Jimmy Michael
Encyclopedia
Jimmy Michael was a Welsh
world cycling champion and one of the top riders in the sport for several years.
, Rhondda Cynon Taff
, Wales
. His parents had a butcher's shop in the town and he started cycling when he was 12. His first successes were at sports meetings in Glynneath
and Mountain Ash. He went on to win larger meetings in Cardiff
, Newport
and Merthyr. He also won Welsh championships at five and 50 miles.
Michael went to London
in July 1894 to ride the Surrey Hundred at Herne Hill
velodrome
. Mal Rees, writing in Sporting Cyclist
after an interview with Michael's brother, Billy, said:
His performance brought him two contracts to ride in Paris
.
. Michael became world motor-paced champion the same year at Cologne
and equalled Linton's record for 50 km. Linton had a poor year and their relationship soured. Linton's brother, Tom, made some comment in 1896 that prompted this newspaper letter from Michael:
The match may never have happened. Arthur Linton died in June that year, six weeks after winning Bordeaux–Paris.
Michael was a draw wherever he went. A crowd of 22,000 turned out to watch him race in Paris
. His biggest engagement in Britain was the so-called Chain Race at Catford
track in 1896. William Spears Simpson had invented the Simpson Lever Chain, which he was so insistent was an improvement over conventional chains that he staked part of his fortune on it.
Pryor Dodge wrote:
Michael was pitched against Charley Barden
in the five-mile race. What happened next - indeed whether it happened in London
or at another Chain Race in Germany
- is now lost. But stories start with Michael taking a drink offered to him by Warburton and end with his riding poorly to his falling off his bike, remounting and setting off in the wrong direction. The one thing accounts agree on is that the crowd shouted "Dope!"
Michael's strange behaviour at this meeting, and his withdrawal, led him to accuse Warburton of doping him. Many rumours surrounded Warburton but none had been proven and he sued for libel. It's unclear whether the case was heard. Warburton died two years later and the report of his death in the New York Times concluded:
In the background of whatever happened is a report that Warburton bet not on Michael at one or more Chain Races but against him. The French historian Pierre Chany
says Warburton drugged Michael to make him lose. Michael had drawn the attention of an American agent called Bliss who had offered him exhibition races in the USA. The speculation is therefore that Warburton drugged his rider to discourage Bliss's plans and to keep Michael for himself. But it is only speculation.
Michael did go to America. He missed the world championship in 1896 because that's where he was riding. Michael's earnings rose steadily, winning the "fabulous fortune" of 200,000 francs a year, according to Chany. Another historian said:
Michael lost almost all of it by 1899 in gambling
and by becoming a horse-race owner and jockey, having been persuaded by the French champion, Fernand Charron, with whom he was friendly. He crashed at 60 mph in a race in Berlin
in 1903 and cracked his skull. He began drinking in the company of the Franco-Swiss rider, Jean Gougolz, whom Victor Breyer, deputy organiser of the Tour de France
, described as "a weak-minded lovable fellow when sober but bad under the influence of drink." From then on, Breyer said, "Jimmy kept sliding down the toboggan, as the saying goes."
Breyer last saw Michael when he engaged him to ride at the Buffalo track in Paris in 1903. Michael was missing when his time came to ride.
Walter Rutt, the world sprint champion in 1913, said Michael began drinking because of an "everlasting headache" which followed his fall at Berlin.." In November 1904 Michael negotiated a final round of races in America which he hoped would restore his physical and financial health. He died of delirium tremens
in his cabin on the liner Savoie as it took him there. The cause was given as "fatigue fever".
, the French art nouveau
artist, for a poster to advertise the Simpson chain company. Toulouse-Lautrec was a cycling fan and often went to Paris velodromes. He travelled to London in 1896 to make first sketches of the Welshman before completing them in Paris. Simpson rejected Lautrec's drawing because of technical details. Nevertheless 200 copies of the poster were printed. The National Museum of Wales bought one in the 1960s although it is not on display.
Michael was inducted into the Welsh Sports Hall of Fame in 1998.
1902
Welsh people
The Welsh people are an ethnic group and nation associated with Wales and the Welsh language.John Davies argues that the origin of the "Welsh nation" can be traced to the late 4th and early 5th centuries, following the Roman departure from Britain, although Brythonic Celtic languages seem to have...
world cycling champion and one of the top riders in the sport for several years.
Origins
Jimmy Michael was 5 ft 1½ in tall. He was born in AberamanAberaman
Aberaman is a village near Aberdare in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, south Wales.-Schools:*Blaengwawr Comprehensive School *Blaengwawr Primary *Oaklands Primary -Sport:...
, Rhondda Cynon Taff
Rhondda Cynon Taff
Rhondda Cynon Taf, or RCT, is a county borough in the South Wales Valleys of Wales. It consists of 3 valleys: the Rhondda Valley, Cynon Valley and Taff-Ely Valley...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. His parents had a butcher's shop in the town and he started cycling when he was 12. His first successes were at sports meetings in Glynneath
Glynneath
Glynneath , also spelt Glyn Neath, is a small town, community and electoral ward lying on the River Neath in the county borough of Neath Port Talbot, Wales. It was formerly in the historic county of Glamorgan...
and Mountain Ash. He went on to win larger meetings in Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
, Newport
Newport
Newport is a city and unitary authority area in Wales. Standing on the banks of the River Usk, it is located about east of Cardiff and is the largest urban area within the historic county boundaries of Monmouthshire and the preserved county of Gwent...
and Merthyr. He also won Welsh championships at five and 50 miles.
Michael went to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in July 1894 to ride the Surrey Hundred at Herne Hill
Herne Hill
Herne Hill is located in the London Borough of Lambeth and the London Borough of Southwark in Greater London. There is a road of the same name which continues the A215 north of Norwood Road and was called Herne Hill Road.-History:...
velodrome
Velodrome
A velodrome is an arena for track cycling. Modern velodromes feature steeply banked oval tracks, consisting of two 180-degree circular bends connected by two straights...
. Mal Rees, writing in Sporting Cyclist
Sporting Cyclist
Sporting Cyclist was a British cycling A4-sized magazine originally called Coureur. It began in 1957 and closed after 131 issues in October 1968.-Coureur:...
after an interview with Michael's brother, Billy, said:
The crowd laughed to see such a 'David' having the temerity to start in a race of that length against so many six-footers. Cycling chroniclers of the day, reporting on the event, were astounded as the Welsh boy matched every attack in the hectic early stages. 'Who was this youth who dared to hang on to London's speediest riders?', they wrote. In the first hour, 24 miles 475 yards had been covered and 'the little hero' Jimmy Michael dogged the heels of the leaders until he succeeded in breaking away himself to lap the field at 46 miles.
At two hours, with 48 miles 377 yards covered, he was just outside the record, but at the 50-mile mark was inside with 2h 4m 42s. There seems to have been no serious threat during the second fifty for Michael consolidated his lead and went on to win in 4h 19m 39s with a seven-minute margin from the runner-up. This was a new record.
His performance brought him two contracts to ride in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
Professional
Michael turned professional in 1895 for the Gladiator bicycle company, where he joined Arthur Linton, another rider from his town. Both were coached by Choppy WarburtonChoppy Warburton
James Edward 'Choppy' Warburton was an English record-breaking runner and a cycling coach. His career in cycling has frequent claims that he drugged riders to make them ride faster.-Origins:...
. Michael became world motor-paced champion the same year at Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
and equalled Linton's record for 50 km. Linton had a poor year and their relationship soured. Linton's brother, Tom, made some comment in 1896 that prompted this newspaper letter from Michael:
Seeing that Tom Linton has been boasting in the South Wales papers that he can beat me, and that he would be willing to ride me any time, and also that his brother Arthur was 'champion of the world,' I will ride either of them, and will give them two laps in 100 kilometres, three in 100 miles, or four laps in six hours for £100 a-side and all gate receipts, race to be ridden at Buffalo or Winter track in Paris. I have deposited £20 with Sporting Life, so all they have to do is cover it and they can be accommodated at once, or give over talking. Anyone else in the world can be taken on the same terms, as I am middle-distance champion of the world and not A Linton. I am, &c.,
Jimmy Michael, 19 Avenue Phillipe le Boucher, Neuilly, Paris
The match may never have happened. Arthur Linton died in June that year, six weeks after winning Bordeaux–Paris.
Michael was a draw wherever he went. A crowd of 22,000 turned out to watch him race in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. His biggest engagement in Britain was the so-called Chain Race at Catford
Catford
Catford is a district in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Lewisham. It is situated south-east of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-Architecture:...
track in 1896. William Spears Simpson had invented the Simpson Lever Chain, which he was so insistent was an improvement over conventional chains that he staked part of his fortune on it.
Pryor Dodge wrote:
In the fall of 1895, Simpson offered ten-to-one odds that riders with his chain would beat bicyclists with regular chains. Later known as the Chain Matches, these races at the Catford track in London attracted huge crowds estimated between twelve and twenty thousand in June of 1896. Simpson's team not only included the top racers - Tom Linton, Jimmy Michael, and Constant HuretConstant HuretConstant Huret, nicknamed "le Boulanger" was a French long distance track racing cyclist. He was a professional from 1894 to 1902.-Major achievements:...
- but also the Gladiator pacing team brought over from Paris. Pacers enabled a racer to ride faster by shielding him from air resistance. Although Simpson won the Chain Matches, they only proved that the Gladiator pacers were superior to their English rivals.
Michael was pitched against Charley Barden
Charley Barden
Charley Barden was a British cyclist whose fame and looks led to his being mobbed wherever he went. He twice came second in the world professional sprint championship and held the English title and several records. His career was ruined after he alleged that other riders rode dangerously and...
in the five-mile race. What happened next - indeed whether it happened in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
or at another Chain Race in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
- is now lost. But stories start with Michael taking a drink offered to him by Warburton and end with his riding poorly to his falling off his bike, remounting and setting off in the wrong direction. The one thing accounts agree on is that the crowd shouted "Dope!"
Michael's strange behaviour at this meeting, and his withdrawal, led him to accuse Warburton of doping him. Many rumours surrounded Warburton but none had been proven and he sued for libel. It's unclear whether the case was heard. Warburton died two years later and the report of his death in the New York Times concluded:
Michael is said to have accused Warbuton of poisoning him, and a suit for libel was instituted by the trainer, who later consented to an amicable settlement, although during the past season frequent rumors have come from London that Michael was to be returned to England to appear in the case.
In the background of whatever happened is a report that Warburton bet not on Michael at one or more Chain Races but against him. The French historian Pierre Chany
Pierre Chany
Pierre Chany was a French cycling journalist. He covered the Tour de France 49 times and was for a long time the main cycling writer for the daily newspaper, L'Équipe.- Biography :...
says Warburton drugged Michael to make him lose. Michael had drawn the attention of an American agent called Bliss who had offered him exhibition races in the USA. The speculation is therefore that Warburton drugged his rider to discourage Bliss's plans and to keep Michael for himself. But it is only speculation.
Michael did go to America. He missed the world championship in 1896 because that's where he was riding. Michael's earnings rose steadily, winning the "fabulous fortune" of 200,000 francs a year, according to Chany. Another historian said:
Michael... signed a contract at the beginning of the 1898 season guaranteeing him $2,500 for each of nine paced races against his main rivals, including Major Taylor, making a total guaranteed income of $22,500, an enormous sum of money. Cycle Age described it as 'the greatest deal in the history of professional cycle racing and in fact of all sport outside pugilism.' For the few bicycle racing stars at the very top of the sport, the sky was the limit as far as what they could earn. Manufacturers were prepared to spend large amounts of money to hire star riders to advertise their bicycles and tires, and spectators lined up at the box office. Michael told a reporter he intended to make $30,000 from bicycle racing in July, August and September of 1898.
Michael lost almost all of it by 1899 in gambling
Gambling
Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods...
and by becoming a horse-race owner and jockey, having been persuaded by the French champion, Fernand Charron, with whom he was friendly. He crashed at 60 mph in a race in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
in 1903 and cracked his skull. He began drinking in the company of the Franco-Swiss rider, Jean Gougolz, whom Victor Breyer, deputy organiser of the Tour de France
Tour de France
The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
, described as "a weak-minded lovable fellow when sober but bad under the influence of drink." From then on, Breyer said, "Jimmy kept sliding down the toboggan, as the saying goes."
Breyer last saw Michael when he engaged him to ride at the Buffalo track in Paris in 1903. Michael was missing when his time came to ride.
After a wait, during which the public was growing impatient, Gougolz (who happened to be sober and was going to act as Michael's pacemaker) volunteered to take Breyer to where Michael might be found. They drove to a public house close by the Arc de TriompheArc de Triomphe-The design:The astylar design is by Jean Chalgrin , in the Neoclassical version of ancient Roman architecture . Major academic sculptors of France are represented in the sculpture of the Arc de Triomphe: Jean-Pierre Cortot; François Rude; Antoine Étex; James Pradier and Philippe Joseph Henri Lemaire...
Michael was in an armchair near the bar, visibly drunk. Gougolz persuaded him to fulfil his commitment and the race was started an hour late with Michael among the riders. But he lost lap after lap, finishing a bad last, and he left the track followed by boos and hisses from the spectators.
Walter Rutt, the world sprint champion in 1913, said Michael began drinking because of an "everlasting headache" which followed his fall at Berlin.." In November 1904 Michael negotiated a final round of races in America which he hoped would restore his physical and financial health. He died of delirium tremens
Delirium tremens
Delirium tremens is an acute episode of delirium that is usually caused by withdrawal from alcohol, first described in 1813...
in his cabin on the liner Savoie as it took him there. The cause was given as "fatigue fever".
Miscellaneous honours
Michael was drawn by Henri de Toulouse-LautrecHenri de Toulouse-Lautrec
Henri Marie Raymond de Toulouse-Lautrec-Monfa or simply Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec was a French painter, printmaker, draughtsman, and illustrator, whose immersion in the colourful and theatrical life of fin de siècle Paris yielded an œuvre of exciting, elegant and provocative images of the modern...
, the French art nouveau
Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau is an international philosophy and style of art, architecture and applied art—especially the decorative arts—that were most popular during 1890–1910. The name "Art Nouveau" is French for "new art"...
artist, for a poster to advertise the Simpson chain company. Toulouse-Lautrec was a cycling fan and often went to Paris velodromes. He travelled to London in 1896 to make first sketches of the Welshman before completing them in Paris. Simpson rejected Lautrec's drawing because of technical details. Nevertheless 200 copies of the poster were printed. The National Museum of Wales bought one in the 1960s although it is not on display.
Michael was inducted into the Welsh Sports Hall of Fame in 1998.
Palmarès
1895- 1st World Stayers Championships - Professional
1902
- 3rd European Stayers Championships - Professional