Arthur Humbles

Humbles was born in Dalston, London, the sixth of seven children of William Humbles (1881-1917) and Blanche Maude Amelia Humbles (née Illett; 1884-1974).

Albert Arthur Humbles (9 May 1910 – 3 July 1997), subsequently known as Alan Alain Holt and Allan Holt, was an English cyclist who set the world endurance cycling record by covering 36007 mi during the calendar year of 1932.

He broke the previous best mark that had stood since Marcel Planes completed 34366 mi in 1911 in response to Cycling magazine's 'Century Competition'.

The winner was Marcel Planes with 332 centuries in which he covered 34,366 mi. The inspiration for the competition was said to be the efforts of Harry Long, a commercial traveller who rode a bicycle on his rounds covering every part of England and Scotland and who covered 25,376 mi in 1910.

The world record for distance cycled in a year began in an era when bicycle companies competed to show their machines were the most reliable.

The record has been officially established nine times.

A tenth claim, by the English rider Ken Webb, was later disallowed.

Humbles was a member of the Ingleside Cycling Club.

In 1911 the weekly magazine Cycling began a competition for the highest number of 100 mi rides or "centuries" in a single year.

By 1914, his parents had separated and he was admitted to the Hackney Union Children’s Home in Homerton, London as a pauper.

His father served in the London Regiment of the British Army in the First World War and was killed in action in France on 9 April 1917.

Humbles lived in Almorah Road in Hoxton, Islington, North London, during the time of his record bid.

Humbles’ eight year old niece, Yvonne May Ball (née Bourn; 1924–84) presented him with a small laurel wreath.

Having been made unemployed as a blend-mixer at a tobacco factory, Humbles wanted to demonstrate that an ordinary clubman could break the long-standing world endurance record, so in 1932 cycling became a full-time occupation.

In January 1932, he wrote to Birmingham-based cycle firm, Hercules, who agreed to give him an ordinary Hercules Empire Club racing bike from stock and eventually agreed to pay him £6 per week plus expenses to attempt the world record, whilst demonstrating the ease of cycling and the reliability of the British bicycle.

He set out to cycle 36,500 miles in a year using a fixed gear and later changed to a variable gear.

He suffered only four punctures and required only two new Dunlop tyres and wore out two chains during the world record attempt.

At 18,000 miles, all the bearings in the bike were changed (“not because it was necessary, but just in case”) as were the brake blocks.

His daily average was 100.019 mi per day for the 360 days that he rode.

His longest ride in a single day was 178 mi from Leeds to Biggleswade via Sheffield and Grantham which took from 9am until 10.30pm.

The shortest daily ride was 35 mi. Riding at an ordinary touring pace, his average speed whilst cycling was 16 miles per hour.

Having initially set off on 8 January 1932 from Marble Arch, his usual routes were out of London along the Great North Road, the Cambridge Road and the Newmarket Road.

Among the hillier areas he visited were the Lake District, North Wales, North Devon and Somerset, including Porlock.

He also ventured to Brighton, Cambridge and Newbury.

He also visited Yorkshire, which he described as his preferred county.

He eventually toured almost every county in Great Britain, visiting places such as Alnwick, Clovelly, Bury St. Edmunds and Bere Regis.

By 16 April 1932, he had completed 10,000 miles, when he was bade farewell by the members of parliament for the four Islington constituencies at the House of Commons.

On 2 July 1932, he was photographed being greeted by members of the Gloucester Cycling Club on arrival in Gloucester.

By 5 August 1932, he had visited the coastal resorts of Brighton, Worthing, Hastings, Margate, Ramsgate, Southend and Clacton, signing autographs for holiday makers he met there.

By 2 September 1932, it was reported that Humbles considered himself sufficiently ahead of schedule, that he was aiming to reach 40,000 miles by the end of the year.

On 1 October 1932, he was photographed shaking hands with Mr C. Boughton, described as the “London Champion” who was mounted on a penny farthing as Humbles was greeted by a group of about 200 cyclists from local cycling clubs on his arrival from Brighton for a planned reception at Purley Station.

By this stage, he had already cycled 27,600 miles.

He was subsequently escorted by a private procession of about 200 cyclists to Kennards stores at North End, Croydon to meet with interested cyclists to discuss his record attempt.

He was congratulated by the store manager, Mr Harding, on the progress of his record-breaking attempt, as well as by Olympic cycling champion, Frank Southall.

By 7 November 1932, he had completed 31,400 miles averaging 103 miles per day at that stage, with an average speed of about 16 miles per hour.

By the evening of Saturday, 10 December 1932, he had equalled Planes’ 1911 record of 34,366 miles.

On 11 December 1932, he set off from Buckingham Palace and broke Marcel Planes' record by riding the 34,367th mile on the 338th day through Hyde Park, London, reportedly followed from Constitution Hill amongst a packed mass over half a mile long by between 3,000 and 5,000 cyclists of both sexes, including about 150 members of his own cycling club, amid prolonged cheers and the continuous ringing of 3,000 cycle bells.

At Marble Arch, he was presented with a silver cup and a large laurel wreath by Sir Malcolm Campbell, who described the feat as a remarkable triumph for the English cycle manufacturing industry and reportedly said he had rarely seen a healthier looking man.

In 1933, Humbles entered the Golden Book of Cycling as the greatest long-distance rider in the world.

He rode 36007 mi in a year, averaging 100.019 mi per day for the 360 days that he rode.