George Pilkington Mills

George Pilkington Mills ( born January 8, 1867 in London, † November 25, 1945 ) was a British racing cyclist and cycling pioneer.

Between 1880 and 1890 drove George Pilkington Mills six times the so-called end-to -end tour of the UK, the 1440 km long route from the western point of England, Land's End, the most northerly of Scotland, John o 'Groats. 1886 was his best time on a Penny Farthing Ordinary- five days and 1 ¾ hours; This unicycle record exists today. In 1891 he managed the same route on a Niederrad with pneumatic tires in four days, eleven hours and 17 minutes.

1891 Mills won the first edition of Bordeaux - Paris. For the 600 -kilometer route he needed 26 hours, 34 minutes and 57 seconds. Because of its performance on the end-to -end tour he had been invited by the organizers of the race; except him were still another 37 riders at the start, including three Britons who, like the North Mills Road Club of Hereford belonged. The British occupied the first four places at the finish. Compared to the Bicycle Union had to Mills, who was employed by a bicycle company " Humber ", explaining that he had all the expenses that were incurred by him on account of race, even denied as not to jeopardize his amateur status.

Mills was studied engineering and later moved to Raleigh Cycle Company in Nottingham. The late 1890s, when the first bicycle craze subsided, his boss Frank Bowden sent him to the United States to inform himself about the effective methods of production and acquire production machines. He later worked for different car manufacturers and driving in races.