October 11/19 10:28 am - Sad News - Tony Hoar Passes Away

Posted by Editoress on 10/11/19
 

Former Tour de France rider and Vancouver Island based bike inventor Tony Hoar passed away last Saturday at the age of 87. The cause was cancer.

The British born Hoar raced in the 1950s, including the 1954 British Empire Games (now the Commonwealth Games), and in 1955 was the Lanterne Rouge at the Tour de France, finishing 69th (51 did not finish) after 22 days and 4,495 kilometres - approximately 1,000 kilometres further than the current Tour.

Hoar moved the Canada, subsequently settling in the Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island, where he became known later in life for inventing and constructing human powered vehicles, including custom trailers, bikes and wheelchairs; he built the wheelchair Rick Hansen used to begin his round the world Man in Motion tour.

A memorial and ride are planned for next May.

Times-Colonist article