Arthur Metcalfe
Encyclopedia
Arthur Metcalfe was a British
racing cyclist who twice rode the Tour de France
and, as an amateur remains the only rider to win the British road race championship
and the British Best All-Rounder
(BBAR) time trial
competition in the same year.
, Yorkshire
on 27 September 1938, Arthur Metcalfe was the second of three brothers born to a cycling family. His father was a cycle-tourist. The family moved to Hartlepool
when Arthur was 14. He was described then as a weak child. There he joined Hartlepool Cycling Club
. On his second day as a member he rode the club's 25-mile (40 km) time trial
, "leaving many of his contemporaries trailing."
with the army. He, like his brother Ken, was a military policeman in Cyprus
. He soon made a name on leaving the army at 21 and in 1962 came 23rd in his first ride in the Tour of Britain
, known then as the Milk Race. In 1964 he took the race yellow jersey
after winning alone in the stage to Cardiff
and he held the lead to the finish in Blackpool
. He was celebrated for the long, lone attacks he often made through hilly countryside.
His obituary in the Daily Telegraph described him as "always physically tough and tactically astute."
In the same year, he also won two stages of the Tour du St Laurent in Canada
. The British enthusiast, Mike Breckon, who saw Metcalfe in that race, said:
In 1965 he won 23 times, including the Manx International
, three laps of the Snaefell mountain course
on the Isle of Man
. Living once more in Leeds, he cycled from there to Liverpool
, slept in a telephone box and then caught the ferry to the island.
In 1966 he won the national amateur road race championship and, as an afterthought, the BBAR with a record average speed of 24.797 mph. The BBAR aggregated speeds of riders over 50 miles, 100 miles and 12 hours and specialist time-triallists usually devote their whole season to it. Metcalfe won in three straight rides, almost as an afterthought. "I remember thinking I needed a change. I'd ridden a few time trials in the past and so I thought I'd have another go," he said.
group of companies. The British professional scene was expanding but there was still little money and Metcalfe worked in Carlton's offices at Worksop
, although he was allowed two mornings a week to train. Months later he rode the Tour de France during a break from work, a fact that persuaded French journalists that all the British team were similarly riding in their holidays.
In 1967 and 1968 the Tour was open to national rather than the usual commercially-sponsored teams that had made up the race since 1930. Britain's true professionals - Tom Simpson
, Barry Hoban
, Vin Denson
and Michael Wright
- all rode full-time and for well-established teams on the Continent. Metcalfe was one of a few less-prepared riders chosen from Britain to make up the numbers. Nevertheless, Metcalfe finished 69th in 1967, when he dedicated his services and therefore his ambitions to Simpson, the team's only likely winner.
Simpson died on the 13th stage of the race as he was climbing Mont Ventoux
. Metcalfe and the rest of the team voted to continue. Metcalfe said: "I was in a right state. I just stood on my own all night. I was crying. It was the emotional strain on top of the physical strain. There was a lot of talk about whether we should pull out. [The manager, Alec Taylor] felt we should stay in, so we just rode on. The rest of the race was a blur.'
Metcalfe rode the Tour again in 1968, heading the race alone on the stage to Bayonne
and winning a prize as the day's most combative rider. He abandoned the Tour just before the end.
, opened a business building racing-cycle frames in a former chapel in Harrogate
, Yorkshire
. The building, Chapel Works, was owned by a cycle importer, Ron Kitching, and their combined initials gave the project's name: MKM. The company had the British licence to build frames under the name of the Tour de France winner, Jacques Anquetil
. MKM operated until the late 1970s.
Ron Kitching said:
Metcalfe said of the modern Tour de France that it was too short, that it should be "a proper length" - 2,500 miles.
by the British Cycling Federation
(BCF). He moved to South Africa
for work and won the Rapport Tour, a stage race. South Africa was still in the apartheid era and excluded from world sport. For riding the race, Metcalfe was suspended by the British Cycling Federation.
Metcalfe was bitter about the suspension until the end of his life. Because he had also coached young riders while he was in South Africa, he said: "You think they would have given me a medal for that, not a suspension."
cycling
club, setting records for 100 miles and 12 hours that still stood at his death. Metcalfe was a manager of the Carlton professional team for which he had once ridden and in 1987 managed the British professional team in the Milk Race. He worked as an insurance salesman and financial adviser in Leeds
. He remained a cyclist and said six months before his death that his cancer
had been diagnosed after he had seen a doctor because he could suddenly no longer ride as fast as he could. He died in Harrogate
on 11 December 2002 just months before moving to France with his third wife, Anne. A mass ride is held in Yorkshire in his memory.
1964 - 1st Milk Race, 1st points and mountains competition
1965 - 1st Welwyn two-day
1965 - 1st Manx Trophy
1965 - 1st Red Rose GP
1965 - 6th Milk Race
1966 - National champion
1966 - BBAR time-trial champion
1966 - 1st Ariel two-day
1966 - 12th Milk Race
Professional
1967 - 1st Bournemouth three-day
1967 - 2nd Vaux GP
1968 - 1st Folkestone-London
1968 - 1st Tour of the West
1968 - 1st Manx Trophy
1969 - 1st Teesside
1970 - 1st Percy Lewis
Amateur
1971 - 1st Rapport Tour
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
racing cyclist who twice rode the Tour de France
Tour de France
The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
and, as an amateur remains the only rider to win the British road race championship
British National Road Race Championships
The British National Road Race Championships cover different categories of British road bicycle racing events, normally held annually.-History:...
and the British Best All-Rounder
British Best All-Rounder
The British Best All-Rounder competition, organised by Cycling Time Trials, is an annual British cycle-racing competition. It ranks riders by their average speeds in individual time trials, over 50 and and 12 hours for men, and over 25, 50 and for women. There are similar competitions for...
(BBAR) time trial
Individual time trial
An individual time trial is a road bicycle race in which cyclists race alone against the clock . There are also track-based time trials where riders compete in velodromes, and team time trials...
competition in the same year.
Origins
Born in LeedsLeeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
on 27 September 1938, Arthur Metcalfe was the second of three brothers born to a cycling family. His father was a cycle-tourist. The family moved to Hartlepool
Hartlepool
Hartlepool is a town and port in North East England.It was founded in the 7th century AD, around the Northumbrian monastery of Hartlepool Abbey. The village grew during the Middle Ages and developed a harbour which served as the official port of the County Palatine of Durham. A railway link from...
when Arthur was 14. He was described then as a weak child. There he joined Hartlepool Cycling Club
Cycling club
A cycling club is a society for cyclists. It can be local or national, general or specialised. The Cyclists' Touring Club, CTC) in the United Kingdom is a national association; i-Team and are internet clubs; the Tricycle Association, Tandem Club and the Veterans Time Trial Association, for those...
. On his second day as a member he rode the club's 25-mile (40 km) time trial
Individual time trial
An individual time trial is a road bicycle race in which cyclists race alone against the clock . There are also track-based time trials where riders compete in velodromes, and team time trials...
, "leaving many of his contemporaries trailing."
Amateur career
Metcalfe - known among fellow professionals as "the snake" for his talent in wriggling into the winning break of a race - was handicapped at first by two years' compulsory national serviceNational service
National service is a common name for mandatory government service programmes . The term became common British usage during and for some years following the Second World War. Many young people spent one or more years in such programmes...
with the army. He, like his brother Ken, was a military policeman in Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
. He soon made a name on leaving the army at 21 and in 1962 came 23rd in his first ride in the Tour of Britain
Tour of Britain
The Tour of Britain is a cycle race, conducted over several stages, in which participants race from place to place across parts of Great Britain....
, known then as the Milk Race. In 1964 he took the race yellow jersey
Yellow jersey
The general classification in the Tour de France is the most important classification, the one by which the winner of the Tour de France is determined. Since 1919, the leader of the general classification wears the yellow jersey .-History:...
after winning alone in the stage to Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
and he held the lead to the finish in Blackpool
Blackpool
Blackpool is a borough, seaside town, and unitary authority area of Lancashire, in North West England. It is situated along England's west coast by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre estuaries, northwest of Preston, north of Liverpool, and northwest of Manchester...
. He was celebrated for the long, lone attacks he often made through hilly countryside.
His obituary in the Daily Telegraph described him as "always physically tough and tactically astute."
In the same year, he also won two stages of the Tour du St Laurent in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The British enthusiast, Mike Breckon, who saw Metcalfe in that race, said:
- "It was a world-class field and over tough terrain. The British team had a tough time with crashes and punctures. But then Arthur decided to do something about it. On the last four stages of the race he finished first, sixth, first and third... Including a display of climbing... which left some of the world's best riders grovelling."
In 1965 he won 23 times, including the Manx International
Manx Trophy
The Manx Trophy or Isle of Man International Road Race is a bicycle road race run annually on the Isle of Man. In the 1960s the race attracted the world's top professional cyclists including Fausto Coppi, Jacques Anquetil and Eddy Merckx....
, three laps of the Snaefell mountain course
Snaefell mountain course
Snaefell Mountain Course or Mountain Course is a road-racing circuit used for the Isle of Man TT and Manx Grand Prix Races held in the Isle of Man from 1911 and 1923 respectively. The racing is held on public roads closed for racing by an Act of Tynwald...
on the Isle of Man
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
. Living once more in Leeds, he cycled from there to Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, slept in a telephone box and then caught the ferry to the island.
In 1966 he won the national amateur road race championship and, as an afterthought, the BBAR with a record average speed of 24.797 mph. The BBAR aggregated speeds of riders over 50 miles, 100 miles and 12 hours and specialist time-triallists usually devote their whole season to it. Metcalfe won in three straight rides, almost as an afterthought. "I remember thinking I needed a change. I'd ridden a few time trials in the past and so I thought I'd have another go," he said.
Professional career
Having done all he could in Britain as an amateur, he turned professional in 1967 for Carlton Cycles, part of the RaleighRaleigh Bicycle Company
The Raleigh Bicycle Company is a bicycle manufacturer originally based in Nottingham, UK. It is one of the oldest bicycle companies in the world. From 1921 to 1935 Raleigh also produced motorcycles and three-wheel cars, leading to the formation of the Reliant Company.-Early years:Raleigh's history...
group of companies. The British professional scene was expanding but there was still little money and Metcalfe worked in Carlton's offices at Worksop
Worksop
Worksop is the largest town in the Bassetlaw district of Nottinghamshire, England on the River Ryton at the northern edge of Sherwood Forest. It is about east-south-east of the City of Sheffield and its population is estimated to be 39,800...
, although he was allowed two mornings a week to train. Months later he rode the Tour de France during a break from work, a fact that persuaded French journalists that all the British team were similarly riding in their holidays.
In 1967 and 1968 the Tour was open to national rather than the usual commercially-sponsored teams that had made up the race since 1930. Britain's true professionals - Tom Simpson
Tom Simpson
Tom Simpson was the most successful English road racing cyclist of the post-war years. He infamously died of exhaustion on the slopes of Mont Ventoux during the 13th stage of the Tour de France in 1967...
, Barry Hoban
Barry Hoban
Barry Hoban is a former English professional cyclist who rode during the late 1960s and early 1970s. He was the previous holder of the record for the most stage wins in the Tour de France by a British rider, winning eight between 1967 to 1975...
, Vin Denson
Vin Denson
Vin Denson is a former professional racing cyclist who rode the Tour de France, won a stage of the Giro d'Italia and won the Tour of Luxembourg in the 1960s. He was a team-mate of Rik van Looy and of Jacques Anquetil and, in the Tour de France, of Tom Simpson...
and Michael Wright
Michael Wright (cyclist)
Michael Wright - "Michel" - is an English former professional road bicycle racer from 1962 to 1976. He won stages in the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España stage races and represented Great Britain at several world championships....
- all rode full-time and for well-established teams on the Continent. Metcalfe was one of a few less-prepared riders chosen from Britain to make up the numbers. Nevertheless, Metcalfe finished 69th in 1967, when he dedicated his services and therefore his ambitions to Simpson, the team's only likely winner.
Simpson died on the 13th stage of the race as he was climbing Mont Ventoux
Mont Ventoux
Mont Ventoux is a mountain in the Provence region of southern France, located some 20 km northeast of Carpentras, Vaucluse. On the north side, the mountain borders the Drôme département. It is the largest mountain in the region and has been nicknamed the "Giant of Provence", or "The Bald...
. Metcalfe and the rest of the team voted to continue. Metcalfe said: "I was in a right state. I just stood on my own all night. I was crying. It was the emotional strain on top of the physical strain. There was a lot of talk about whether we should pull out. [The manager, Alec Taylor] felt we should stay in, so we just rode on. The rest of the race was a blur.'
Metcalfe rode the Tour again in 1968, heading the race alone on the stage to Bayonne
Bayonne
Bayonne is a city and commune in south-western France at the confluence of the Nive and Adour rivers, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, of which it is a sub-prefecture...
and winning a prize as the day's most combative rider. He abandoned the Tour just before the end.
After the Tour
Metcalfe broke his pelvis in 1971, ending his career as a professional. He and a fellow professional, Wes Mason of SheffieldSheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
, opened a business building racing-cycle frames in a former chapel in Harrogate
Harrogate
Harrogate is a spa town in North Yorkshire, England. The town is a tourist destination and its visitor attractions include its spa waters, RHS Harlow Carr gardens, and Betty's Tea Rooms. From the town one can explore the nearby Yorkshire Dales national park. Harrogate originated in the 17th...
, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
. The building, Chapel Works, was owned by a cycle importer, Ron Kitching, and their combined initials gave the project's name: MKM. The company had the British licence to build frames under the name of the Tour de France winner, Jacques Anquetil
Jacques Anquetil
Jacques Anquetil was a French road racing cyclist and the first cyclist to win the Tour de France five times, in 1957 and from 1961 to 1964...
. MKM operated until the late 1970s.
Ron Kitching said:
- They were both keen on bicycle manufacturing. Wes was a good frame builder and Arthur was sure that he could handle the marketing. I went so far as to buy the premises - an old chapel on SkiptonSkiptonSkipton is a market town and civil parish within the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. It is located along the course of both the Leeds and Liverpool Canal and the River Aire, on the south side of the Yorkshire Dales, northwest of Bradford and west of York...
Road, and agreed to the company's name, MKM. But I decided in the end not to become involved in the venture. Imagine being sandwiched between two crafty bike-riders like that! In the end it was the right decision, they fell out and the business failed. I was left with the property.
Metcalfe said of the modern Tour de France that it was too short, that it should be "a proper length" - 2,500 miles.
- To ride 90 miles a day is not the legend of the Tour de France. The philosophy of the Tour is that it's an epic of courage. We had stages of 233km. Sure, they go 2mph faster now, but you'd expect that. And there are 70 more riders. I was working for Carlton Cycles. British riders are all full-time pros now and they're better than ever we were, so they can ride further. The argument is that they want a clean Tour. But you can ride 2,500 miles clean. The race may go 1mph slower but from the roadside you'd never notice it. You can't see a difference that small.
South Africa
The broken pelvis took two years to mend. By then, Metcalfe had been reinstated as an amateurAmateur
An amateur is generally considered a person attached to a particular pursuit, study, or science, without pay and often without formal training....
by the British Cycling Federation
British Cycling
British Cycling is the national governing body for cycle racing in Great Britain. It administers most competitive cycling in Great Britain, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man...
(BCF). He moved to South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
for work and won the Rapport Tour, a stage race. South Africa was still in the apartheid era and excluded from world sport. For riding the race, Metcalfe was suspended by the British Cycling Federation.
Metcalfe was bitter about the suspension until the end of his life. Because he had also coached young riders while he was in South Africa, he said: "You think they would have given me a medal for that, not a suspension."
After racing
Metcalfe served his suspension, then began riding again with HartlepoolHartlepool
Hartlepool is a town and port in North East England.It was founded in the 7th century AD, around the Northumbrian monastery of Hartlepool Abbey. The village grew during the Middle Ages and developed a harbour which served as the official port of the County Palatine of Durham. A railway link from...
cycling
Cycling
Cycling, also called bicycling or biking, is the use of bicycles for transport, recreation, or for sport. Persons engaged in cycling are cyclists or bicyclists...
club, setting records for 100 miles and 12 hours that still stood at his death. Metcalfe was a manager of the Carlton professional team for which he had once ridden and in 1987 managed the British professional team in the Milk Race. He worked as an insurance salesman and financial adviser in Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
. He remained a cyclist and said six months before his death that his cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
had been diagnosed after he had seen a doctor because he could suddenly no longer ride as fast as he could. He died in Harrogate
Harrogate
Harrogate is a spa town in North Yorkshire, England. The town is a tourist destination and its visitor attractions include its spa waters, RHS Harlow Carr gardens, and Betty's Tea Rooms. From the town one can explore the nearby Yorkshire Dales national park. Harrogate originated in the 17th...
on 11 December 2002 just months before moving to France with his third wife, Anne. A mass ride is held in Yorkshire in his memory.
Palmarès
Amateur1964 - 1st Milk Race, 1st points and mountains competition
1965 - 1st Welwyn two-day
1965 - 1st Manx Trophy
1965 - 1st Red Rose GP
1965 - 6th Milk Race
1966 - National champion
1966 - BBAR time-trial champion
1966 - 1st Ariel two-day
1966 - 12th Milk Race
Professional
1967 - 1st Bournemouth three-day
1967 - 2nd Vaux GP
1968 - 1st Folkestone-London
1968 - 1st Tour of the West
1968 - 1st Manx Trophy
1969 - 1st Teesside
1970 - 1st Percy Lewis
Amateur
1971 - 1st Rapport Tour