Rapha is presenting a grand night of old school roller racing on Saturday, February 10th. Four teams will battle it out on fixed bicycle rollers to raise money for Leukemia research. Come and watch the clash of cultures: Bankers vs. Messengers vs. Media Types vs. Gym Boys. As well as the official competition, there will be a ‘Have a go’ race: your chance to test your skills on the rollers, with the best times going through to a final on the main stage.

The setting, Shoreditch Town Hall and the event management skills of our Therese will ensure a splendid evening, reminiscent of the golden days of roller racing, evoked here:

In 1950s Britain, roller racing was a grand night of entertainment, albeit without the sinister involvement of the Mafia. Roller races were frequently staged before film performances and in Mecca dance halls in between dance sets. They drew huge crowds. Eddie Wingrave, the only British professional roller racer, toured England with a big band. He remembers:

‘I travelled with the dance band on the train. We went on the train with all the equipment – the rollers and that. We must have been about 30 or 40 people. The dancing was on the dance floor in between heats. We had four bikes with steel rods instead of the front wheel, so people couldn’t fall off. Normally, riders had to ride as they were on the rollers, but you couldn’t afford this with the general public. They would just come off. In those days you could still get sued! The winners would go into the semi-finals and finals. They would be four up – four riders at the same time. [The distance was] a quarter mile flier or half a mile standing start. We would have 50-60 riders and a hall full of spectators. People from the audience were also invited to take part. I always made sure to just beat them. Turning up the excitement. It was a set-up, a show, you see!’