Allan Dowdell – guest contributor
THERE are just two years until the 140th anniversary of the Mount Gambier Cycling Club.
It is a remarkable effort for the club with the committee working hard to achieve this result.
The famous 100 Mile Classic bike race will celebrate its 87th running in that year, with it not running only a few times mainly due to the last great war when many of the club’s racing members were serving their country in its war efforts.
The club is one of the oldest and strongest sporting clubs in Mount Gambier and also in Australia’s history.
This is a remarkable achievement for a country club and deserves great recognition for its efforts.
The first 100 Mile Classic event was held in 1933 when Alex Roberts and the club applied to the league of SS Wheelmen to run a 100 mile race in Mount Gambier after Ray Mason and Les Lynch had won the South Australian road racing championships in 1928, 1929 and 1930.
So successful was the 100 mile that after permission was granted it has continued every year with the exception of the war years and is now South Australia’s most important single stage road race.
Many top Australian riders have won and gained fastest time sashes over the impressive history of the event.
Pre war the brilliant Adelaide rider Deane Toseland won the second event in 1934 followed by fastest times in 1935, 1936, 1938 and 1939.
In 1939 Toseland was acclaimed as Australia’s champion rider.
Russell Mockridge riding off the scratch mark by himself drew a huge crowd of spectators, the most the race has ever seen.
This remarkable rider managed to gain the fastest time prize after riding the full distance on his own with no assistance.
Amongst other top riders who have starred by winning and/or gaining fastest times are Melbourne’s Duncan Hunter, the then world sprint champion Sid Patterson also of Melbourne, Barry Waddell from Perth and Melbourne’s Terry Hammond and Peter Besanko.
More recently Brett Aiken from Adelaide and Joseph Cooper the New Zealand champion.
There have been many other champions competing in this prestigious and popular event.
In 1986 the Mount Gambier Cycling Club was granted the Australian 125 Mile Championship to be run on the Thursday before the 100 Mile Classic, with a huge number of riders from all Australian states competing.
The winner of the 100 Mile Classic that year was Neil Stephens from Canberra who rode a tremendous race to win and gain fastest time in three hours, 40 minutes.
Stephens then went on to Europe to further his cycling career by winning some great events over there.
Mount Gambier riders have won the 100 Mile Classic on 14 occasions with Matthew Opperman our last winner in 2016.
Arthur Berkefeld (1941) and Brian Tilley (1977) both from Mount Gambier are the only club riders who have won fastest time.
The Mount Gambier Cycling Club can be proud of its promotion of this great Australian road classic.
Thanks goes to the public, riders, the loyal and generous sponsors and volunteers, South Australian Police, local councils and Cycling South Australia who support this great sporting classic.