John William KIRK

In 1910, aged only 19, John Kirk of Hull Orient CC finished third in the one mile novices handicap at a charity cycling event at Bramall Lane, Sheffield. The following month he finished fourth in the Yorkshire Road Club 50-mile handicap. He was also fourth in the Yorkshire Road Club’s “100” handicap, and all this was before his 20th birthday. That same year, he also set the Hull to York record which stood for around 15 years. In 1911 he joined the Yorkshire RC and in the prestigious Anfield “100” finished behind such notables as Charlie Moss (winning for the second year in succession) and Freddie Grubb. Kirk, however, won the handicap off a 33-minute start. He enjoyed setting records, and in 1912 created a new record for the Edinburgh to York trip. His time of 11-14:00 beat the old record by 39 minutes, and virtually assured him a place on the British Olympic team. Sadly, his bike let him down after 40 miles of the Amsterdam road race, and he was forced to pull out. Kirk was still breaking records after World War I, and in 1919 broke his own un-paced 12-hour record, when he covered 209 miles (336 km). He later became the honorary secretary of the Hull Thursday RC, and in the 1920s was a cycle dealer in his home-town of Hull.