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2004 International Veteran Cycle Rally in Rust, Austria 2004 NATIONAL PENNY FARTHING CHAMPIONSHIPS: RACE RESULTS IVCA Rally in Australia, Belgium Rally, German Rally, Country Tour in Australia, Museum in Poland, OZHPV Rally in Canberra, UK National Rally, Stallhof Exhibition, History Conference 2003, Australian Masters Games 2003, 2004 International Veteran Cycle Rally in Rust, Austria The 24TH IVCA RALLY was held in Rust, a small town on the shores of Neusiedler See in eastern Austria, close to the Hungarian border. It was organised by an event management team, the head of which was Herbert Lackner. Sadly there did not seem to be any locals having input into the organization and indeed Austria does not have a formal club for veteran cycle enthusiasts, rather individual collectors who mostly belong to the German "Historische Fahrräder e.V." club. Nevertheless, Herbert was proficient at organising this event for 270 veteran cycle enthusiasts. All lunches and dinners were held in the hall of the See Hotel and were included in the registration fee. Thursday 20 May. Those wishing to undertake the Century ride of 100 miles Departed at 6am, with the goal of completing two circuits of the Lake, with a connecting ferry ride. With the last ferry leaving at 5pm, it meant there was no margin for slower riders. After losing 50 minutes riding time waiting for the ferry and crossing the lake at the south end, and then finding no lunch available on completing the first circuit, many riders opted out that point. It was ridden on the normal tourist bike path that was well signed although the lead group went slightly off the route a few times. Certificates were awarded to finishers. As the flea market was held on the same day, I opted to scour the stalls and swap talk with the other bargain hunters. It was there I met Endre Varsa, a bicycle collector from Hungary, and so far the only one that we know of from that country. He was delighted to join the IVCA and to have the opportunity to meet other like minded people. There was a ceremony at Podersdorf, on the other side of the Lake, that afternoon with Rudi Altig that we were not able to get to, because the IVCA Annual General Meeting was scheduled at the same time. The official opening of the Rally was held in the evening during dinner and entertainment by Austrian folk singers and musicians. We were honoured to have 3 distinguished guests, world champions and ex-Tour de France winners: Rudi Altig,(Germany), Joop Zoetemelk Holland), and Lucien van Lupe (Belgium). Friday May 21. The program said "please come with your bike in historic dress, departing on the ferry from Rust at 9am". We crossed the Lake to Podersdorf, then rode along in procession on sunny farm pathways to the museum village of Mönchhof, where lunch was served and we wandered about blending in with the historic buildings and artifacts. Saturday May 22. The 18km World Championships were held, with two laps of a 9 km course. This was followed by the performance of formation riding on high wheelers by Jan Kralik and his group from the Czech Republic. Much fuss was made of the winners at the awarding ceremony later that evening. National flags were carried and national anthems played for each category. Trophies and medals presented. The results of the original high wheeler race was 1. Josef Zimovcak, CZ. 2. Tony Huntington, UK. 3. Keir Stone-Browne, UK. Sunday May 23. The one mile World Championships were held, being 3 laps of a town circuit, with some tight corners and a section on rough cobblestones. Some of the original high wheeler riders chose not to participate, valuing their machines and safety (there were some crashes during the races). Again there was an awarding ceremony with more trophies and medals. The closing speech was by Robert Hummel, thanking the organisers and urging us all to come to the next meet in Bad Bruckenau in Germany in May 2005.
2004 NATIONAL PENNY FARTHING CHAMPIONSHIPS: RACE RESULTS
14th International Cycle History Conference, Canberra, February 2003 The 14th cycling history conference was held in Canberra. The conference venue was the Quality Hotel Dickson, in the same complex as the Canberra Bicycle Museum. Some 50 people attended, most from within Australia, with others from Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the USA. They were welcomed by John Bazzano, Managing Director of Shimano Australia. Shimano Inc and the Canberra Bicycle Museum sponsored the conference, which together with the associated vintage cycle rides made up the nine-day Shimano Historic Cycles Down Under 2003 program. On the first day of the conference there were 7 speakers, followed by a visit to see David Oldham’s (in Watson) collection of bicycles of the period 1900-1940. The following day, there were 9 speakers. After the afternoon tea break, the conference adjourned to the Australian Cycling Resource Centre where lifelong collector Jack Hepher did a hands-on dating of several mystery machines from the Bicycle Museum’s huge collection. In the evening a cheerful and rowdy conference dinner was held at the Scuzi Italian restaurant, followed by presentations to the speakers and then the highlight being an auction of cycling memorabilia, with auctioneer Alan Naber doing a brisk raising of prices. The next day a bus took participants to the Australian National Museum Repository, where we saw a vast range of everyday items from Australia’s past, including a few bicycles. At dusk, there was the opportunity to join a bicycle ride to nearby Mt Ainslie to see kangaroos. For some overseas visitors this was their first opportunity to see kangaroos up close. On Thursday, Lance Keogh, a local Pedal Power member, led a sightseeing tour by bicycle to see some of Canberra’s famous landmarks. Following are synopsis of the papers presented Paul Farren, Australia The Legacy of George Singer – seen from an Australian Perspective This paper discusses the arrival in Australia of the Singer Company in 1881 at the Melbourne Great Exhibition and its dominance of the local market for the next ten years. The Singer Co claimed by the late 1880’s to be the largest cycle manufacturer in the world. The Company offered a huge variety of two-wheeled or multi-wheeled devices. Australia was a long way form the mother country but regarded itself as ‘affluent and modern’ and enjoyed keeping up with the cycling world. There are still some Singer Co machines in existence in Australian collections.
Rod Charles, Australia Cycling in Geelong 1869-1930 Through the eyes of six cyclists the changing face of cycling is exposed in the colonial township of Geelong, Port Phillip, then Victoria. The cyclists are players in a history being comiled, of cycling related matters in the district.
Rolf Lunsmann, Australia Malvern Star 1945 to 1958 For the greater part of the twentieth century Malvern Star was the most recognisable bicycle brand name in Australia. The Malvern Star brand had been created by Tom Finnigan in his local bike shop in Malvern, Melbourne in 1903. This paper traces the corporate development of Allied Bruce Small Pty Ltd, the company behind Malvern Star brand through the post war period. It examines their business strategies in the immediate post war period when the focus was on developing the Australian manufacturing industry and the later 1950s when the company needed to deal with setbacks and the changed business environment.
Ron Shepherd, Australia Race Around Australia. This is the story of the first overland journey around Australia. In 1899, cyclist Arthur Richardson left Perth to travel clockwise around the continent. Brothers rankd and Alex White commenced an anticlockwise circuit from Melbourne, and were joined in Brisbane by Donald Mackay. All four riders suffered much hardship from weather extremes, shortage of food and water, and from difficult terrain. They suffered illness from food poisoning and fevers, and were pestered by mosquitoes, flies and ticks. Their epic journey tell much of the character of the early pioneers. The role of the bicycle in exploring the vast continent of Australia is worth documenting for future generations.
Dr Clare Simpson, New Zealand Early Cycle Touring in New Zealand When the cycle was introduced t New Zealand in the 1870s, touring became immediately popular amongst adventurous cyclists. Cycle touring represented the ultimate freedom; independent travel, self-sufficiency, adventure and discovery. In 1896, the New Zealand Cyclists’ Touring Club was formed, providing helpful information about reliable accommodation, repair shops, and places of interest, as well as maps, regional guides with suggested cycle routes, and pocket books containing hours of daylight, railway and steamer information. This paper examines the development of early cycle touring in the Colony.
Rob Hess, Australia Edmonton’s First bicycle Club: The Early development of Cycling in Western Canada, 1890-1894 Much of the literature of cycling in Canada and the United States has focused on cycling as an urban phenomenon. However, in the semi-rural setting of northern Alberta, in the west of Canada, other explanations for the popularity of the bicycle are required. This paper suggests that economic imperatives influenced the form and function of cycling in Edmonton, reflecting a pioneer mentality that was characterized by metropolitan aspirations, financial prosperity and entrepreneurial spirit. We trace the evolution of cycling in Edmonton, a frontier environment, between 1890 and 1894.
Elsie Huntington, England The Diaries of the ABC & Leeds Cycling & Rambling Club Three diaries, written in copperplate hand, record the cycling exploits of a small group of ex-Quaker School boys during the three years of their existence as a Club between 1881-1883. The contents reveal a social history of the times through the eyes of well educated men in their early 20’s, from details of refreshment costs at cocoa houses and temperance hotels and the cost of lamp oil to the use of their machines for flora and fauna foreys and the furtherance of their cycling skills, in hill climbing, legs over runs and participation in cycle race meetings. We learn much of the nature of the country thro’ which they travel and the reaction they get from other road users but above all we share with them the exhilertion and adventure that cycling brings them – and me!
Bob Tait, New Zealand Joe Tait’s “Bol D’Or” Cycles Joe Tait, my father, named his handmade racing cycles after the famous French cycle race – the “BOL D’OR” or bowl of gold. Joe was born in Deniliquin and began cycle rcing there as a teenager. Having trained as a cycle mechanic, specialising in crafting racing frames and wheels, he started his Bexley cycle business. Joe invented and made many of his own specialised tools. He operated as a sole cycle trader from the 1940’s up till the early 70’s at 326 Forest Rd Bexley, a Sydney suburb. Our family helped at the shop, which was next to the Bexley Primary School. Joe encouraged and trained many riders – from school to international riders. Bicycles and all aspects of cycling were a central part of his life, and the paper will pay tribute to that, accompanied by photos of the shop and the era.
Geraldine McFarlane, Australia Touring giant from Downunder – a closer look at George Burston Probably best known from the report of his world journey with Harry Stokes “Round about the world on bicycles”, George Burston was a cyclist who deserves to be better recognised. Genial and popular with a taste for anything adventurous, he was a foundation member of the Melbourne Bicycle Club, its Captain and, later, President, as it championed Melbourne cycling. Although often involved with the Club’s racing fixtures, George Burston always preferred touring. This paper looks at his local and international achievements on both high wheeler and safety bicycle in the 1880’s and 1890’s.
Stephanie Maxwell, Australia An Australian family’s cycling history. Focusing on the life, times and influence of champion amateur Jerry Gould (1905-1984), by his grand daughter. Compiled from published histories, cycling records and family papers, photographs and memories, this paper will discuss some of the people, bikes and events in Australian cycling history over more than a century.
Sally Dillon, Australia Cycling Fashion the 1890’s In the mid-1890’s cycling was the very height of fashion, and everyone who was anyone owned abicycle and spoke lovingly of the pleasures of the wheel. Women took up cycling in droves, and special cycling schools were set up to teach the fairer sex the rudiments of this healthy pastime. Cycling magazines and periodicals flourished, among them British weekly “The Cycling World illustrated”. The paper featured regular columns on women’s cycling fashion. With photographs, sketches and detailed commentary, it provides a valuable record of the intricacies and develoment of women’s cycling fashion, and the changes this sport wrought in motions of acceptability in female dress.
Iain Boal , USA Under a Black Flag: Critical Mass Rides and the History of Political Cycling Tracing the history of “Critical Mass”, which in the decade since the inaugural ride in San Francisco in September 1992 has become a global phenomenon spreading spontaneously to hundreds of cities both North and South. This illustrated paper embeds Cirtical Mass within the deeper history of political cycling – from the 19th century mass excursions agitating for better roads and the demonstrations of striking rickshaw drivers in colonial Asia, to the ‘red cycling’ of proletarian socialists and long-distance touring by anti-nuclear pacifists in the 20th century.
Graham Bradshaw, Australia Selling Bikes - The Bicycle Retailer in Australia Prior to 1949 a number of state and regional groups existed, some of these combined to create the Retail Cycle Traders Australia. This national body has served the interests of its bicycle retailer members. Retailing bicycles has become a more professional business over recent years. Formal qualifications have recently become available, and are now a part of the national training framework. Good product knowledge and professional sales skills are a necessity in today’s retailing environment. The specification of the bicycle has also changed over time. The drivers of these changes are sometimes obscure – is the bicycle as sold a result of consumer demand or is it just the product of the factories of Asia and Mexico?
Peter Hines, Australia A short history of Carbon Fibre in the bicycle industry Carbon fibre composites are wonder materials of the late 20th century. Being stronger and stiffer per weight than any other structural material, they are ideal for high performance bicycles. This paper willbriefly sketch the materials science and history of composite materials. It will then identify the landmark developments in the use of composites in bicycle manufacture – the machine and components that will be collectable in the 22nd century.
Kazusuke Koike, Japan The sealed history of Japanese Derailleurs Since some documented records and photos have become available, I would like to present the previously unknown facts on the development of derailleurs in Japan. It includes a lot of key information keen cyclists want to know. Such as what sort of machines were used to check the performance of derailleurs, interesting spy photos taken at Tokyo Olympic Games, in the mechanics’rooms, how machine-gun bullet manufacturer used their know how into derailleurs business, etc. All these totally new information will give you a completely different aspect and facet of the history of Japanese derailleur development.
Michael Kater, Australia Moultons in Australia When the Moulton bicycle was revealed to the cycling world in 1962 it created a sensation, accredited with revitalising the Cycle industry in the UK, it was soon being exported to several overseas markets including Australia. The Moulton bicycle was ‘made under licence’ by Malvern Star and sold through its dealers. Many people remember the small wheeled Moulton from their school days. Find out just what type of cyclists rides this alternative design of bicycle, and what qualities attracted them to this marque.
Jack Hepher, Australia Identifying Australian machines, at the storeroom A talk on identifying makes and age of Austrlian machines from serial numbers, lugs and accessories used, with special attention to knowledge gained by bike slaes and repairs 1930-1940. The demise of Chater Lea parts, the demise of BSA and Australian made tyres and tubes.
The papers presented at the conference are to be published by the Canberra Bicycle Museum, and will be available in June. $60 (Australian dollars) plus postage includes a CDROM of the Shimano Historic Cycles Downunder 2003 event highlights. Send payment by cheque or money order in Australian dollars or credit card details to Canberra Bicycle Museum, PO Box 498 Dickson, ACT 2602. Postage rates are $7.50 within Australia for 1 or 2 copies, $14.50 to New Zealand, $18 to USA and $20 to UK and Europe. Cheaper rates if sending more than 2 copies. Also available from Rob van der Plas in the United States. Enquiries to Rob for prices. The 23rd
International Veteran Cycle Association Rally was held in the picturesque
and historic country town of
Beechworth, Victoria, 275 km north-east of Melbourne. It was organised by
the Vintage Cycle Club of Victoria. Over 100 people arrived for the various
jaunts during the weekend, coming from at least 11 different countries including
Austria, UK, Ireland, Netherlands, Germany, Czech Republic, Belgium,
Switzerland, New Zealand, USA and of course Australia. It was a wonderful event
in country Victoria, combined with ample time to indulge (most of) your other
vices - good wine, good food, good company.
Friday 28th February
Saturday 1st March
Sunday 2nd March
MANY THANKS to everyone who has helped to make the Rally happen, particularly our 'on the spot' organisers John Hennessy & Joan Simms who originally suggested Beechworth as the venue. Also thanks to Annemarie Driver and Neville Reece in Canberra and Di Sullivan and the committee in Evandale. The Melbourne team - Martin O'Brien, Janis Munro, Peter Horsley, Ian Bray, Beryl & Keith Lowe, Charlie & Paul Farren, and from WA Nicky Armstrong, who have been emailing, phoning, plotting, scheming and planning for months. Last, but certainly not least, our sponsor SHIMANO. We wholeheartedly congratulate SHIMANO for their continued involvement with the heritage and history of cycling by supporting the HISTORIC CYCLES DOWNUNDER EVENTS and the IVCA.
The National Rally, UK in 2003 By Ron Sant, England The National Rally of the National Association of Veteran Cycle Clubs was held on its traditional date of the first weekend in September and this year was organised by the Solent Veteran Bicycle and Tricycle Club at the Royal Victoria Country Park at Netley on the shores of the Solent near Southampton. I enthused about this event last year and this year's was every bit as good. Over 220 people on cycles built no later than 1935 took part in beautiful warm weather. On the Saturday was the customary cycle jumble with many stalls set out on the park, where, if looking for those elusive parts for your veteran cycle did not enthuse you, you could watch the large container ships coming in and out of Southampton harbour or go for a ride on the miniature steam railway. The afternoon had an auction, conducted in fine style by Peter Card -well he is a professional -who encouraged some very lively bidding. The 160 lots comprising roughly half cycles and half ephemera produced many fair prices, very few being unsold. Many bidders obviously were the enthusiasts who were prepared to do renovation or restoration which brought very acceptable prices to the vendors of several of the cycles needing attention. Now that there is no longer an auction at the Veteran-Cycle Club meeting at Kidderminster , this auction filled the requirement for a low commission club sale. May it be continued at future National Rallies. Sunday was the day of the parade, the most wonderful collection of early machines with the riders in appropriate costume, presented a colourful kaleidoscope as they rode around the park. Roger Street headed the party of seven Dandy-chargers (Draisiennes) all dressed in colourful period garb, but there were also several Boneshakers and over 40 high bicycles, a goodly number of tricycles, many ridden by the ladies, and numerous children on various types of early machines. Editor’s note: It was indeed a superb occasion. I was impressed with the standard of presentation of both the bikes and riders. My favourites were: Andrew Heaps for the best family all in costume and lots of participation (2 adults and 3 children). Colin and Margaret Bedford for best couple with restored bikes and appropriate costume on a 1899 Raleigh cross frame tandem. Jackie Reed and Pam Jones being just two of the ladies who had sewed their own outfits. Cyril and Helen Haycock who always turn out beautifully. Ron Sant, Rod Safe, Michael Whittaker, Colin Slater. Ettelgem: a gem of a weekend By Julie Cronin, Canberra Where better to hold a weekend for veteran cycles than in one of the countries that provides everything a cyclist needs? In Belgium, a visitor enjoys cycle lanes, fietspads, right of way, roundabouts and motorists who are courteous to cyclists as well as excellent food and drink. On the weekend of 11-12th July 2003, Eric de Langhe hosted a wonderful weekend celebratory cycle history in his new museum and in his hometown of Ettelgem. I was fortunate to accompany Annemarie and Rod Driver from Australia to attend the weekend. Visitors brought a variety of beautiful old machines and many dressed in period costumes to complement the machines, for example, Bill Haylor dressed in 19th Century clothes to ride his 1860's hobby horse, a replica which he built and presented complete with special shoes for walking the bike; Eric de Langhe wore his Safari outfit; Philip Moreau set a pace as despatch rider in his military outfit; half a dozen English cyclists also set a pace on the "Hoge Bi" fuelled along by the Belgian beer. Yellow jerseys were hard earned. Henri and Robert Maes from Holland renewed friendships from the Australian IVCA Rally. The catering was suited to all tastes and budgets, with the Sunday night BBQ setting a standard that would be hard to surpass. Visitors stayed either in hotels, a convent school or camping. Thank you Eric for hosting a memorable and successful weekend. By Annemarie Driver, Canberra The Club "Historische Fahrrader" in Dresden is very active, meeting every Wednesday evening. They organised the National event for Germany "Velo-cipediade". The meeting place was at the campsite in Pirna. On Friday, there was the Auction arranged by Helge Schultz. The prices were way too high for me. And that night a scary ride on dirt tracks. On Saturday morning, the trash and treasure sale tables were laden with bike parts and accessories. The veteran cycle ride saw more than 200 participants process into Pirna for the town reception in the Square and after lunch on the cycle path ride beside the Elbe River, heading to the cafe for "Kaffee und Kuchen". The day concluded with the social evening of dinner and music. It was great to catch up with Jan Kralik, Robert Hummell, Hanggi, Michael Gruetzner, George Csiky, Walter Ulreich)and make new friends - Maria, Gunther, Monica, Maxi, Helga. On Sunday, there was racing at the stadium, on a dirt track, with one corner bad enough to cause two pennyfathing riders to slide out. There were 15 categories of races. For the pennyfarthings, replicas were separate to originals, but then a combined final was held. Winner of the ladies pennyfarthing race was Romy Ruschke and the mens was Gregor Fleischmann. An additional race was held for bicycles with motors pre 1965. It was encouraging to see twelve children enter the under 14 years category, with a 3 year old on a trike surely the youngest to ever have competed. Thanks go to Frank Papperitz and Michael Gruetzner for great organisation and attention to detail. Frank has written a book containing all the German manufacturers of bicyclers. They are listed by maker and again by place of manufacture. It is very thick and weighs 1300 grams. I purchased a copy and posted it back to Australia, where it can be used for reference in the Cycling Resource Centre. I believe Germany is the first country to have printed such a manual. Congratulations Frank! Copies can be obtained from Frank Pappertiz or "Historische Fahhrader" price 55 Euros or to order one, try the website http://Fahrradbuchen.de Next year the German National will be in Bad Bruschenau, near Frankfurt. by Annemarie Driver, Canberra While touring in Poland I found a transport Museum which included a collection of bicycles. Bicycles were not its main emphasis, rather they were there to show an earlier means of tanpsort. The beautiful historic cars were what drew the public in. There was a big black 215-110 previously belonging to Joseph Stalin, showing the strong ties that Poland had with Russia and a Cabriolet Buick from 1953. A new replica MGTC fromt he 1960's showed that the owners were serious in collecting cars. The industry of making cars and bicycles in Poland was seriously disrupted in 1945 when the government closed all the factories. The collection included German and Polish bicycles from the 1920's, the oldest bike was a 1910 with wooden rims. Between 1920 and 1945 everyday bikes were made by Kaminski in Warsaw. Another Polish manufacturer was Komar, but most were German such as Ardii or Wanderer. Of the 50 bicycles on display, of interest were the delivery bikes which had been used during the war. These were put together by inventive people to overcome th broblem of too few cars for carrying goods and people. They were heavy strong work vehicles of robust construction for conveying the many things that would normally go in a truck or car. Some were made especailly for carrying peole, one with a cloth ocevered ounge seat with arm rests rather than the more usula timber plank bench seat. The firm Percon did make some delivery bikes. A great number of exhibits were bicylces with Zach engines, as well as pedals, showing the populaitry of these vehicels. Since 1998, Romet commenced making bikes in Poland, but most bikes that are used today are imported from Czech Republic or Russia. The owners have been collecting since 1970, but only in 1993 were they able to find a suitable place to set up their Museum and have it open to the public. It is now in need of re-housing again, but like all private museums, will the re-location costs be compensated by the 6 zloti entrance fee. Patryk, a member of the Mikiciuk family, proud of his family's achievements, was helpful in showing me around. Museum Motoryzacji i Techniki, ul.Warszawska 21, 05-805 Otrebusy, Warszawa. Poland www.muzeum_motoryzacji.com.pl Melbourne to Beechworth, as part of the IVCA Rally held n Australia February 2003 The Country Tour has traditionally involved riding vintage bikes to the place where the Rally is held. Each year this is in a different country, so the distances have varied, depending on where you are coming from. This can be done by an individual or in a group. Mostly it has been arranged by a person who has notified their friends that they wants to go, and then it snowballs from there. Sometimes there is a back up vehicle, depending on who has one and who wants to drive. This Country Tour was specifically
planned and organised by Charlie Farren on behalf of the Vintage Cycle Club of
Victoria, as it was felt that it would be too large an undertaking for overseas
riders to do on their own. This event certainly did snowball, to the large
number of 70 cyclists riding on vintage bikes for four days. And predictably, as
these cyclists are all individuals, some started then left and came back, and
did their own thing along the way. Charlie had taken this into account and
arranged suitable accommodation and food provisions along the way, as well as a
truck to take the bikes when they broke down, and a bus to take the people, when
they felt tired.
Day 1 : Tuesday 25th February,
Melbourne to Euroa via Seymour
Day 2: Wednesday 26th February, a 76km ride from Euroa to Benalla, with lunch at Violet Town and afternoon tea at Baddaginnie. Riders were met by participants from the Cycle History Conference, Canberra, who arrived by bus in time for the evening meal at the Benalla Bowling Club. Everyone stayed that night at the Trekkers Rest
Day 3 - Thursday 27th February,
Benalla to Wangaratta (160km).
Georg Bachl from Austria rode his pennyfarthing from Sydney to Melbourne, then to Evandale and finally to Beechworth via the Century Ride. This is his account: Century! That means: get up early once more … get up one hour before sunrise. Pack your luggage and have a extensive breakfast. At 6:30 am it is just bright enough to start riding. The first 56km lap is rather easy, we finish it at 9:30am exactly 3 hours. Those, who do the Metric Century (100 kilometres), ride to Wangaratta now, those, who do the Imperial Century (100 miles), have to do the lap once again. Interestingly the Americans prefer to ride the Metric Century … probably a more “exotic” Distance for them ;-) Three on penny farthings start the second lap together (Nicky Armstong/Western Austraila, Michael Grützner/Germany and Georg/Austria) acompanied by Sascha and Florian on safeties. The second 56 km lap again takes us exactly 3 hours to finish, although the ride is not as easy as it was in the morning. Besides it started raining cats and dogs. We finished the next section to Glenrowan at 2:30pm. Strong headwind made it a laboured ride.On the final section Michael woke up. The pace was that fast, that we even passed a few riders on safeties. It was exactly 3:43pm when we finished our ride together. We did one hundred miles in a little bit less than 9 and ¼ hours. Georg Bachl
Day 4 - Friday 28th February,
Wangaratta (149 metres) to Beechworth (538 metres).
In Beechworth it was thanks and farewell to the SHIMANO support van. OZHPV Canberra Rally, October 2003 By Timothy Smith, Tasmania I was particularly interested in being a part of a non competitive event, meeting all the people we only read about in emails and articles. Living in Tasmania I really don’t get to see many HPV’ers and so very much appreciate the time spent as such events. Weather was fine right up until the last few hours of riding and it became clear that Canberra is a brilliant place to ride around- cycles are catered for in may ways and the tracks reasonably flatish. Friday night was a fast ride in the dark along a few bike paths looking for kangaroos….. Saturday and most of Sunday took us riding to different locations around Canberra, splitting up into a few groups that represent ones riding style. …we had a booking at the Canberra Bicycle Museum. This is an enormous collection of all things cycle including many recumbents- well worth a visit if you are in Canberra and run by volunteers. I found it hard to take in all on show as there is just so many things to look at. It is very easy to walk past a ‘normal’ looking bike but closer examination shows it to have shaft drive or be very old and yet sport a derailleur. Saturday night the AGM was held followed by some instructional talks and demonstrations, such as Mike Dennis explaining the concepts of building with carbon fibre………….. Ian Humphries represented the only HPV manufacturer/retailer at the event and he took us through several of the new products on offer through ‘Flying Furniture Cycles’………….. Both days we all headed down to an area for the public to come and have a try. People get a kick out of seeing a recumbent first hand!
and from Peter Heal, the organiser The Rally concept was very well received with riders coming from as far away as Tasmania and Brisbane. There were up to 30 different bikes on the rides at the one time.. Lots of taling and ‘bike sniffing’ was done. The ‘come and try’ sessions were very popular not just with newbies but from participants trying out all the different bike concepts. For photos go to http://150.203.47.54/rr/ by Robert Hummell, Germany This year the 14th exhibition of antique bicycles was in the historic area behind the Verkehrsmuseum Dresden. It was oraginzed by tthe Fahrrad Veteranen Freunde Dresden 1990 e.V. The special themes of this year were: Bicycles from the 1940s and 1950s - beautiful youngtimer. Wartime bicycles from Germany presented from Philip Moreau, Belgium. Bicycles from the 1940s from the Sudetenland, mainly in the character of the beautiful Czech Bikes with a lot of chrome and as usual in wartime with black hubs was shown. The postwar period was presented by an Adler made in 1948 and some special models made in GDR, like the rare Mifa- and Diamant-Export-Bikes, whose was made for India. Only a very small number stayed in the GDR. The whole rest was sold for good value. The other theme is 100 year free-wheel-hub Torpedo, which was the best known in Germany. The Special Exhibition of 100 years Torpedo will be shown in the Verkehrsmuseum Dresden, presented by Rainer Gilles and the Fahrrad-Veteranen-Freunde Dresden. www.fahrrad-veteranen-freunde-dresden.de The tourists from all over the world enjoyed riding on a high bike and remembered on their own connection to these old bikes. An 88 years old man told me, that his uncle rode a penny-farthing. He got it as he studied teacher in Bielefeld from his great grandfather as present. Australian Masters Games Nov 2003 - Results
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