Victor Louis Johnson, Vic Johnson, (10 May 1883 – 23 June 1951) was a

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track cycling racer who, in 1908, won a gold medal at the

1908 Summer Olympics The 1908 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the IV Olympiad and also known as London 1908) were an international multi-sport event held in London, England, from 27 April to 31 October 1908. The 1908 Games were originally schedu ...

; became 'World Amateur Sprint Champion' and the 'British National Quarter-mile Champion'. In September 1909, he set three world records at

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, London, for quarter-mile, three-quarter mile, and one mile. His quarter-mile time (28 seconds) stood as the world record for 21 years and the British amateur record for 'at least 39 years'. His lifetime achievements were celebrated in 1948 when

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awarded him his own page in the

Golden Book of Cycling The ''Golden Book of Cycling'' was created in 1932 by ''Cycling'', a British cycling magazine, to celebrate "the Sport and Pastime of Cycling by recording the outstanding rides, deeds and accomplishments of cyclists, officials and administra ...

, which is now held in 'The Pedal Club' archive.

Personal life

Johnson was born at

Aston Manor Aston Manor was a local government district of Warwickshire, England in what is now northern Birmingham, in the West Midlands, from the 19th century to 1911, when it was added to Birmingham. The Aston Manor Local Board of Health was formed in 1 ...

Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Staffordshire and Leicestershire to the north, Northamptonshire to the east, Ox ...

1901 census - 22 Station Road, Erdington, Warwickshire, RG 13/2876, page 3 of 41England & Wales Birth Index, Apr/Jun quarter 1883, Victor Louis Johnson, Aston registration district, volume 6d, page 435 During the 1901 census, Johnson lived at 22 Station Road,

Erdington Erdington is a suburb and ward of Birmingham, in the county of the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Warwickshire, it is located northeast of central Birmingham, bordering Sutt ...

, Warwickshire, where his occupation was listed as

carpenter Carpentry is a skilled trade and a craft in which the primary work performed is the cutting, shaping and installation of building materials during the construction of buildings, ships, timber bridges, concrete formwork, etc. Carpenter ...

; his father, John Thomas Johnson, was a bicycle maker. His father had been a cyclist himself and was one of the participants in the first road race in history from Paris to Rouen in France in 1869, in which he finished eighth.

Career

Vic Johnson started cycle racing in 1902 when he joined the 'Rover Racing C.C. 1908 was his break-through year when he won 60 races, including the National Cyclists' Union (N.C.U.) British National quarter-mile title; the World's Amateur Sprint championship in

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Germany; and the

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660 yards sprint in London, completing a single lap of the track in 51.2 seconds. He also reached the final of the Olympic Games 1,000 metre sprint but suffered a puncture and was narrowly beaten into the silver medal position, but the race was declared void when the time limit was exceeded. Johnson rode a 'Rover Path Racer' and the 'very cycle that took him to victory' is on display in the Heritage Cycling Museum at the

Heritage Motor Centre The British Motor Museum in Gaydon, Warwickshire, England holds the world's largest collection of historic British cars, with over 300 cars on display from the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust and the Jaguar Heritage Trust. History The c ...

Gaydon Gaydon is a civil parish and village in the Stratford-on-Avon District of Warwickshire, England, situated between Leamington Spa and Banbury. In the 2001 census, the parish had a population of 376, increasing to 446 at the 2011 census and 53 ...

, Warwickshire. Cycling - Men's Sprint
an

Heritage collection, Profile and image of Victor Johnson
/ref> In September 1909, he set three world records at Herne Hill Velodrome, London - the unpaced standing-start quarter-mile, three-quarter mile, and one mile. The '28 seconds' quarter mile time stood as the world record for 21 years and as the British amateur record for 'at least 39 years'. It only lost its world status when the Union Cycliste Internationale (U.C.I.) changed the rules in 1948, and it was superseded by a slower time. Johnson won the National Cyclists' Union (N.C.U.) quarter-mile championships in 1908, 1911 and 1912. He also won the one-mile championship in 1910 and 1911 and the five-mile championship in 1911.

The Golden Book

Vic Johnson's achievements were celebrated in 1948 when

awarded him his own page in the

.The Golden Book of Cycling - Vic Johnson, 1948. Archive maintained by 'The Pedal Club'.
/ref>

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Victor 1883 births 1951 deaths People from Erdington English male cyclists British male cyclists English track cyclists British track cyclists English Olympic competitors Olympic cyclists for Great Britain Cyclists at the 1908 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medallists for Great Britain Sportspeople from Warwickshire Olympic medalists in cycling Medalists at the 1908 Summer Olympics