Honley’s Pioneering Cyclists

Like many people, Richard Hobson found he had time on his hands during lockdown at the beginning of the pandemic. Matters were made worse by having to spend the days on a much-extended break  in Australia. To occupy himself, Richard from Honley began to research the activities of Huddersfield  cycling clubs around the end of the 19^th century.

Honley Victoria Cycling Club sparked his interest when he found that several men from the Holme Valley, and in particular Honley, engaged in record breaking attempts and road racing as sport after long hours at work.

Richard has now written the story of the men and women who participated in these astonishing feats and turned it into the latest local history book published by Honley Civic Society.

Titled Honley’s Pioneering Cyclists, the 40-page book relates a bid to beat the record to cycle to London and the innovations that saw the transition from penny-farthing to cycles much more like those we might recognise today. Several of the bikes were built locally.