Adam Dooley
17.5K posts
@_adamdooley
Its me silly
Peter Kennaugh -who has been doing sterling work throughout ITV’s final year of free-to-air Tour de France coverage - also holds the lap record on the Isle of Man TT circuit, albeit on a human-powered bicycle rather than a motorbike. This famed route, better known in cycling circles as the Mountain Circuit, is celebrated for its role in the Manx International road race. Originally established for motorcycle competition in 1911, the 37.5-mile course weaves through twisting bends and challenging climbs, cresting at Snaefell, the island’s highest point at 621 metres. While the TT’s reputation was forged by roaring engines, cyclists have long been drawn to its formidable terrain. In 1925 the Viking Wheelers introduced a cycling time trial on the same circuit, but it wasn’t until 1936 that Curwen Clague - an influential advocate for the sport on the island - persuaded the National Cyclists’ Union to permit a mass-start road race. The inaugural Manx International covered one lap of the Mountain Circuit. Though the race saw early mishaps - a lorry and a motorcycle incident disrupting the field near the start, and multiple crashes at Sulby and Keppel Gate - Charles Holland, later one of Britain’s first Tour de France pioneers, led 48 survivors home. The event flourished thereafter, extending to two laps in 1937 and three (113 miles) by 1950, becoming the centrepiece of a week-long festival that included the Mountain Time Trial. Legends such as Eddy Merckx (13th, 1963), Lucien Van Impe (5th, 1967) and Laurent Fignon (12th, 1980) have all contested the course. In the time-trial discipline, Chris Boardman’s 1993 one-lap record of 1 hour 23 minutes 54 seconds stood until the island’s own Peter Kennaugh - then riding for Team Sky - trimmed six seconds off it in 2015. 🚴♂️@petekennaugh 🖊️@ChrisSidwells #cycling #cyclinglegends #cyclinghistory
