The Flying Scotsman

Glasgow, 15th August 2017 - Who remembers Graeme Obree? The cyclist from Ayr, who broke the world hour record in 1993 and 1994. He was odd, that is the least we can say. He developed his own, unconventional bikes, forcing himself to ride in extremely difficult positions. On ‘The Old Faitful’, his first, he made straight and narrow handlebars. He put them so close to his saddle that he had to ride with the bars under his chest. He could hardly breathe. Graeme beat the world hour record and the UCI banned his bike and his riding position. So the Scot invented the Superman Position; now he rode with his arms fully extended in front of him. Again, the UCI banned this position. Nevertheless he had a rewarding carreer and is considered a great athlete. Two replicas of his bikes were used in the Flying Scotsman, a film about his life and based on his autobiography. These bikes are on show in the Riverside Museum. Please read more about this man. How he bolted his shoes to his pedals and used bearings from a washing machine in his bikes. Great fun. 

Bikes of Graeme Obree, Riverside Museum Glasgow (FDC)

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