Frank Southall was the greatest British cyclist of the inter-war years, winning numerous championships and breaking numerous records, latterly as a professional with Hercules.
Ken Joy followed in Southall’s footsteps in the 1950s, breaking many of Southall’s records and also riding for Hercules, where Southall was his manager.
This books tells briefly the story of their careers, and it is supplemented by two collections of historic photographs, totalling over 100 great pictures of these two legendary riders.
Many of these pictures are from the riders’ personal scrapbooks, and not seen before.
Joy and Southall – Two Cycling Legends
Frank Southall was the greatest British cyclist of the inter-war years. His tally of victories and records on road and track appears almost endless. Among other things, he was the first winner of the British Best All-Rounder title when that competition was set up in 1930 to find the country’s top time-triallist, and he went on to win that title four times in succession. In 1934 he turned professional for Hercules, and set numerous road records. When he stopped racing in 1937 he remained with Hercules, managing a number of other riders before and after the war. Among those riders was Ken Joy, who in the early 1950s had become the second man after Southall to win four BBAR titles. It was Joy who broke many of the road records that Southall had set. There is thus a strong link between these two champions, and an interesting symmetry in their careers. This book tells the story of these two great riders, while the accompanying images make public for the first time a superb set of photographs, drawn from the personal collections of both men. A wonderful evocation of bike racing from the 1920s to the 1950s, this is a fitting tribute to two legendary champions.
Pen to Paper
