Different times
Cyclist UK|September 2024 - Issue 155
What was the cycling world like 75 years ago? Now in his midnineties, Scottish former champion Ramsay Mackay remembers those times like they were yesterday
Trevor Ward
Different times

The exercise bike in the middle of the converted attic is flanked by a pair of comfortable armchairs and a table, on which sits a portable typewriter with a half-finished document poking out of it.

Scattered about the room are a red rotary-dial telephone, a wooden sculpture of a golfer mid-swing and framed black and white photographs of cyclists in woollen jerseys and Coppi-style sunglasses astride thin machines replete with leather saddles, toe-clips and an alarming absence of gears.

A skylight in the sloping ceiling looks out on the back gardens and bungalows of a quiet neighbourhood of Edinburgh.

The titles among a small shelf of cycling books give a clue to the personality of the owner of this unlikely 'pain cave': Racing Hard, We Might As Well Win and Every Second Counts.

The story that connects all these elements will unfold over the course of the next three hours as I listen to the memories of 94-year-old Ramsay Mackay, a former Scottish Hill Climb Champion and veteran of the Tours of Britain and Ireland who, at the age of 16, rode all the way from Edinburgh to Dublin just to buy a tin of pineapple.

'It was 1946 and we hadn't seen any since the start of the War,' he offers matter-of-factly. 'I was with two mates who I assumed knew how to "go a bike" as we all rode Post Office bikes in our jobs. But halfway to Glasgow I realised we were getting slower and slower.

The overnight ferry to Belfast cost two shillings and sixpence each for us and our bikes; that's 12 and a half pence today [about £1.50 with inflation].' Mackay, it will become clear, retains a forensic recollection of prices, distances and timings.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der September 2024 - Issue 155-Ausgabe von Cyclist UK.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der September 2024 - Issue 155-Ausgabe von Cyclist UK.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

WEITERE ARTIKEL AUS CYCLIST UKAlle anzeigen
Best of both worlds
Cyclist UK

Best of both worlds

The new Trek Madone blends the speed of the brand's quickest superbike with the lightness of its mountain-crushing Émonda to become the ultimate race bike

time-read
3 Minuten  |
September 2024 - Issue 155
Eddy Merckx Pévèle Carbon
Cyclist UK

Eddy Merckx Pévèle Carbon

A versatile design that shows the pros and cons of flexible build options

time-read
5 Minuten  |
September 2024 - Issue 155
Gravel ride: Girona Welcome to Cycling Central
Cyclist UK

Gravel ride: Girona Welcome to Cycling Central

Girona in Catalonia has become one of Europe's most popular cycling venues thanks to its weather, roads and culture. But it's still possible to leave the hordes behind by going off-tarmac

time-read
6 Minuten  |
September 2024 - Issue 155
Revolutions and evolutions
Cyclist UK

Revolutions and evolutions

The wheel may be a 5,000-year-old invention but designers are still finding ways to make it lighter, faster, safer and more stable.

time-read
6 Minuten  |
September 2024 - Issue 155
Kitzbüheler Horn
Cyclist UK

Kitzbüheler Horn

The Austrian climb that dishes out pain

time-read
5 Minuten  |
September 2024 - Issue 155
Cycling history in six items
Cyclist UK

Cycling history in six items

In the first of a series on cyling's historical artefacts, Cyclist visits the KOERS Museum in Belgium to discover the pick of the exhibits.

time-read
10+ Minuten  |
September 2024 - Issue 155
Different times
Cyclist UK

Different times

What was the cycling world like 75 years ago? Now in his midnineties, Scottish former champion Ramsay Mackay remembers those times like they were yesterday

time-read
7 Minuten  |
September 2024 - Issue 155
Big Ride: Alpe d'Huez - Climb and a half
Cyclist UK

Big Ride: Alpe d'Huez - Climb and a half

No climb is as emblematic of the Tour de France as Alpe d'Huez. Ahead of its first appearance at the women's Tour, Cyclist takes a ride around it and up it. And then up it again

time-read
7 Minuten  |
September 2024 - Issue 155
This Olympic Road Race might actually be worth watching
Cyclist UK

This Olympic Road Race might actually be worth watching

A punchy finale around Paris's Butte de Montmartre will bring the excitement usually missing from the Olympic Road Race, says Felix Lowe

time-read
3 Minuten  |
September 2024 - Issue 155
Beryl Burton wins her first road Worlds
Cyclist UK

Beryl Burton wins her first road Worlds

Beryl Burton claimed the first of two World Championships Road Race titles in 1960, becoming the first rider to win pursuit and road world titles in the same year

time-read
4 Minuten  |
September 2024 - Issue 155