Was James Moore the winner of the very first bike race in the world or not - a question that remains open so far. It is known for certain that Moore was able to take part in one of the first races in the world - and many remembered his brilliant performance at the Paris-Rouen race; however, even if Moore’s victory was not the first in the world, this will not affect the fame of the cyclist.
James Moore is an English cyclist. In many sources, it is called the winner of the first official bicycle race in the world.
James Moore childhood
The famous James Moore was born on January 14, 1849 in Long Brackland, Suffolk, UK. When the boy was only four years old, his family moved to Paris for some unknown reason. Here, James made friends with the Michaud family of blacksmiths who contributed to the history of cycling. Later, it was one of the members of the Michaud family who thought of equipping the bike with pedals. It is known that Moore already in 1865 had a Michaud bike. His first “horse”, by modern standards, seems completely unsuitable for riding - bicycles of those times were called “crushers” by no means by chance. James Moore, however, liked the two-wheeled vehicle - he used it to carry out various tasks of his father and clearly received considerable pleasure from the ride.
The winner of the first bicycle race in the world
By 1868, nineteen-year-old James Moore was already a member of the local cycling club. And on the thirty-first of May 1868 he took part in his first bicycle races. These races are often called the first official races in the history of all cycling. The event began at three o'clock in the afternoon in the presence of the entire Parisian aristocracy, which was excited and delighted with the very idea and the opportunity to see how these people compete with each other in strength and virtuosity.
The bike race that made James Moore famous took place in the western part of Paris in France, in the Paris Saint-Claude Park. Racers had to travel a distance of a thousand two hundred meters along the gravel path to the park fountain and back. Many wanted to try their hand - at that time in Paris bicycles were quite popular, and competitions of various kinds were traditionally very successful. James pulled ahead in the middle of the race. He developed truly impressive speed and reached the finish line in 3 minutes 50 seconds.
The race in Saint-Claude Park thundered not only throughout Paris - rumors about it passed throughout Europe. Soon, similar events were organized in other capitals. The bike Moore won was still on display at the Ile Museum, Cambridgeshire. Interestingly, a considerable part of it - including the wheels themselves - is made of wood.
The bicycle race in Saint-Cloud excited the public imagination and inspired the creativity of such bicycle races in other places. The first race in the UK was held the next day and races were held on July 18th in Ghent, Belgium. Also in September, a race was held in Brno, the capital of Moravia, which marked the beginning of bicycle races in Central Europe.
Paris - Rouen Winner
The success of the creative event inspired the organizers to launch a larger project - and on November 7, 1869, a hundred and thirty kilometers race from Paris to Rouen took place. James Moore took part in this event - and again won a landslide victory. He finished in ten hours twenty-five minutes; an average speed of thirteen kilometers per hour is not serious by today's standards. This was due to poor road conditions, a very heavy bicycle and the lack of tires per se.
Biography
During the Franco-Prussian War, James Moore worked as an ambulance. Later, he got a job at the French racehorse training center. In 1945, James Moore was awarded the title of Knight of the Legion of Honor.
Until the very end of his days, James Moore was actively involved in sports. When exactly he returned to Britain is not exactly known; to this day, the exact burial place of the cyclist’s body is unknown. James Moore died on July 17, 1935 at the age of eighty-six
Denials of victory
Throughout his life, James Moore sincerely believed that he had won the first bicycle race in the world; later, however, this was disproved. The critic Keizo Kobayashi found that at least five cycling competitions had taken place before Saint-Claude in France - and the fact that they did not receive such wide publicity did not at all give James Moore the right to be called the first.
Although this bike race won by James Moore is considered the first in history, the Dutch historian Benji Maso claims that she was second and that the first was won by a racer named Polocini. The favorite of the second race was Francois Drouet, who was the leader earlier. In the middle of the distance, James Moore took the lead, breaking the distance, as they wrote, “at the speed of lightning” and won with a result of 3 minutes and 50 seconds to the enthusiastic cries of the crowd. Moore and Polocini were awarded gold medals worth one hundred francs.
