41 Facts About Hugh Porter

1.

Hugh Porter is a commentator on cycling events, working most notably for the BBC and ITV.

2.

Hugh Porter's father, Joe, was a cyclist and at 10, Hugh was taken to the Halesowen Velodrome to watch British sprint world champion Reg Harris.

3.

Hugh Porter is married to British Olympic swimming gold medallist, Anita Lonsbrough; they met while travelling to Tokyo for the 1964 Summer Olympics and married in 1965.

4.

Aged 16, Hugh Porter began racing as a junior for Wolverhampton Wheelers cycling club, finishing third in his first road race.

5.

Hugh Porter became a regular competitor in weekly track league meetings at Wolverhampton's Aldersley Stadium cycle track.

6.

Hugh Porter won the Midlands title in the individual pursuit, but remained focused on developing as a road racer.

7.

Hugh Porter finished second that year in the season-long Star Trophy points competition assessed by results in set races through a season, and 17th in his first ride in the Tour of Britain.

8.

Hugh Porter still dabbled in track racing and in 1963 performed well in the individual pursuit at Aldersley Stadium's Easter international meeting, before winning the final 10-mile scratch race.

9.

Encouraged, Hugh Porter began to consider contesting the national individual pursuit championship.

10.

The individual pursuit championship was decided at Fallowfield Stadium; Hugh Porter was the fastest qualifier and, although headed in the early stages of the final, soon eased into the lead to beat Harry Jackson and win his first individual national title.

11.

Hugh Porter then travelled to the Rocourt velodrome, in Belgium, for the 1963 world championship, where he reached the semi-final, to be pipped by 0.18 seconds by Belgian Jean Walschaerts for a place in the final.

12.

Hugh Porter won the third-place ride-off to take a bronze medal.

13.

Hugh Porter tested himself in the national 10-mile time-trial championship, finishing second, and was a member of the Wolverhampton Wheelers squad which won the national team pursuit title.

14.

Hugh Porter was defeated in the quarter-finals of the world pursuit championship in Spain.

15.

Hugh Porter began with 12 successive road race victories, and won a pursuit match in the Good Friday meeting at Herne Hill.

16.

Hugh Porter then rode the Tour of Britain, winning one stage, finishing second on three other stages, taking ninth place overall and second place in the points classification.

17.

In early 1967 Hugh Porter turned professional, riding for the Condor Mackeson team.

18.

Hugh Porter was then selected to race in the world professional pursuit event in Amsterdam.

19.

Hugh Porter crashed on the fourth day, breaking his collar bone, and missed contracts for other six-day races.

20.

Hugh Porter began 1968 with a time-trial stage victory and second place overall in a three-day race in Bournemouth, plus two stage wins and sixth overall in the Tour of the West.

21.

Hugh Porter was then selected for the British team to ride the Tour de France.

22.

Hugh Porter was the fastest qualifier, and recorded his fastest time of the championship in the quarter final, beating Siegfried Adler, then holder of the world professional indoor hour record.

23.

Hugh Porter regained his title in 1970 on home soil when the Worlds were held at Saffron Lane sports centre in Leicester, setting the fastest time in qualifying by seven seconds and beating Lorenzo Bosisio in the final by eleven seconds.

24.

At the 1971 Worlds in Varese, Hugh Porter finished third, prompting rival Dirk Baert to claim: "Hugh Porter is finished, he is an old man".

25.

However Hugh Porter rebounded the following year to take his third individual pursuit title at the Worlds in Marseille, defeating Bracke, despite Bracke holding a two and a half second lead by lap seven.

26.

Hugh Porter held the Hour record, finished third in the Tour de France and won the Vuelta.

27.

In 1973 Hugh Porter took his fourth world title in San Sebastian, qualifying fastest and catching Martin Rodriguez in the quarter-finals before beating Mogens Frey in the semis and defeating Rene Pijnen by ten seconds in the final after trailing him with seven laps remaining.

28.

Hugh Porter is a TV commentator and public-address commentator at events.

29.

Hugh Porter has often worked for BBC Sport and ITV Sport and has voiced the Olympic and Commonwealth Games, World Championships and World Cup track meetings.

30.

Hugh Porter commentated on cycling at every Olympics from the 1984 Games in Los Angeles to the 2012 Games in London.

31.

Hugh Porter commentated on the 2009 Tour of Britain for ITV4, while public-address commentator.

32.

Hugh Porter is the voice of the Revolution series at Manchester.

33.

Hugh Porter is often assisted by his wife Anita Lonsbrough who sits alongside him off-microphone and helps him with his notes.

34.

Hugh Porter has worked on the Winter Olympics for the BBC, where he commentated on the speed skating events.

35.

Hugh Porter has joined forces with British Swimming and is "the voice of British Swimming", commentating at all the major events throughout the year.

36.

Hugh Porter's achievements were celebrated in 1972 when Cycling Weekly awarded him his own page in the Golden Book of Cycling.

37.

In March 1973, Hugh Porter travelled to Buckingham Palace and was made an MBE for services to cycle racing.

38.

Hugh Porter was presented with an award for Outstanding Contribution to Cycling at the World Track Championships in Manchester in March 2008.

39.

In 2009, Hugh Porter was inducted into the British Cycling Hall of Fame.

40.

Hugh Porter has received an honorary degree from the University of Wolverhampton.

41.

Hugh Porter is honorary patron of Halesowen Athletic and Cycling Club.