A SPECIAL bike ride has taken place in recognition of the work of one of Dursley’s most illustrious residents, 129 years after his invention put the town on the map.
Danish inventor Mikael Pedersen, inventor of the Pedersen bicycle, first joined Dursley manufacturing firm R.A Lister to introduce his new method of separating cream from milk to make butter.
This, along with other inventions made him and the firm rich, leading him to renting out the largest house in the town at the time on Long Street.
The Danish inventor became prominent in Dursley, forming a choir and taking part in concerts, as well as setting up a number of social and sporting groups.
But it was his patent for the Pedersen bicycle that is arguably his longest-standing achievement for its unique design.
While production of the bicycle ceased at the beginning of World War One, it has now come into its own again with makers in England, Denmark and Germany producing frames using modern techniques and with modern accessories.
To honour the town where the bicycles were designed and made, on Saturday cyclists from the Gloucestershire branch of the Veteran-Cycle Club rode into Dursley on their Pedersen bicycles.
An event was held in Dursley to recognise the work of Mikael Pedersen
They visited Dursley Heritage Centre, where there are two examples of the bicycle, as well as Raglan House in Long Street, where Mikael and his family lived and where there is a plaque on the wall.
They also visited St. Mark’s Churchyard in Woodmancote, where Mikael’s young daughter is buried, as well as Dursley Cemetery, where Mikael himself is buried.
After losing the majority of his fortune and dying as a relative unknown in Denmark in 1929, a collection was started by enthusiasts of the Pedersen bicycle to move the inventor's remains back to Dursley.
This happened in 1995, and the service was attended by over 300 people including the Bishop of Gloucester, representatives from the Danish Embassy and Pedersen's grandchildren.
There is the chance to learn more about Mikael Pedersen's life at Much Ado About Dursley, a theatre festival being held in Dursley Market Place on Saturday, April 30.
The event, organised by Dursley After Hours, will see a range of performances on different aspects of the town's history.
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