Cycling community mourns death of Hall

The cycling world said goodbye to Harry Hall on October 28, 2007, when he passed away at age 78 at his home in New Mills.

He started Harry Hall Cycles in the 1950s in Manchester, England, but he may be most famous as the mechanic, in many photos, seen trying to revive Tommy Simpson when he collapsed on the Ventoux in the 1967 Tour de France. The unfortunate incident claimed Simpson's life. Hall never spoke much about the details of his experience.

Hall was famous for building frames and according to the Manchester Evening, he was acknowledged as one of the top British mechanics of his era and for helping produce some of the best road riders in the country. "Cycling was much more than a hobby or a sport with Harry: it was his absolute passion. He always used to say that he had been so lucky to combine both his work and his hobby, and he never ceased to love it," said his widow Jean.

Hall gave up competitive cycling to build his business, but he later retired and returned to racing – winning both the British National and World Age graded Championship in 1989.