At a young age, by cutting the trunk of a tree to make the wheels, he fashioned for himself a draisienne (hobbyhorse), and later acquired a velocipede (an early bicycle).
By the dawn of the '80s he was astride the high wheel of the penny-farthing, training himself to become the greatest rider in all of Ireland.
Up and down the Vale of Avoca he would push himself on the high-wheeler to the Meeting of the Waters and return to his parents' farm, over and over, day after day, week after week until at the age of 19 he was ready to test himself on the track.
By 1884, the 20-year-old was dominating race meetings up and down the eastern seaboard of Ireland from Dublin to Wexford, sweeping all riders aside on the track and the road.
He was widely known for his style and the pluck that he applied to his racing, and the Irish sports writers called him the Arklow Flyer.
In May 1886, the Flyer crossed the Irish Sea and took the train to London with a team of the Emerald Isle's best riders to compete in an international tournament against the top wheelmen from England, Scotland, Holland and other European nations.
Showing up as the best of the Irish contingent, he was beaten into second place in the grand final five-mile handicap by the crack English scorcher Percy Fernival with a margin of only 0.5sec separating the two.
Having established himself in the company of the best riders in Europe, more serious matters were at hand when he returned home, and in a matter of a few weeks, he was accompanying his sisters bound for New Zealand, and a future that would leave a lasting mark on his newly adopted home in Dunedin.
Within a few months he was riding at the Caledonian Sports at New Year 1887, winning the Caledonian Cup on a heavy road machine, his Rudge racer not yet having arrived from overseas.
The race was not without incident, when the second-placed rider claimed that the Flyer had not completed sufficient laps to have won the race.
A referees meeting was held at Wains Hotel and it was decided that the pair should ride the race again.
The Irishman declared that if his opponent could win the race he would allow him to take both first and second prizes.
The Flyer won the grudge race going away.
But the race I wish I had seen took place at Lancaster Park, in Christchurch, a year later at an international meeting featuring the crack English professional rider Fred Wood.
During the preliminary racing, a rider careered out of control and caused the Flyer to crash heavily with Canterbury rider W. D. Bean.
The big wheelers were ruined, Bean was concussed and took no further part, but the Flyer, who was badly knocked about and had grazed his face on the track and spoiled his facial appearance, was bandaged up (no sticking plasters then) and went in search of another bike for the next race.
Fellow Otago rider Ted Howlison had developed an attack of gout and could not race, and so the Flyer borrowed his bike and got up to win the 10-mile handicap in grand style before a crowd of some 5000-6000, a number of whom were so thrilled at his performance that they carried him shoulder-high to the pavilion.
The Flyer was Samuel Richard Stedman, who did more than any other person to popularise the bicycle in Otago, pioneered the building, selling and racing of motorcycles and the introduction of the motorcar.
The Otago Daily Times dubbed him "Never-stuck Stedman".
If I had been alive, I would have called him Granddad.
The sport: Cycling
The event: International Cycling Tournament, England v Colonies
The place: Lancaster Park, Christchurch, New Zealand
The date: December 26, 1887