Opening Run of the 1896 NSW Road Cycling Season

Podcast - Opening Run for the 1896 NSWCU Road Cycling season (and the end of Zimmerman amazing 1895/96 Summer Track Season).

CNSW Heritage Commission recently received an inquiry on a NSW Cyclist Union Trophy that has been handed down through the Daley Family for over 120years.

The Trophy was for the Opening Event of the 1896 Road season, (and obviously the closing event of the 1895-96 Track Season). This trophy is very historically significate as this is one of the most important times of Australian Cycling. In the summer of 1895-96 the world's best cyclists came to Australia, and as a consequence cycling became more than a pastime but a huge business down under, with public interest rivalling any of the high profile sports in Australia at that time.

Zimmerman & Martin (USA), Harris (England), Porta (Italy), Pither & Boyd (NZ) some of the internationals that gave cycling in Australia worldwide credibility. (It should be noted it took weeks for these great athletes to sail to Australia).

Yet ironically this trophy is for an event with a social and participation focus, reminding us that cycling is a very diverse activity and not simply the domain of the fastest & strongest. This Trophy also symbolises the difference between the Union (Amateurs) and the League (Pro’s) and the difficulty we have to establishing Australian Cycling History with these two Administration bodies co-existing for around a century.   

For the record - J A Daley defeated Mr J B Holdsworth to win this amazing trophy, and we should take the time to recognised Mr Holdsworth’s remarkable career as an Cycling Administrator in NSW. I am told Holdsworth is the first life member of CNSW spending decades in NSW Cycling Management Positions.     

In Podcast 1 we discuss the Trophy, yet we plan to release a second podcast to further discuss the cycling events in Sydney in March 1896 when the trophy is stated as being awarded.