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{{short description|Canadian cyclist}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}}
{{Infobox cyclist
{{Infobox cyclist
| name = William Peden
| name = William Peden
| image =
| image = Brothers Torchy and Doug Peden.jpg
| caption =
| caption =
| fullname =
| fullname =
| birth_date = {{birth date|1906|4|16|df=yes}}
| birth_date = {{birth date|1906|4|16|df=yes}}
| birth_place = [[Victoria, British Columbia]], [[Canada]]
| birth_place = [[Victoria, British Columbia]], Canada
| death_date = {{death date and age|1980|1|26|1906|4|16|df=yes}}
| death_date = {{death date and age|1980|1|26|1906|4|16|df=yes}}
| death_place = [[Northbrook, Illinois]], United States
| death_place = [[Northbrook, Illinois]], United States
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| proteam1 =
| proteam1 =
| majorwins =
| majorwins =
| updated = {{date|2015-06-15}}
}}
}}


'''William "Torchy" Peden''' (16 April 1906 &ndash; 26 January 1980) was a Canadian [[cycling|cyclist]]. He was inducted into [[Canada's Sports Hall of Fame]] in 1955<ref name="HOF">{{cite web |url=http://www.sportshall.ca/stories.html?proID=350&catID=all |title=Honoured Member Stories |accessdate=20 February 2015 |publisher=Canada's Sports Hall of Fame}}</ref> and the [[BC Sports Hall of Fame]] in 1966.<ref name="BCHOF">{{cite web |url=http://www.bcsportshalloffame.com/inductees/inductees/bio?id=37&type=person |title=William "Torchy" Peden |publisher=BC Sports Hall of Fame |accessdate=13 June 2015}}</ref>
'''William "Torchy" Peden''' (16 April 1906 &ndash; 26 January 1980) was a Canadian [[cycle sport|cyclist]]. He was inducted into [[Canada's Sports Hall of Fame]] in 1955<ref name="HOF">{{cite web |url=http://www.sportshall.ca/stories.html?proID=350&catID=all |title=Honoured Member Stories |accessdate=20 February 2015 |publisher=Canada's Sports Hall of Fame}}</ref> and the [[BC Sports Hall of Fame]] in 1966.<ref name="BCHOF">{{cite web |url=https://bcsportshall.com/honoured_member/william-torchy-peden/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120125152634/http://www.bcsportshalloffame.com/inductees/inductees/bio?id=37&type=person |url-status=live |archive-date=25 January 2012 |title=William "Torchy" Peden |publisher=BC Sports Hall of Fame |access-date=13 June 2015}}</ref>


==Biography==
As a youth, Peden was a natural athlete, participating in several sports, and was nationally ranked in swimming.<ref name="HC">{{cite encyclopedia |url=http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/william-j-peden/ |title=William J. Peden |encyclopedia=[[The Canadian Encyclopedia]] |publisher=[[Historica Canada]] |edition=online |accessdate=13 June 2015}}</ref> He took up bicycle racing in 1925 and trained intensively for the [[1928 Summer Olympics]] in [[Amsterdam]].<ref name="HOF"/> He was selected for the Canadian team and competed in [[Cycling at the 1928 Summer Olympics|three Olympic events]].<ref name="sports-reference">{{cite web |url=http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/pe/torchy-peden-1.html |title=William Peden Olympic Results |accessdate=3 June 2014 |work=sports-reference.com}}</ref> Afterward, he remained in Europe to join the cycling circuit. In 1929, he returned to Canada.<ref name="HOF"/> After winning five titles at the indoor Canadian championships in [[Montreal]], he turned professional.<ref name="HOF"/>
As a youth, Peden was a natural athlete, participating in several sports, and was nationally ranked in swimming.<ref name="HC">{{cite encyclopedia |url=http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/william-j-peden/ |title=William J. Peden |encyclopedia=[[The Canadian Encyclopedia]] |publisher=[[Historica Canada]] |edition=online |accessdate=13 June 2015}}</ref> He took up bicycle racing in 1925 and trained intensively for the [[1928 Summer Olympics]] in [[Amsterdam]].<ref name="HOF"/> He was selected for the Canadian team and competed in [[Cycling at the 1928 Summer Olympics|three Olympic events]].<ref name="sports-reference">{{cite web |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/pe/torchy-peden-1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417102228/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/pe/torchy-peden-1.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=17 April 2020 |title=William Peden Olympic Results |accessdate=3 June 2014 |work=sports-reference.com}}</ref> Afterward, he remained in Europe to join the cycling circuit. In 1929, he returned to Canada.<ref name="HOF"/> After winning five titles at the indoor Canadian championships in [[Montreal]], he turned professional.<ref name="HOF"/>


He discovered and excelled at [[six-day racing]]. During the [[Great Depression]], the sport was cheap for spectators and very popular. Beginning in 1929, he won 24 of 48 races over the next four years.<ref name="HOF"/><ref name="sports-reference"/> In 1932, he set a record that still stands: 10 victories.<ref name="HC"/> At times, he teamed up with his younger brother [[Doug Peden|Doug]] (the sport used two-man teams). Overall, he won 38 of 148, a record unbroken until 1965.<ref name="HC"/> In 1931, he set a record; riding behind a car providing a shield against the wind, he achieved a speed of {{convert|73.5|mph|kph}}.<ref name="HOF"/> He also coached the 1932 national cycling team and the 1936 track team.<ref name="HOF"/>
He discovered and excelled at [[six-day racing]]. During the [[Great Depression]], the sport was cheap for spectators and very popular. Beginning in 1929, he won 24 of 48 races over the next four years.<ref name="HOF"/><ref name="sports-reference"/> In 1932, he set a record that still stands: 10 victories.<ref name="HC"/> At times, he teamed up with his younger brother [[Doug Peden|Doug]] (the sport used two-man teams). Overall, he won 38 of 148, a record unbroken until 1965.<ref name="HC"/> In 1931, he set a record; riding behind a car providing a shield against the wind, he achieved a speed of {{convert|73.5|mph|kph}}.<ref name="HOF"/> He also coached the 1932 national cycling team and the 1936 track team.<ref name="HOF"/>
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==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{sports links}}

{{Authority control}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Peden, William}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Peden, William}}
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[[Category:1980 deaths]]
[[Category:1980 deaths]]
[[Category:Canadian male cyclists]]
[[Category:Canadian male cyclists]]
[[Category:Olympic cyclists of Canada]]
[[Category:Olympic cyclists for Canada]]
[[Category:Cyclists at the 1928 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Cyclists at the 1928 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Cyclists from British Columbia]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Victoria, British Columbia]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Victoria, British Columbia]]
[[Category:Canada's Sports Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:Canadian emigrants to the United States]]
[[Category:20th-century Canadian sportsmen]]

Latest revision as of 17:15, 16 October 2024

William Peden
Personal information
Born(1906-04-16)16 April 1906
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Died26 January 1980(1980-01-26) (aged 73)
Northbrook, Illinois, United States
Height6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
Weight220 lb (100 kg)
Team information
DisciplineSix-day racing
Professional team

William "Torchy" Peden (16 April 1906 – 26 January 1980) was a Canadian cyclist. He was inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 1955[1] and the BC Sports Hall of Fame in 1966.[2]

Biography

[edit]

As a youth, Peden was a natural athlete, participating in several sports, and was nationally ranked in swimming.[3] He took up bicycle racing in 1925 and trained intensively for the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam.[1] He was selected for the Canadian team and competed in three Olympic events.[4] Afterward, he remained in Europe to join the cycling circuit. In 1929, he returned to Canada.[1] After winning five titles at the indoor Canadian championships in Montreal, he turned professional.[1]

He discovered and excelled at six-day racing. During the Great Depression, the sport was cheap for spectators and very popular. Beginning in 1929, he won 24 of 48 races over the next four years.[1][4] In 1932, he set a record that still stands: 10 victories.[3] At times, he teamed up with his younger brother Doug (the sport used two-man teams). Overall, he won 38 of 148, a record unbroken until 1965.[3] In 1931, he set a record; riding behind a car providing a shield against the wind, he achieved a speed of 73.5 miles per hour (118.3 km/h).[1] He also coached the 1932 national cycling team and the 1936 track team.[1]

He was a showman, popular with the fans. He would grab a scarf or hat from a spectator and ride around with it for a few laps before returning it to its owner. The redhead acquired the nickname "Torchy" when a journalist described him as a "flame-haired youth leading the pack like a torch".[2] He was rumoured to have earned $50,000 a year, an enormous sum at the time.[1] (For comparison, Babe Ruth made $80,000 in 1930.)

During the Second World War, he served in the Royal Canadian Air Force.[1] He participated in his last six-day race in 1942 and his last professional cycling race in 1948.[1]

He moved to the United States in the 1950s and opened a sporting goods store.[1]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Honoured Member Stories". Canada's Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  2. ^ a b "William "Torchy" Peden". BC Sports Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 25 January 2012. Retrieved 13 June 2015.
  3. ^ a b c "William J. Peden". The Canadian Encyclopedia (online ed.). Historica Canada. Retrieved 13 June 2015.
  4. ^ a b "William Peden Olympic Results". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 3 June 2014.
[edit]
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