Leonard Meredith - Domestic Career

Domestic Career

Meredith was the first rider to beat five hours for a 100-mile time trial, held out-and-home. He did it on the Bath road out of London, starting in Hounslow and turning between Newbury and Hungerford. He finished in 4h 52m 52s and won a gold medal put up by the magazine Cycling. The Rover bicycle on which he rode was put on display in the Gamages department store in central London. The cycling administrator and journalist Frederick Bidlake called Meredith's ride "rather fortunate when he went for the Cycling medal to get the out-and-home '100' inside five hours at his first essay, when all the other triers were finding trouble. His record was beaten by Frederick Grubb later that year with 4h 50m 49s.

In 1916, he had built enough of a fortune from the cycle industry (see below) that the British Olympic Association ruled that he should get no expenses should he be picked for the Olympic Games. The formal reason given was that he was too old and not worthy of public support. The war ended both his career and the 1916 Olympic Games.

Meredith's last races were in 1924, 22 years after he had started, when he tried to break long-distance records.

Among the trophies he won was the Penrose Cup, large enough to hold eight UK gallons. Friends joked he should fill it with beer and drain it. But Meredith was teetotal and a non-smoker.