Charlie McCoy

In 1960 Charlie McCoy was in the Melling Wheelers quartet that won the national team pursuit title along with Joe McLean, and the non-Olympians David Telfer and George Evans. The previous year McCoy had reached the semi-final with Melling’s “B” team and would almost certainly have reached the final, against the “A” team, had it not been for a blow out to one of McLean’s tyres after eight-and-a-half of the ten laps.

Again with McLean, and Barry Hoban and Mike Gambrill, McCoy competed in the 1960 Roma Olympics 4000 metres team pursuit but failed to qualify for the quarter-final after finishing 10th out of 19. McCoy had made his international début in East Berlin a few months earlier. In 1961 McCoy set the British 25-mile record of 55:01 on a course near Chester. The following year he competed in the individual pursuit at the British Empire and Commonwealth Games at Perth. He also took part at that year’s world championships in Milano and reached the team pursuit quarter-final. The team of McCoy, McLean, Harry Jackson, and Brian Sandy were eliminated by the Soviet Union, despite setting a British record. Also in 1962, McCoy was in the Melling squad that lost to old Old Portlians in the national team pursuit final.

McCoy never won a national individual pursuit title. The closest he came was in 1962 when he finished second to Harry Jackson. The previous year McCoy was third, in a race won by Barry Hoban.