I thought you may enjoy some cycling pictures of my Great Grandfather from the late 1800's. They were a surprise I found them while cleaning my Grandfather's basement after his death. Unfortunately, with both my father and Grandfather gone, all I know about Ernest's bike racing career is contained in these pictures.
Click to enlarge.Bicycles were an important form of transportation during Ernest's time. If it has wheels, well then somebody would race it!
Let me show you what I found:
I'm not sure if this is my Grandfather or
Ernest but it's the start of something.
No Spandex here. Some cutoff
long-johns will do nicely thank you.
This is his racing bike.
Just like today's track/messenger bikes, this
had only one speed, fixed gear and no brakes.
On your mark, get set, GO.
Snugly tightened toe straps meant
you need someone to hold you up at the start.
Ernest is under the arrow.
Not any different from today. OK, not any different from 1980. You've got to love those shorts. No, that's not me.
Switching to the Dark Side
It may be that Ernest finally found that sponsor he was looking for or his mom got tired of keeping his whites... white, anyway he has obviously switched teams from the Good Guys to the Bad Guys.
He also got a new bike in the deal. This one has brakes!
Same secret training facility. Note the period aero position.
Ready for a training ride. Note the cool cycling cap!
