Thomas Gascoyne

Thomas Jepson Gascoyne

He held world records for both 25 miles and the flying start quarter-mile. He held the English record for two miles on a tandem, and recorded an unpaced mile in 2 minutes 5 seconds.

In 1901, in partnership with Sidney Jenkins, he set the English record time for two miles on a tandem and in the same year at the Crystal Palace track he completed an unpaced mile in 2 minutes 5 seconds. It went on to describe him as 'Thomas Jefferson Gascoyne' when it was promoting cycling events. Three days later he competed in the tandem races at Madison Square Garden with his partner Sydney Jenkins.

Australia

The Otago Witness of 1907 reported: "Jeb" Gascoyne, as he was known on English, European and American tracks less than a decade ago, made a worldwide reputation as an unpaced handicap performer, and it is questionable whether any rider, Fenn or MacFarland included, ever came up to the wonderful powers shown by Gascoyne.

He is a living exception of the proved rule in cycle racing that he who paces must be left at the finish. He possesses a unique characteristic which will not allow him to follow another competitor's wheel in a handicap. He must be in front.

Setting his head in his own peculiar style on one side, partly over the front wheel, with grim determination and speedy pedalling he never fails to bring the field back to him.

From 1896 to 1901 he raced in various parts of the world, and his marvellous unpaced efforts never failed to send the crowds wild with excitement.

In 1909 Gascoyne starts with a 3-minute handicap in the Melbourne to Warrnambool Classic, Australia's oldest road race. He achieves the 3rd fastest time behind Iddo Munro and Albert Pianta. In 1911 he also participated in the Melbourne to Warrnambool, this time from scratch, but he only achieved a very modest 71st fastest time.

In December 1911 he finished 11th with his partner Alan Lloyd (E. Lloyd) in the 6 Day Race at Sydney, Australia. The Sydney Morning Herald reported on 10 January 1912 that Gascoyne had been very unlucky to 'lose his mate'.

In December 1912 he declined an invitation to enter the Sydney 6 Day Race with his old partner Sidney Jenkins, because he ...cannot leave Melbourne without forfeiting a good position, which [he was] not disposed to do.

Death Corporal Thomas Jepson Gascoyne is listed at the Menin Gate Ypres as having died on 4 October 1917 in the Battle of Broodseinde in World War I.