James Moore (cyclist) - Later Life

Later Life

Moore worked with his father in the ambulance service in Paris during the Franco-Prussian war. He went to work at Maisons Lafitte, the French horse racing centre. In 1945 he was made a Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur . He studied at Cambridge, England, to become a member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, later becoming a Fellow. He started a stud farm in Normandy.

Moore's son said:

My father retained his athletic outlook into his later years. On his 50th birthday, he gave up smoking, announcing 'I am disgusted with myself for following such a habit!' At 78, golf drew his attention. 'This is a game I must try', he said, and within three years reduced his handicap to nine, then to eight.

He also took up tennis, at which "he was rarely beaten". He never lost his French accent when speaking English, Lord Brain saying of him at a meeting of physicians: "Dr Moore makes a tremendous effort to conceal his French intonation we all love so much." It is unclear when Moore returned to Britain. Some reports say after the Prussian war, others that it was before the first world war and still another that it was at the start of the second world war. He moved to 56 Wildwood Road in Hampstead, North London, where he died after a prostate operation at the age of 86. His grandson, John Moore, says the whereabouts of his grave is unknown but may be in the area of the Welsh Harp reservoir near Cricklewood in north London.

His obituary in Cycling read:

It is with deep regret that we have to record the death, at the age of 87, of Mr James Moore, who, on May 31, 1868, won the first cycle race ever held - a 25-kilometre event at Ville de St Cloud... The part that James Moore played in the history of cycle racing, while of brief duration, was historically of the greatest importance. Between 1873 and 1877 he won five international championships and smashed short-distance records galore. All these races, including the championship of the world races at the Molineux Grounds, Wolverhampton, in 1874, were ridden on a graceful old Ordinary. Mr Moore retained an interest in cycling until his death. In 1933 he was the guest of honour at the triennial dinner of the Road Records Association.

In 1966, the Saddle Club of London suggested the British Post Office produce a commemorative stamp for the 100th anniversary of the St-Cloud race. The club suggested a design but the idea was not adopted.