Bill Paul (cyclist)

W.G. Bill Paul
Personal information
Full name William George (Bill) Paul
Nickname Bill
The Tandem King
Born c. 1910
Croydon?
Died 29 January 2003
Team information
Amateur team(s)
circa 1930–1939
Addiscombe Cycle Club
Infobox last updated on
Feb 2011

William George (Bill) Paul, (1910 – 29 January 2003) was an English amateur cyclist who, with his team-mate 'Ernie' Mills, set the British 12-hour record on a tandem in 1934 and re-established it in 1936 with a 'world's best performance'. In 1937, in Italy, they set the world one-hour tandem record which stood for 63 years until September 2000.[1][2][3] The Addiscombe Cycle Club team-mates set 20 world and British records at both short and long distances.[1][4]

His achievements were celebrated in 1937 when Cycling Weekly jointly awarded him and Ernie Mills their own page in the Golden Book of Cycling.[4]

Personal life

Paul lived in the Addiscombe area near Croydon, London.[1]

Career

In 1934 Bill Paul was paired with his club team-mate, Ernie Mills, also from the Addiscombe Cycle Club in Croydon. Initially they had been on opposing tandem teams but together they covered over 30 miles in one hour in 1936 and won a 10 minute pursuit race in less than four minutes.[2]

Together they set the British 12-hour tandem record in 1934, and, after losing it in 1936 to both G.A.Birtchnell and C.G.Taylor, and later C.C.Melhuish and H.G.Chapman, Mills and Paul then retook the record in September 1936 with a 'world's best performance'.[4]

In 1936 Mills and Paul set a British record for a 30 mile ride on a tandem, covering the distance in 1 hour 5 minutes 3 seconds.[1][4]

In 1937 Mills and Paul set the 'World Tandem Hour Record', 31.06 miles (49.991 km), at the Velodromo Vigorelli (Velodromo Comunale Vigorelli) track in Milan owned by 'Vigorelli Cycles'. The trip had been funded by readers of Cycling magazine.[1][2] This record stood until 23 September 2000 at Manchester Velodrome when it was beaten by Simon Keeton and Jon Rickard of Rutland Cycling Club.[3][5][6]

As of 2011 Mills and Paul's 1938 100-mile tandem record at Addiscombe Cycle Club of still stands.[7]

Commemoration

The Golden Book

Mills & Paul's achievements were celebrated in 1937 when Cycling Weekly awarded them their own page in the Golden Book of Cycling.[4]

Cigarette cards

In 1939 Mills and Paul's efforts were celebrated nationally when John Player & Sons issued a Cigarette card of them on their tandem. In a series of 50 cards called Cycling 1839-1939, they were featured on card no.45 titled Tandem track position.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "Bike Magic, British World Hour Record holder dies". Bikemagic.com. 30 January 2003. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Bill Paul plans new attempt on record". BBC News. 2 October 1998. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Manchester Velodrome, Records, 1 hour Tandem". Manchestervelodrome.com. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 "The Golden Book of Cycling - Mills & Paul, 1937. Archive maintained by 'The Pedal Club'". Thepedalclub.org. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  5. ↑ "Records - 1 hour Tandem". National Cycle Centre. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  6. ↑ "1937 & all that. Addiscombe Tandem World Hour Record, The Second Fastest Tandem in the World, Ernie Mills & Bill Paul,". Addiscombe CC. 11 May 2009. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  7. ↑ "Time trial records". Addiscombe CC. Retrieved 11 March 2011.

External links