An Inverurie aristocrat from the 1800s has been revealed as a world cycling champion – despite often forgetting he was due to be racing.
Ion Grant Neville Keith-Falconer was the third son of the 8th Earl of Kintore, whose family seat is at Keith Hall near the town.
Despite sometimes forgetting about his racing engagements, he turned up on short notice to win and was regarded as “virtually impossible to beat”.
In 1878, Mr Keith-Falconer secured the unofficial title of world cycling champion after winning a two-mile race at Stamford Bridge which was organised by the National Union of Cyclists.
Who was Ion Grant Neville Keith-Falconer?
Mr Keith-Falconer went to Cambridge University and in his later life was a missionary and Arabic scholar.
However, he died aged just 32 in the city of Aden in Yemen from malaria.
Cycle Aberdeenshire has been researching the background of his cycling career and found he would often frequent Inverurie.
Mark Fraser, the owner of the Pedal Power cycling shop in Inverurie, said the connection of a previous winner to the Garioch town was “fascinating”.
He said: “By all accounts he was a very skilled rider and one of the best cyclists of that time.
“In addition to his racing exploits, he completed the famous Lands End to John O’Groats route in 13 days in 1882, an amazing feat considering the types of bicycles available at that time.”
How was Mr Keith-Falconer so fast?
Mr Keith-Falconer was renowned for his speed on the bike – despite not taking competition too seriously.
However, he was 6ft 3ins – far above the usual height for the time period – which was probably down to being a well-nourished aristocrat.
Cycling historian Jim McGurn writes: “Although he may have been the fastest cyclist in the world, his cycling interests were of secondary importance to him.
“So amateurish was his attitude that on at least two occasions he forgot about his racing engagements and turned up at short notice to win in heroic style.
“Despite his show of dilettantism, Keith-Falconer was virtually impossible to beat.”
Inverurie home to world’s fastest cyclist
After the north-east successfully hosted the Tour of Britain in 2022 and 2021, Cycle Aberdeenshire wants to build on the region’s successes.
They hope the discovery of the Keith-Falconer story brings an inspirational link to the north-east from a past winner of the competition.
The next cycling world championships will be held in Glasgow this August.
Aberdeenshire provost Judy Whyte will be meeting Mr Fraser in Inverurie on Thursday to discuss Mr Keith-Falconer’s legacy to the region.
Mrs Whyte, who was brought up on her family’s farm on the outskirts of Keith Hall Estate said: “Whilst the times he competed in as a cyclist were quite different to the world we know now, it has been fascinating to read.
“Thanks to the further research by Live Life Aberdeenshire staff, not only of his cycling exploits but also his early upbringing at Keith Hall and Inverurie, his further education and his work as a missionary.”
However, archivists have struggled to find any more photographs of the famous cyclist after most of the Earl of Kintore’s family records were mysteriously lost in the 1980s.
The current Earl of Kintore, Jamie Keith said: “I am delighted to see this story from my family’s past, being brought into today’s perspective ahead of the major cycling events taking place in Glasgow and across Scotland later this year.
“Ion’s achievements as a cyclist, as recorded by those present at the time and later authors, stand up well to modern day racing cyclists.”
Conversation