Ken Laidlaw

When Ken Laidlaw competed in the 1960 Roma Olympics, he was the first Scottish cycling Olympian since Jackie Bone in 1936. At the Roma Games, Laidlaw finished 53rd in the individual road race out of 138 starters and was also in the Great Britain quartet that finished 14th (out of 32) in the 100km team time trial.

Laidlaw started his cycling at the Hawick Cycling Club as a 15-year-old in 1951 but showed no early signs of what was to come. It was only after starting his National Service in 1957 that Laidlaw did some serious training and built up his physique and strength. He finished fourth in the Army 100-mile cycling championship in his first year in service and a few months later won the Scottish “100” in record time. He followed that with his first tour win, the three-day Tour of Scotland.

Laidlaw continued to progress and was called up into the Scotland squad for the 1958 Cardiff British Empire and Commonwealth Games. That same year he also competed in his first Tour of Britain Milk Race, finishing eighth. In preparation for the 1960 Roma Olympics, Laidlaw competed in hill-climbs and cyclo-cross. He followed the Olympics by finishing 16th in the World Amateur Road Race Championship in Leipzig, and ended the year by winning the Scottish hill-climb title.

Laidlaw turned professional in 1961 and took part in his only Tour de France with a best finish of 11th on the 207 km Stage 18 between Pau and Bordeaux. He finished the stage with the same time as the stage winner Martin Van Geneugden of Belgium. Laidlaw completed the gruelling race and was the first Scot to do so.

Disillusioned with professional cycling, Laidlaw retired from the sport shortly afterwards and in 1963 emigrated to the United States with his family. The annual Jim Laidlaw Sportive is a race in honour of his achievements at the Hawick Cycling Club.