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}} Robert "Bob" John Maitland (31 March 1924 – 26 August 2010)〔(Bob Maitland, hero of 1948 London Olympics, dies in France )〕 was a British racing cyclist. He won national championships in Britain, tackled long-distance records, was the best-placed British rider in the 1948 Olympic road race, and rode for Britain in the Tour de France. His career coincided with a civil war within British cycling as two organisations, the National Cyclists Union and the British League of Racing Cyclists, fought for the future of road racing. ==Early career== Maitland was born in Birmingham and developed an interest in cycle-racing in his teens. He collected autographs from pre-war riders such as Eddie Larkin and Charles Holland and sometimes cycled out to watch them ride time-trials, which were then the only cycle races held on the road.〔The National Cyclists Union had banned racing on the road in the 19th century, fearing that police reaction would affect cyclists generally. A rebel organisation, the Road Time Trials Council, as it came to be known, resisted the ban by riding lone races against the clock, in secret, out in the countryside, and soon after dawn. The NCU and RTTC soon came to recognise each other but they resisted the arrival of the British League of Racing Cyclists, which in defiance of both began organising races on the open road during the war. See British League of Racing Cyclists for more.〕 Spectating persuaded him to race. His first race was the Birmingham Time Trial Association 25-mile event. He finished in 1h 13m 22s, 10 minutes slower than the winner.〔The Bicycle, UK, 6 March 1949, p6〕 He won a junior race in Warwickshire, near Birmingham in 1939 and the following year joined the Solihull Cycling Club.He started racing seriously in 1941. His first road race was over 30 miles near Nottingham in 1943, on a hilly course and in the rain. He gained 40 seconds on the field but another rider caught him with two of the 28 laps to go and he finished second.〔 Maitland was an engineer, a reserved occupation in Britain during the second world war.〔A reserved occupation was one considered essential to keep the country running. Its workers weren't sent to war.〕 That meant he could continue racing, although with a reduced calendar of competitions and restrictions on travel. He rode club events but also set a national tandem record for 50 miles (80 km) with Dick Bowes. He rode his first massed-start event in 1943, finishing sixth after 30 miles (50 km). 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Bob Maitland」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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