George Lacy Hillier - Potterers Cycling Club

The Potterers Cycling Club
Pottering in Kent for 50 years !
The Potterers Cycling Club
Pottering in Kent since 1971
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I typed "potterers" in the Google search box. My attention was drawn to one result:

"The Potterers Club: A cycling novel: Amazon.co.uk: Lacy Hillier: Books".

Intrigued, I clicked on the link and was surprised by the picture of the book (reproduced above - if you're lucky). The book was written in 1900AD.  I was not surprised to see it unavailable but found, elsewhere, a copy available in The States at the price of $100 + shipping.

So, given the fame of the author, the name of the book, the subject matter of the book and the fact that our emblem is an exact copy of the one on the book, I cleverly made the connection. I wonder if one of our Founding Fathers had read this book? I would love to read it. Anyone got it? £5 ?
 
George Lacy Hillier was THE cycling superstar of his time. He was born in Sydenham on 6/6/1856. The attached picture of him was taken about 1879  when he lived in Chichester and raced for the Chichester and District Bicycle Club.
 
Among various honours, he was for many years the English champion over all the then recognised competition distances, and also competed on the continent. Probably his most famous race was the 10,000 metre race on the Leipzig track in 1885, where he not only won the first prize but broke the record for that distance.
 
Hillier went on to be a magazine editor and writer (of many cycling books) and was also member of the Stock Exchange, like his father before him. He was an important figure in the planning and raising the finances to build Herne Hill Velodrome, the last of the many famous Victorian racing tracks.


Pete Smith
usque ad mortem bibendum
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