Angela Mills-Bannon
genkigalcycling.bsky.social
Angela Mills-Bannon
@genkigalcycling.bsky.social
A blog of my Great Uncle, Bill Mills- one of the most influential cyclists and sports journalists you’ve never heard of. He pushed British cycling to be part of the TdF. He was “a man who dared to dream of yellow before Britain believed it was possible”
Reposted by Angela Mills-Bannon
Hellesens bicycle lights
ca. 1930
December 17, 2025 at 6:58 PM
This is a book I’m looking forward to reading
I'm just showing off, but MY BOOK IS OUT NEXT MARCH DOESN'T IT LOOK NICE
December 17, 2025 at 7:21 PM
If Great Uncle Bill Mills had been alive today he would’ve been anti-Brexit (thank god) - a topic that still splits families up over Xmas dinner! This article reflects how his paper ‘The Bicycle’ had a direct impact on the growth of continental cycling and increasing 🇫🇷 bike sales in 🇬🇧 1930s
December 17, 2025 at 6:28 PM
A TALL, burly Anglo-American walked into the National Cyclists’ Union (NCU) offices one day in 1934 and said “I’m Bill Spencer and I want to run a 6 days race” (it seems everyone was called Bill in those days).
December 14, 2025 at 5:43 PM
Reposted by Angela Mills-Bannon
"12th December 1935: Schoolchildren at Chew Magna Council School, Somerset (UK), with bicycles that they have been given as they live too far away from their school to walk."
December 12, 2025 at 4:28 PM
Forget about pro-cyclists towing planes - I want a chimp that pumps up my tyres! Story from 1937 in The Bicycle - Ann and the Chimp and a specially made miniature tandem by Claud Butler!
December 10, 2025 at 3:49 PM
It all began on a sunny afternoon in August 1932 in Rome - 2 men dreaming about how to improve British chances in ‘continental’ cycle racing - both of them having just crashed out of the World Championships racing for GB.
December 5, 2025 at 2:37 PM
I have a lead on Bill that I really need some help on. This 1936 article from Cotton Factory Times reports the first all-cycling film presented by Bill and Bill Bailey. It includes the Wembley Six, 1936 TdF and the Olympics. Desperate to find out if this film is in archive somewhere. Ideas?
November 29, 2025 at 11:41 AM
Onto the 1955 #tdf the Veteran Cycling Club sent me this little gem of a Hercules brochure written by Bill himself
November 26, 2025 at 6:15 PM
This afternoon me and my Dad opened the last bound copy of The Bicycle that we have - it’s been sealed in brown paper with (we think) Bill’s writing on it. We’ve been immersed in the pages of July-December 1937. And what a year of cycling this was!
November 23, 2025 at 5:28 PM
This was an easy Google research find but so far, one of my favourite stories about Bill hosting the #Olympiccycling team in his house for the 1948 Games from the www.sportsjournalists.co.uk/sja-news/sja...
November 22, 2025 at 9:30 AM
In my amateur status as a cycling historian I keep disappearing down rabbit holes - so I’ve gone back to the source of Bill’s writing- The Bicycle and found a photograph of him in action as a journalist, 1939. A photo with #cyclingweekly so you can see the size of this historic magazine #cycling
November 21, 2025 at 9:34 AM
I’m just discovering how influential Bill Mills really was in sending a British team to the #tdf writing in October 1950 in World Sports he says the “organisers of the tour are willing to take a British team…subject to my guarantee…that they are of sufficient standard”..
November 20, 2025 at 7:02 PM
And then in other news - I attended an evening with Cure Leukaemia hosted by @nedboulting.bsky.social - I so wanted to talk to Ned about my Great Uncle Bill Mills and his cycling newspaper The Bicycle - but missed the opportunity!
November 18, 2025 at 8:54 PM
And this is where his dream began as reported in the Daily Herald early 1932
#tourdefrance
November 18, 2025 at 8:45 PM
The winter research continues- what I love about Bill is that when his dream to be the first British rider to complete the #tourdefrance ended in 1932 - he kept that dream alive for others to follow. Writing in World Sports in July 1950 - he was still dreaming..
November 18, 2025 at 8:39 PM
Winter nights have taken me off my bike back into researching more about my Great Uncle, Bill Mills. Discovering more about his early racing career- he was a good cyclist - but not great. However - he did break a cycling record in June 1927!
November 14, 2025 at 9:13 AM
Bill was cycling correspondent for the News Chronicle (Daily News London) - lots more about Beryl across the years she was racing. Granted not massive articles but she was definitely being acknowledged and appreciated - especially by those in the know..
Currently reading ‘Beryl’ by Jeremy Wilson - I was intrigued by his commentary that Beryl got little press coverage because she is just the kind of cyclist that I imagined my Great Uncle Bill would have been keen to follow and report on - sure enough I found these little gems of articles
November 1, 2025 at 5:42 PM
Currently reading ‘Beryl’ by Jeremy Wilson - I was intrigued by his commentary that Beryl got little press coverage because she is just the kind of cyclist that I imagined my Great Uncle Bill would have been keen to follow and report on - sure enough I found these little gems of articles
November 1, 2025 at 5:39 PM
This was a bit of a whirlwind - so grateful to @cycologies.com for this article and delving into family history that we didn’t know about!! I hope to one day I have time to find out more about Bill
Nine months ago I received an email that sent me down a rabbit hole and ended up as an article in @cyclingweekly.com.

That story is now available online.

Below, Bill Mill's great-niece @genkigalcycling.bsky.social models the copy of the Comic it appeared in.
October 24, 2025 at 4:40 PM
Reposted by Angela Mills-Bannon
Nine months ago I received an email that sent me down a rabbit hole and ended up as an article in @cyclingweekly.com.

That story is now available online.

Below, Bill Mill's great-niece @genkigalcycling.bsky.social models the copy of the Comic it appeared in.
October 24, 2025 at 3:05 PM
Reposted by Angela Mills-Bannon
Rules about starting and finishing with the same equipment. Lead seals - a small piece of wire with a stamped bit - were attached to mark the components. Dates back to 1890s.
June 26, 2025 at 8:44 AM
As excitement builds for the 2025 men’s #TdF here’s a snapshot of the 1939 tour which was the last one before 2nd WW. One for you @cycologies.com - why were the bicycles sealed?
June 26, 2025 at 8:36 AM
And I finally got my copy of Cycling Weekly with @cycologies.com article about Bill Mills. It was sold out in local shops and took a trip up north to get one!
June 4, 2025 at 4:39 PM
Some Bank holiday reading and there’s definitely no AI in this article about my Great Uncle written by @cycologies.com
If you're in the vicinity of a copy of @cyclingweekly.com in the next few days, I've got a couple or four pages on the marvellous Bill Mills in it.
May 24, 2025 at 6:04 AM