Veteran-Cycle Club Cycling History No.11
“Record Jack”
by David Loose.
Synopsis:
This is a biography of Hertfordshire boy Jack Harter, who became captivated by the recently developed sport and pastime of cycling during the early 1890s. It describes how, having co-founded the Watford Wheelers Cycling Club, he and several other members with a flair for speed helped establish themselves as one of the most successful racing clubs in the county. Jack, frequently outclassing all his rivals, also joined one of England’s most famous clubs of the day, the London-based Polytechnic Cycling Club, which saw him racing against some of the best amateur cyclists in the country. Competing at this level developed him into a record breaker, with him setting national grass-track speed records for all distances up to 50 miles, as well as being crowned Champion of Hertfordshire on several occasions.
The book captures the social and competitive aspects of life in both a local cycling club and one of the foremost racing teams in the country, during cycling’s evocative heyday prior the development of the car. It documents how an ordinary Watford boy competed against some of the biggest names in British cycling, to establish himself amongst them.
Material comes from his own personal archive, generously provided by his granddaughter, and other sources.
The Committee felt that there is a place for monographs on other aspects of cycle history, than cycle marques, and in a similar A5 format. Studies such as this fall nicely into this category. This publication is the eleventh of our Cycling History series, which follows a similar style to the Marque Albums.
Book Specification:
ISBN: 978-1-9993429-4-4
148 x 210 mm with 136 pages.
64 illustrations.
Perfect bound.
Published by the Pinkerton Press (now Veteran-Cycle Publications), 2022.
Pricing:
V-CC members £12.50 including UK P&P (non-members £14.38 including UK P&P).
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