Plans for museum honouring Doncaster cycling ace Tom Simpson are unveiled
The facility will honour the rider who died during the 1967 Tour de France
Plans have been unveiled for a national cycle racing museum which will pay tribute to Doncaster sporting star Tom Simpson.
Proposals have been drawn up for the museum in Harworth and Bircotes, both villages linked with the tragic cyclist who died while taking part in the 1967 Tour de France.
Bassetlaw Labour MP Jo White revealed she had recently held talks with the museum’s curators and said: “They want the museum to create a strong link between Harworth and Bircotes and the wider cycle network.
“It would help to connect the town with local, regional and national cycling and walking routes, whilst putting Harworth and Bircotes on the map for people who enjoy cycling.
“Tom Simpson is one of Bassetlaw’s greatest sporting heroes and remains a huge source of pride for our district.
“This is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate his legacy, while also looking ahead to an exciting future for Harworth and Bircotes.”
Who was Tom Simpson?
It was on July 13, 1967, that Tom’s story reached its tragic conclusion as he succumbed to blazing heat on Mont Ventoux, collapsing near the summit of the French peak as he strove for success in the 13th stage of Tour de France.
In his eighth year as a pro-cyclist, Simpson, 29, was keen to make an impact and after the first week, was in sixth place.
Falling ill with diarrhoea, some told him to quit, but he made the fateful decision to plough on, eventually meeting his fate in temperatures topping 45C on the dusty, arrid slopes of that barren French mountainside.
At the start line in Marseille, a journalist noticed Simpson looked tired and asked him if the heat was a problem.
“No, it’s not the heat, it’s the Tour, ” was his reply.
As the race reached the lower slopes, Simpson was seen taking a number of pills with brandy and by the time he had climbed towards the summit, he was zig-zagging across the road.
He fell but was able to get back on but after riding a short distance further, collapsed.
He was pronounced dead after being airlifted to hospital and a post-mortem found he had taken amphetamine and alcohol, a combination which proved fatal when combined with the heat.
The infamous words ‘put me back on my bike’ were never said - they were the invention of a journalist covering the race.
Approximately 5,000 people attended Simpson’s funeral service. A memorial stands close to the spot where he died, while Harworth has several tributes dedicated to his memory.
The epitaph on the cyclist’s gravestone reads: “His body ached, his legs grew tired, but still he would not give in.”