Robert Alan GELDARD

A former miner turned commercial artist, and then signwriter, Alan Geldard joined the famous Manchester Wheelers’ Club and was a contemporary of the great Reg Harris. Geldard was a member of the Wheelers team that won the National Pursuit title in 1947, and the following year was a member of the British 4000 mere pursuit team that won bronze at the London Olympics. Geldard and his team-mates were not presented with their medals at the Herne Hill track after their triumph. All they received was a bunch of flowers because the organisers forgot to bring the medals to the track, and thus Geldard received his medal through the post.

Six weeks after his Olympic triumph, and recently married, Geldard lost his job after his Manchester employers dismissed him because he was taking too much time off work to pursue his cycling career. Geldard was the National 25-mile track champion in 1948 and 1949, and in 1950 travelled to New Zealand to take part in the Empire Games, but failed to register a podium finish despite competing in the track time-trial, 1000 metre sprint and 10-mile scratch race. He retired from racing in 1957. Having coached at a couple of local cycling clubs, Geldard became coach at Manchester’s National Cycling Centre shortly after it opened in 1994, which he did for seven years prior to illness.