Harry Reynolds

Harry Reynolds won the 1953 Junior National Road Race Championship, and in 1956 was third in the senior event, which secured him a place on the British Olympic road race squad. At Melbourne, Reynolds finished 19th in the individual race and won a silver medal in the team race. Unfortunately, due to a mix up, only three medals, instead of four, were available at the medal ceremony and Reynolds missed out and did not receive one. However, six months later the Olympic committee in Melbourne shipped the spare medal to England and Reynolds was presented with it by the Mayor of Solihull in June 1957, before the start of the Solihull Cycling Club’s annual road race.

During his time serving in the Army, Reynolds won the British Army Five Day race in 1957 and 1958, winning all five stages in the latter year.

Reynolds turned professional in 1958 and in two years in the paid ranks rode with the British Elswick Hopper, and Falcon teams. Reynolds competed in the 1960 Tour de France, and withdrew shortly after the start of the 12th stage after breaking a collar bone following a fall while taking a corner at speed.

Once his competitive professional career came to an end, Reynolds kept racing as an amateur and later on enjoyed success as a veteran and in 1979 won the National Veteran’s Road Race Championship on the Isle of Man at the age of 43. He was still winning veterans races two years later.

Reynolds’ son Keith was also an Olympian, and won gold in the team time trial at the 1986 Edinburgh Commonwealth Games.