This film is part of Free
Stunning, 360-degree action of the speeding wheels at London's premier cycling circuit.
'Remarkable pictures taken with our special camera', boasts this newsreel item, and there's no denying the stunning clarity of these images, which never lose their focus on the speeding riders - even if the audience is all in a blur! Cycling's popularity peaked in the 1920s, and attendance at the annual Good Friday event could exceed 10,000 fans, all hoping to see records shattered.
Herne Hill's state-of-the-art velodrome was built in 1891 to provide a safe, banked cycle track for south London. Such was cycling's popularity by the 1920s that the newsreels regularly brought their cameras to events like this one, bringing all their ingenuity and technical invention to the challenge of tracking the tirelessly spinning wheels.
