Published in Windlesora 28 (2012)
©2012, WLHG
The Cross Country Cycle Race was held in Windsor Great Park in 1948. It was started by the Duke of Edinburgh and the competitors had to ride 120 miles. The course was 17 laps round the park. It started at 11.00am and the winner got to the finishing line at 4.18pm. Members of the public were allowed to cycle up to the Copper Horse to watch and many locals did so but some were more thrilled by the fact that they were allowed to ride on the Long Walk than a desire to watch the race, which turned out to be an absolute shambles!!
During the race, there were about 100 punctures because of gravel on the course, and at one point a fight broke out. The officials lost count of how many laps some of the competitors had cycled, and they took so long to work out who had won that most of the competitors had gone home by the time it was announced.
There was a team race included but the Belgian team did not even know about it, which was a shame because they won the Gold medal and did not find out until they had returned to Belgium. They did not make any attempt to collect their medals until they found out that another medal winner in another sport in another year had his medal stolen and the Olympic Committee replaced it. Eugene Van Roosbroeck finally collected his medal in June 2010, 62 years after he won it. Lode Wouters was too ill to collect his then, but has received it since, and the other member of the team Leon Delathouwer had died a year before.
The UK team of Maitland, Thomas and Scott were awarded the Silver Medal and France won the Bronze. The individual medals went to Gold Jose Beyart of France, Silver GP Voorting of the Netherlands and Bronze Lode Wouters Belgium. The first UK competitor home was Bob Maitland in 6th place. He died in August 2010.
The Windsor Express merely recorded the fact that the Duke of Edinburgh had started the race and the nationality of the winner. There was no report, and no photographs of the event.
Pamela Marson
Where did the Rowing take place in 1948?
In 2012 the Olympic rowing will take place in Dorney, Buckinghamshire, on the lake belonging to Eton College which is in the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead. In 1908 and 1948 it was at Henley and only men were allowed to take part.
Windsor Local History Group 