Early Racing
Engers rode his first 25-mile (40 km) time-trial on a course starting at Bignall's Corner, at the junction of the A1 and A6 between London and Hatfield. He finished in 1h 12m, riding on a bicycle with derailleur gears, which he was told by older riders added two minutes to his time. Thinking at the time was that it was faster to ride a lighter bike with a single gear and no freewheel.
He also trained by the dictum of the day, which was that every extra mile counted.
At first Engers had no preference for either time-trialling or road racing. Then he saw two leading brothers, the Higginson twins, riding a national championship.
In 1953 he rode his first 25-mile (40 km) race in less than an hour, riding a 78-inch (2,000 mm) gear fixed wheel, the highest gear he had ridden. In 1959 he beat the record for the distance with 55m 11s.
Read more about this topic: Alf Engers
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