William Peden, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

    

William Peden

cyclist

Date of Birth: 01-Feb-1906

Place of Birth: Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

Date of Death: 30-Jan-1980

Profession: sport cyclist, track cyclist

Nationality: Canada

Zodiac Sign: Aquarius


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About William Peden

  • William "Torchy" Peden (16 April 1906 – 26 January 1980) was a Canadian cyclist.
  • He was inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 1955 and the BC Sports Hall of Fame in 1966.As a youth, Peden was a natural athlete, participating in several sports, and was nationally ranked in swimming.
  • He took up bicycle racing in 1925 and trained intensively for the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam.
  • He was selected for the Canadian team and competed in three Olympic events.
  • Afterward, he remained in Europe to join the cycling circuit.
  • In 1929, he returned to Canada.
  • After winning five titles at the indoor Canadian championships in Montreal, he turned professional.He discovered and excelled at six-day racing.
  • During the Great Depression, the sport was cheap for spectators and very popular.
  • Beginning in 1929, he won 24 of 48 races over the next four years.
  • In 1932, he set a record that still stands: 10 victories.
  • At times, he teamed up with his younger brother Doug (the sport used two-man teams).
  • Overall, he won 38 of 148, a record unbroken until 1965.
  • In 1931, he set a record; riding behind a car providing a shield against the wind, he achieved a speed of 73.5 miles per hour (118.3 km/h).
  • He also coached the 1932 national cycling team and the 1936 track team.He was a showman, popular with the fans.
  • He would grab a scarf or hat from a spectator and ride around with it for a few laps before returning it to its owner.
  • The redhead acquired the nickname "Torchy" when a journalist described him as a "flame-haired youth leading the pack like a torch".
  • He was rumoured to have earned $50,000 a year, an enormous sum at the time.
  • (For comparison, Babe Ruth made $80,000 in 1930.) During the Second World War, he served in the Royal Canadian Air Force.
  • He participated in his last six-day race in 1942 and his last professional cycling race in 1948.He moved to the United States in the 1950s and opened a sporting goods store.

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