to go for it again, and this time was so badly
affected by the flying debris that he fell behind,
dropping back out of the protective fairing.
affected by the flying debris that he fell behind,
dropping back out of the protective fairing.
He had to fight his way back from 15 feet (4.5
metres) behind the train, with the slipstream
effect of the carriage fairing actually working
against him, to get back into the protective
metres) behind the train, with the slipstream
effect of the carriage fairing actually working
against him, to get back into the protective
‘pocket’. He put in an amazing effort, going
faster than the train to catch up, and when the
driver applied the brakes at the end of the run
Murphy slammed into the back of the carriage.
Just as he did so, the official timers and support
staff who had been urging him on from the
carriage’s rear platform reached down to grab
him and haul him aboard. Murphy was totally
knackered and suffering from burns to his face
and hands, but he had covered the measured
mile in 57.8 seconds. From then on he became
known as ‘Mile-a-Minute Murphy’ and his
time for motor pacing behind a train has never
been beaten.
Other world records were set and broken on
a pretty regular basis, with some of the most
remarkable including Belgian cyclist Leon
a pretty regular basis, with some of the most
remarkable including Belgian cyclist Leon
Vanderstuyft charging around the Montlhéry
Velodrome near Paris behind a motorbike at
almost 76 mph (122.77 km/h) in 1928. That
might not sound too impressive to us nowadays
– after all, you and I could go faster than that in
something as basic as my old Astra van, and I’ve
got the speeding points on my licence to prove
it – but bear in mind that the absolute top speed
of the latest Ford Model A in 1928 was just 65
mph, and you can start to appreciate what an
achievement that was.
The cycling speed record continued to creep
up, with Frenchman Alexis Blanc-Garin taking
it to 79.66 mph (128.2 km/h) in 1933, riding
behind a motorbike, and another French rider,
Albert Marquet, made it to 86.9 mph (139.9
km/h) behind a Cord car – quite an exotic and
Top: Bobby Walthour
in 1903 – one of the highest-paid athletes
of the time.
of the time.
Bottom: Charles Murphy
pedalling away behind the
train to earn his nickname
‘Mile-a-Minute Murphy’.
20 Britain’s Fastest Bike