28 January 1935(1935-01-28) (aged 73) South Shields, England
Fred Wood (1 March 1861 – 28 January 1935) was an English cyclist, one of the leading professional riders of the 1880s who became world penny farthing champion.
Career
Born in Rushden, Northamptonshire, Wood was a keen cyclist as a teenager, and moved to Leicester around 1878 and joined Leicester Cycling Club to take advantage of better facilities and stronger competition. He won a string of championships in the 1880s over distances ranging from one mile to fifty miles and set several record times.[1][2][3]
His success inspired N. Corah & Sons of Leicester to produce the 'Fred Wood Champion Suit' for cyclists in 1883.[4]
In 1886 Wood competed in the United States, winning a one mile professional race and a five mile handicap at Roseville, New Jersey.[5]
By 1887 Wood was the World Penny Farthing Champion, and visited Australia and New Zealand during 1887 and 1888;[6][7] At Ballarat in November Wood won the professional championship, and in New Zealand he set a world mile record of 2 minutes 50.6 seconds.[8][9][10]
Wood moved to South Shields in 1888 where he went into business, becoming a licensed victualler.[11] He became a local councillor for St. Hilda Ward in 1914.[2][12] He set up the catering company Messrs. Johnson and Wood with Thomas Henry Johnson.[13]
In 1891 Wood toured Britain competing in events at various tracks.[14]
On 26 January 1935, Wood suffered head injuries in a fall down cellar steps at the pub that he ran, The Mariner's Arms, and died two days later in the Ingham Infirmary aged 73;[2][15] A coroner's inquest determined that the death was accidental.[16]
^Wilson, Elizabeth & Taylor, Lou (1989) Through the Looking Glass: A History of Dress from 1860 to the Present Day, BBC Books, ISBN978-0563214410, p. 56