Earlier this week we told the story of Ion Grant Nevile Keith-Falconer, third son of the 8th Earl of Kintore, whose family seat is at Keithhall near Inverurie and whose exploits saw him declared world champion in cycling in 1878.
Owner of Pedal Power bike shop in Inverurie Mark Fraser has been made aware of an article detailing the story of Mr Keith-Falconer and his local connections and having just had the opening stage of last year’s Tour of Britain come through the Inverurie Center and cycling’s biggest World Championship event in history is coming up To Scotland later this year, he thought it was a good time to re-introduce people to the sporting legend.
Mark commented: “A regular client of mine looking at a book on local history just walked past one day and knew I was a cycling history buff.
“I was so amazed by this, I had no idea about it.
Ion Keith Falconer was recognized in 1878 as a champion, he seemed to be able to turn up and in some cases forgot he was supposed to race and still turn up and win races.
At 6’3″ he had a distinct advantage over a lot of his competitors at the time, on what was a large bike that was nearly identical to Penny Farthing.
“He finished the territory for John O’Groat in 13 days, which at the time was quite an impressive feat given the roads and infrastructure of the country at the time.”
He added of modern cycling: “Given his distance record times on the machines he used and the road conditions, even today he would be out there at the sharp end of contemporary competitors.
“With the World Championships as a full event this year, we must celebrate the World Championships.”
His sentiments were echoed by Brigadier General Judy White: “As a local Inverurie I was anxious to hear of his accomplishments.
“This is a great local story that is getting national and international attention.
“Aberdeenshire Council has invested and continues to invest in cycling opportunities through our schools and clubs and in resources for cycling venues.
“This is a great opportunity to connect the past with the present – perhaps a bike race or an award in its name would be a great idea to celebrate the historical connection with the city.”
And now with the biggest cycling event the world has ever seen, coming to Scotland from 3-13 August, Development Mountain Biking Scotland (DMBinS) is offering 50 per cent grants to provide secure bike storage for visiting mountain bikers and cyclists.
Funding assistance of up to £500 is available to promote the provision of secure bike storage facilities.
This contribution amounts to a maximum of 50 percent of the total project costs to improve the experience of mountain biking and cycling visitors.
Costs may include equipment, installation, setup and setup.
The previous round of this scheme focused on upgrading bicycle storage facilities for accommodation providers.
This tour has now been expanded to offer benefits to more businesses and in Aberdeenshire now includes provision for other outdoor adventure activities.
visiting https://dmbins.com/campaigns/secure-bike-storage-scheme/ For details.
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