Stuart Slack

Stuart Slack (25 January 1935 – 5 December 1998) was a racing cyclist from the Isle of Man. He was part of the first ever Manx team to participate in the British Empire and Commonwealth Games.[2]

Stuart Slack

Personal information
Full name	Stuart George SLACK
Born	25 January 1935 [1] Douglas, Isle of Man
Died	5 December 1998
Team information
Discipline	Road
Role	Rider
Amateur team
Manx Viking Wheelers/Ellan Vannin CC
Medal record Cycling Representing  Isle of Man British Empire & Commonwealth Games 1958 Cardiff road race

Slack participated in the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games, taking part in the road cycling event. He finished third in the event, arriving in a five-man group nearly three minutes behind the race winner, Ray Booty[3] winning a Bronze Medal after a photo-finish.[4][5] In 2011, this result was described as being "against all expectations" and was credited with increasing the popularity of cycling in the Isle of Man.[6]

Later in his life, Slack published two books about the island. He was also a noted Manx musician and Isle of Man folk songwriter.[7] This including the popular folk song ‘The Laxey Wheel’ (1957).[8] A number of different recordings of Stuart Slacks folksongs were banned by the local commercial radio station Manx Radio for being too " risqué. "[9]

Since his death in 1998, there is now an annual cycle event in his memory.[10]

In 2002, the Isle of Man Post Office issued a set of post stamps for the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester including a 22 pence stamp depicting the photo-finish of Stuart Slacks third-place finish in the Men's Cycling Road race at the 1958 Empire Games.[11]

Published works

• Slack, Stuart (2003). Manx Milestones. The Manx Experience. ISBN 978-1873120583.
• Slack, Stuart (1996). Streets of Douglas – Old and New. The Manx Experience. ISBN 978-1873120279.

Discography

• Wreck of the Herring Fleet
• The Laxey Wheel
• Bulgham Bombshell
• The Foxdale Miner
• Laxey Girls are the Boys
• Ride the Rails
• Give Me the Bus Fare to Laxey
• Illiam Done
• Ballamodha Dragoons
• Effort
• My Little Home at Port-e-Chee
• The Port Erin Breakwater Disaster

45 rpm single

• Isle of Man TT Hall of Fame (David Collister) / The Laxey Wheel Song (Stuart Slack) David Collister/Athol Moore Manx Radio Recordings (c.1972) Hillary Productions
• Mannin Folk – Mannin Folk Sing / Track 1. The Laxey Wheel Song (Stuart Slack) Kelly Recordings (1976)
• Give Me The Bus Fare to Laxey (Stuart Slack) / Smugglers Lullaby (Traditional) Mike Williams/Laury Kermode – Kelly Recordings

[12]

Sources

1. "Stuart George Slack's Personal Data". museocyclismo.it. Retrieved 3 October 2015.
2. The Manchester Guardian page 6 Monday 28 July 1958
3. The Daily Express page 8 Monday 28 July 1958
4. Isle of Man Times page 7 THIS PICTURE MADE GAMES HISTORY Friday 1 August 1958 “Stuart Slack Wins a Bronze in Photo-Finish.”
5. "Commonwealth Games Federation – Commonwealth Games – Event Results". thecgf.com. Commonwealth Games Federation. Retrieved 3 October 2015.
6. "Tour de France hero Mark Cavendish leads Our Sporting Life at Isle of Man's Manx Museum". Culture24. 31 August 2011. Retrieved 3 October 2015.
7. Bazin, Fenella (1 April 2001). Belcham, John (ed.). A New History of the Isle of Man, Vol. 5. p. 393. ISBN 9781781387788.
8. Isle of Man Weekly Times page 4 12 August 1984 ".....Stuart also wrote the music and words of that well known song the Laxey Wheel."
9. Manx Independent page 53 STUART SLACK – THE CYCLIST Friday 11 December 1998 Isle of Man Newspapers Ltd (1998) Johnson Press Publishing
10. "Stuart Slack memorial ride this Sunday". IOM Today. 13 October 2003. Retrieved 3 October 2015.
11. Stanley Gibbons: Collect Channel Islands and Island of Man Stamps 2016 page 212 Stanley Gibbons Limited; 30th edition (2016) ISBN 0-85259-962-5 " 17th Commonwealth Games, Manchester Photographic Montages 2002 (11 Mar.) 976 937 22p. multicoloured."
12. "Stuart Slack". www.discogs.com. 10 August 2019.

External links

• No details listed, Stuart Slack at Cycling Archives