Hugh Porter
Hugh Porter
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Hugh Porter

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Hugh Porter

Hugh William Porter MBE (born 27 January 1940) is one of Britain's greatest former professional cyclists, winning four world titles in the individual pursuit as well as a Commonwealth Games gold medal in 1966. He is now a commentator on cycling events, working most notably for the BBC and ITV.

Porter was born and raised in Wolverhampton and educated at the city's St Peter's Collegiate School. His father, Joe, was a cyclist and at 10, Hugh was taken to the Halesowen Velodrome to watch British sprint world champion Reg Harris.

In his earlier working life outside professional cycling commitments he was employed as a draughtsman at Chubb Locks in Willenhall.

He is married to British Olympic swimming gold medallist, Anita Lonsbrough; they met while travelling to Tokyo for the 1964 Summer Olympics and married in 1965.

Aged 16, Porter began racing as a junior for Wolverhampton Wheelers cycling club, finishing third in his first road race. He also became a regular competitor in weekly track league meetings at Wolverhampton’s Aldersley Stadium cycle track.

As a senior, he won his first race in July 1958 and by the end of the season another victory and other high placings led to a first-category licence for the 1959 season. First was the highest of three classes dependent on racing successes. Six victories came that season on the road, along with a gold medal on the track as part of his club's team pursuit squad at the national track championships at the Fallowfield Stadium, Manchester. He also won the Midlands title in the individual pursuit, but remained focused on developing as a road racer.

In the early 1960s he represented Great Britain in the Tour of Czechoslovakia in 1961 (26th overall) and in the Tour of Ireland. He also finished second that year in the season-long Star Trophy points competition assessed by results in set races through a season, and 17th in his first ride in the Tour of Britain. A year later he was 20th in the same event, and earned selection for the 1962 world championships in Italy to ride both the road race and team time trial events. However, over-exertion in the time trial led to a poor performance in the road race.

Porter still dabbled in track racing and in 1963 performed well in the individual pursuit at Aldersley Stadium's Easter international meeting, before winning the final 10-mile scratch race. Encouraged, Porter began to consider contesting the national individual pursuit championship. In the meantime, he also raced in the national 25-mile individual time trial championship in Gloucestershire, finishing second. The individual pursuit championship was decided at Fallowfield Stadium; Porter was the fastest qualifier and, although headed in the early stages of the final, soon eased into the lead to beat Harry Jackson and win his first individual national title. Porter then travelled to the Rocourt velodrome, in Belgium, for the 1963 world championship, where he reached the semi-final, to be pipped by 0.18 seconds by Belgian Jean Walschaerts for a place in the final. He won the third-place ride-off to take a bronze medal.

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