI was not the record label.
They actually made espresso machines and related coffee kits. Same as Faema did.
But - contrary to what his most recent biographer claims - EMI was not the record label.
They actually made espresso machines and related coffee kits. Same as Faema did.
All this + less for just one-and-six (film + concert extra).
With 20 shillings to the pound + 12 pennies to the shilling ... that'd be about 7.5 pence in metric money (plus a headache tablet).
Which would be £6.30 in today's money.
Compare that to the £30 price of a ticket to Rouleur Live.
With 20 shillings to the pound + 12 pennies to the shilling ... that'd be about 7.5 pence in metric money (plus a headache tablet).
Which would be £6.30 in today's money.
Compare that to the £30 price of a ticket to Rouleur Live.
November 29, 2025 at 3:06 PM
All this + less for just one-and-six (film + concert extra).
With 20 shillings to the pound + 12 pennies to the shilling ... that'd be about 7.5 pence in metric money (plus a headache tablet).
Which would be £6.30 in today's money.
Compare that to the £30 price of a ticket to Rouleur Live.
With 20 shillings to the pound + 12 pennies to the shilling ... that'd be about 7.5 pence in metric money (plus a headache tablet).
Which would be £6.30 in today's money.
Compare that to the £30 price of a ticket to Rouleur Live.
'Rouleur Live' ... 1936 style.
Live at Crystal Palace! Cycle ball! Bicycle polo! Racing! Comedy trick cycling! Roller derby! Concert! Film!
(Yes! Cycle ball! Even in the 1930s the UCI were flogging that dead horse.)
Live at Crystal Palace! Cycle ball! Bicycle polo! Racing! Comedy trick cycling! Roller derby! Concert! Film!
(Yes! Cycle ball! Even in the 1930s the UCI were flogging that dead horse.)
November 29, 2025 at 2:52 PM
'Rouleur Live' ... 1936 style.
Live at Crystal Palace! Cycle ball! Bicycle polo! Racing! Comedy trick cycling! Roller derby! Concert! Film!
(Yes! Cycle ball! Even in the 1930s the UCI were flogging that dead horse.)
Live at Crystal Palace! Cycle ball! Bicycle polo! Racing! Comedy trick cycling! Roller derby! Concert! Film!
(Yes! Cycle ball! Even in the 1930s the UCI were flogging that dead horse.)
Outdoor track, tandem pacers, 24-hours with no breaks ... what's not to love?
Not familiar with any books on it but there must be a French one somewhere, it was a fabulous race.
This apparently is the trophy, the Bol d'Or itself, that went missing in 1904 until a few years ago.
Not familiar with any books on it but there must be a French one somewhere, it was a fabulous race.
This apparently is the trophy, the Bol d'Or itself, that went missing in 1904 until a few years ago.
November 26, 2025 at 10:23 PM
Outdoor track, tandem pacers, 24-hours with no breaks ... what's not to love?
Not familiar with any books on it but there must be a French one somewhere, it was a fabulous race.
This apparently is the trophy, the Bol d'Or itself, that went missing in 1904 until a few years ago.
Not familiar with any books on it but there must be a French one somewhere, it was a fabulous race.
This apparently is the trophy, the Bol d'Or itself, that went missing in 1904 until a few years ago.
I don't know the date for this - it'll be circa 1910 - or who the dapper gent holding Shirley upright is. My guess is he's a boxer, possibly a visiting US one, maybe a French one.
November 26, 2025 at 9:04 PM
I don't know the date for this - it'll be circa 1910 - or who the dapper gent holding Shirley upright is. My guess is he's a boxer, possibly a visiting US one, maybe a French one.
"The first Brit to enter the TdF" ... I think. I haven't found anyone before him, yet.
Reg rode with the Polytechic CC and had set various records in the Southern region, including London-Bath-London, London-Portstmouth-London and London-Brighton-London.
Reg rode with the Polytechic CC and had set various records in the Southern region, including London-Bath-London, London-Portstmouth-London and London-Brighton-London.
November 26, 2025 at 9:04 PM
"The first Brit to enter the TdF" ... I think. I haven't found anyone before him, yet.
Reg rode with the Polytechic CC and had set various records in the Southern region, including London-Bath-London, London-Portstmouth-London and London-Brighton-London.
Reg rode with the Polytechic CC and had set various records in the Southern region, including London-Bath-London, London-Portstmouth-London and London-Brighton-London.
Germain & Shirley. Not two housemates who work as bottle cappers in the Shotz Brewery (ask your grandad), but two trackies, Achille Germain 🇫🇷 + Reginald Shirley 🇬🇧 (the first Brit to enter the TdF!) photographed en route to New York in 1909 for the Madison Square Garden International Six Day Race.
November 26, 2025 at 8:48 PM
Germain & Shirley. Not two housemates who work as bottle cappers in the Shotz Brewery (ask your grandad), but two trackies, Achille Germain 🇫🇷 + Reginald Shirley 🇬🇧 (the first Brit to enter the TdF!) photographed en route to New York in 1909 for the Madison Square Garden International Six Day Race.
And the lights are on!
November 26, 2025 at 4:50 PM
And the lights are on!
Christmas has arrived! Normally we get one of those horrible upturned ice-cream cone Christmas trees - a Ken doll's nether regions in tree form - but this year we have been blessed with a real live dead one.
November 26, 2025 at 4:50 PM
Christmas has arrived! Normally we get one of those horrible upturned ice-cream cone Christmas trees - a Ken doll's nether regions in tree form - but this year we have been blessed with a real live dead one.
Me as your Bsky therapist:
November 22, 2025 at 8:23 PM
Me as your Bsky therapist: