1937 International Cup Race for Cyclists at Crystal Palace - Jean Aerts

While the peloton happily swept across the continent, a race on British roads was unthinkable in the 1930s. This odd state of affairs was caused by an accident involving a horse, a cart and riders paced by tricycles. The British government's response to the problem seemed a bit heavy-handed at the time: a ban on road cycling races. Only time trials were allowed. Circuit races were authorised, however. Jean Aerts took part in just such a one in 1937. He won the International Cup Race for Cyclists at the Crystal Palace circuit in south London. Circuit racing suited the Brussels native down to the ground. He became World Amateur Champion at the Nürburgring in 1927. He pulled off the same feat eight years later, at the Floreffe circuit near Namur, but this time up there with the professionals.