A Glimpse into the History Of
Cycling in Norfolk
The First Bicycles Did you know that cycling in Norfolk was all the rage in the 1880s and 1890s? Yes, before automobiles hit the scene, bicycles were the popular mode of transportation. The wooden-wheeled “safety” bicycle replaced the precarious “penny-farthing” (an early type of bicycle with a very large front wheel and a small rear wheel) as a vehicle that people could master and provided a whole new-found form of freedom and independence. It allowed folk to ride to work, school and explore places further afield. By 1895 pneumatic tires (wheels with a metal hub with a rubber tire mounted to it, invented by John Boyd Dunlop) were included, affording a far more comfortable ride. Early Bicycle Lingo Early cyclists were known as “wheelmen” or “wheelwomen”. Bicycles were referred to as “silent steeds” or “steel steeds”. Fast riders were “flyers” and a very fast rider was known as a “scorcher”. In the 1890s folks were not used to these new quiet contraptions; cyclists whizzing by tended to startle the elderly and horses. Some villages and towns, therefore, instituted laws to deter “scorching”. However, for a few brazen cyclists, this was merely seen as a challenge; flaunting the law, they would race their bicycles through the main streets, daring the local constabulary to try to catch them.
Cycling Clubs and Events Quickly cycling clubs sprang up all over North America and Simcoe was the epicentre. In 1894 the Simcoe Cycling Club, known as the “Simcoe Spokes”, hosted the first Canadian Wheelman’s Association (CWA) series of races as well as an annual local series for Norfolk residents at the “Riverview Park Track” (Horse Track at the Fairgrounds) and on Governor’s Road (now Hwy 24). Prizes such as diamond pins and rings, gold-lined coffee spoons, silver cigar boxes and ink stands enticed the competitors. Hal Donly The CWA was the formative authority in promoting competitive cycling and advancements in all types of cycling. The successful promotion of cycling in this area was largely thanks to Hal Donly who, at age 19, was editor of his family-owned newspaper, the Simcoe Reformer. Hal was also a keen cyclist and treasurer/ secretary of the CWA and publisher of the globally read monthly magazine, “CWA Gazette”. How Cycling Changed our Roads and Regulations The CWA was also a powerful, nationwide organization and most of its business was directed through the town of Simcoe. With Hal at the helm, the CWA petitioned the government to enact laws to affect the first traffic laws to protect users from each other and petitioned the Provincial Government to improve the limited and poor road systems in Ontario. Aside from the one and only tolled plank road from Hamilton to Port Dover, the roads in Norfolk County in the 1880s were mostly dirt with no culverts. They were often muddy and eroded, somewhat maintained by the landowners whose land abutted the road per the law at that time. It took a significant amount of negotiating by the Canadian Wheelman’s Association, with the resultant creation of the Ontario Good Roads Association (which exists to date), to invoke the gradual changes to the road networks and quality. So today we can be grateful to the early cycling movement for their foresight in the initiation of the road development and improvement.
