Wearwell paved the way for Team Sky in cycle racing
The Wearwell brand was well on the way to global domination in the early 1950s - but another exciting development was about to take place on home soil.
Cycle racing in Britain was on the rise and, following in the footsteps of the mighty continental epics such as the Tour de France, British stage races were becoming a regular feature on the sporting calendar.
A moving force behind the fledgling Tour of Britain was Wolverhampton bike builder and road racer Percy Stallard who organised the first official tour of Britain in 1951.
The 14-day race was contested by regional British teams, sponsored teams made up of independent riders, and national teams from Ireland, Scotland and France. And in 1952, these included a team from Wearwell Cycling Company.
The four-man team threw themselves into the race in a manner not expected from a team so new to the circuit. Riding boldly, they set out to secure their place in the breakaways as often as possible, and ultimately to challenge for stage wins. Yet despite their best intentions, the team failed to challenge for podium places.
The following year, Wearwell bosses changed tack and recruited the finest independent riders in Britain at that time to ride for the team.
Trevor Fenwick, Johnny Welch, John Pottier, Les Scales and Ian Greenfield made up the five-man squad in 1953. The new line-up boasted several riders that had already performed strongly in the two previous tours, with regular podium spots and top five overall finishes, as well several wins on the national circuit.
John Pottier became the first British rider to take the yellow jersey from foreign opposition, as the Wearwell team swept up other major honours - including four stage podium places, a second and third placing in the final general classification, and an all-important victory in the team classification. Wearwell became champions of Britain.
In 1955 a British team was sent to compete for cycling’s biggest prize in the Tour de France for the first time. The line-up included Wearwell rider Ken Mitchell and, as first reserve, John Pottier.
For Mitchell the race proved particularly tough. A painful boil to the saddle region was to be his undoing – but not before he had wrapped a tyre around his saddle in an attempt to try and relieve some of the excruciating pressure.
However, Wearwell - the Team Sky of its day - still held the distinction of having a rider in the very first British team to compete in the race, paving the way for future stars such as Mark Cavendish, Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome.
