Ross Hill, 2014
Quote from teddwheeler@hotmail.com on April 12, 2021, 7:34 pmI recently found this email received from Ross in 2014. A library of antique bicycle knowledge was lost with his passing.
"Tedd,
Thank you for the kind words. I truly love riding my highwheel and wished I would have had the opportunity to have ridden one in my youth to have been able to find out how fast I could have been. My only timed events during my racing days where an unofficial 10 mile on the velodrome that beat the national record in 1974. I don't remember the time anymore. However it was not a sanctioned USCF event so it did not count. The other was in the Illinois State Time Trial Championships in 1975, I was recovering from a crash and went to the event to use it as a training ride. I finished 7th at 1hr 7min 03 sec for the 25 miles done on a T shaped course. I flatted at one of the turnarounds and the marshal had a spare wheel in his truck. So my time included switching wheels and pumping up the tire. Would have been nice to have gotten a clean run and to have been at 100%. I do have to note the after the flat there was a rush of adrenaline that kicked in. Most likely would have qualified for the National Championships with a clean run. And doing this as a track rider my training was not conducive to running longer events. With some specific T-T training I'm sure I could have easily broken one hour. I think the national record back then was around 58 minutes.
Oh...the glory days! Well maybe. It always fun to look back, and I have always enjoyed all my bicycling activities.
Hope to see you this summer. Not sure I'll make it to the Island, but I am at least at this time planning on making the National Meet.
Ross"
I recently found this email received from Ross in 2014. A library of antique bicycle knowledge was lost with his passing.
"Tedd,
Thank you for the kind words. I truly love riding my highwheel and wished I would have had the opportunity to have ridden one in my youth to have been able to find out how fast I could have been. My only timed events during my racing days where an unofficial 10 mile on the velodrome that beat the national record in 1974. I don't remember the time anymore. However it was not a sanctioned USCF event so it did not count. The other was in the Illinois State Time Trial Championships in 1975, I was recovering from a crash and went to the event to use it as a training ride. I finished 7th at 1hr 7min 03 sec for the 25 miles done on a T shaped course. I flatted at one of the turnarounds and the marshal had a spare wheel in his truck. So my time included switching wheels and pumping up the tire. Would have been nice to have gotten a clean run and to have been at 100%. I do have to note the after the flat there was a rush of adrenaline that kicked in. Most likely would have qualified for the National Championships with a clean run. And doing this as a track rider my training was not conducive to running longer events. With some specific T-T training I'm sure I could have easily broken one hour. I think the national record back then was around 58 minutes.
Oh...the glory days! Well maybe. It always fun to look back, and I have always enjoyed all my bicycling activities.
Hope to see you this summer. Not sure I'll make it to the Island, but I am at least at this time planning on making the National Meet.
Ross"