1861: A Champion Cyclist, Not to Mention “a Thorough Stayer in All Branches of Sport,” Begins His Life’s Journey in England

August 11, 1861

Montague Alfred Holbein, who achieved considerable fame for his competitive cycling achievements, was born in what is now the London-area suburban district of Twickenham. He proved himself to be a gifted athlete with an enviable abundance of both skill and stamina. Holbein first drew widespread attention when he readily demonstrated those qualities as — in the words of the London-based Times — an “enthusiastic member” of the Cheshire Tally-Ho cross-country running club in northwestern England.

By the mid-to-late 1880s, though, Holbein had begun to channel his energies instead into the then-new sport of long-distance road cycling races. For well over a decade, he reigned as one of the dominant figures of this sport in England. He broke 32 racing records altogether and won a total of four North Road Cycling Club 24-hour races. One of Holbein’s noteworthy on-the-road triumphs involved riding on a tandem (a bicycle built for two) with fellow cyclist Arthur Brown and covering 200 miles (322.9 kilometers) in a record-setting 12 hours.

In addition, Holbein finished second in the inaugural edition of the Bordeaux-Paris professional cycle race — encompassing about 350 miles (560 kilometers) between the aforementioned French cities — in 1891. Holbein completed this race in 27 hours, 52 minutes, and 15 seconds.

Holbein’s well-established reputation as a formidable cyclist in England was amply highlighted in an article about one of his major victories in 1889. The Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser reported at the time, “Montague A. Holbein, of the Catford Cycling Club, has done several notable feats on the bicycle, but his latest performance in riding 320 miles (515 kilometers) on the road is undoubtedly the ‘biggest’ event of its kind ever known.”

This article further stated, “The winner is well known to Manchester people . . . He is a thorough stayer in all branches of sport, as at various times he has been credited with walking 7.5 miles [12.1 kilometers] in the hour, 20 miles [32.2 kilometers], running 30 miles [48.3 kilometers] in 3 hours, 23 minutes, 29 seconds, and swimming 15 miles [24.1 kilometers]in 5 hours, 10 minutes.”

This assessment of Holbein was echoed to some extent by an article appearing in the Tamworth Herald in 1896. This newspaper asserted, “No man is better known or more highly respected in cycling circles than Montague Holbein, and few, who some dozen years ago, met with the now famous long-distance rider at the weekly runs of the Cheshire Tally Ho, the oldest cross-country club in the kingdom, had an idea that ‘Monty’ would ever turn out to be so brilliant a cyclist.”

Unfortunately for Holbein, his cycling career came to an unexpected end the following year when he fell off a bicycle he was pedaling and ended up fracturing a thigh. With his competitive cycling days behind him, Holbein focused his time and athletic abilities on swimming instead. While he took to the waters on a regular basis to help with the healing of his now-stiff leg, Holbein also pursued swimming with the same fierce passion he had previously brought to numerous cycling races. He broke quite a few swimming records on the River Thames, for example, and — to help celebrate his 75th birthday in 1936 — swam from Richmond Lock to London Bridge in a little over five hours.

Holbein died in July 1944 at the age of 82. The Times eulogized, “Holbein was not only a very great athlete, but also a very great sportsman, with a rigid code of fair play, which he applied to his whole life, and all those who knew him will miss a generous and warmhearted friend.”

Photo Credit: Public Domain

For more information on Montague Alfred Holbein, please check out https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montague_Holbein