 LAKEHEAD WHEELERS BICYCLE CLUB |
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1933 Inaugural Season
The following is a review of the newspaper articles that appeared in the Fort William Daily Times-Journal starting in April 1933. These cycling events preceded the formation of the Lakehead Wheelers Bicycle Club.
April 18, 1933: 8th Semi-Annual Montreal 6-Day Bicycle Race. Al Crossly and Frank Bartell leading after 555mile completed.
April 19, 1933: Montreal 6-Day Bicycle Race. Polly Parrot and Lou Rush leading after 977miles.
April 21, 1933: Montreal 6-Day Race. Alfred Letourner and Gerard Debaets, the French Red Devil team lead Torchy Peden of Victoria and Laurent Gadou of Montreal after 1,770miles. The French Red Devil Team, have won previously at New York and Chicago.
April 22, 1933: A nip and tuck finish was in prospect for Montreal's eighth semi-annual bicycle race as the long grind neared its finish with five teams tied for first place. The race ended at midnight last night. After circling the track for 2,199 miles and six laps at eight a.m. today the following teams were crammed into the first bracket: Peden-Gadou, Crossley-Bartell, Lepage-Audy, Parrot-Rush and Letourner-Debaets. A total of 403 sprint points placed Torchy Peden, Victoria and Laurent Gadou, Montreal at the head of the standings.
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May 2, 1933: Pedan and Audy Lead Cycle Race. Toronto 6-day Bicycle Race Giant "Torchy" Peden and his diminutive partner Jules Audy having covered 538 miles, eight laps. Continued to set the pace in the six-day pedaling parade.
May 3, 1933: Peden and Audy lead 6-day Race after 974miles completed.
May 4, 1933: Pedan and Audy hold their lead, one full lap ahead of rest of the field in 6-day bike race after completing 1390 miles and four laps.
May 5, 1933: Torchy Peden is Injured In Race. In one of the worst spills of the 6-day bicycle race, Torchy Peden, giant Victoria rider, today crashed from the top of the 15-foot bowl to the infield, smashing his bicycle to pieces and being carried out for medical attention. Field and Horan lead the race after 1823 mile 3 laps completed.
May 6, 1933: Peden and Audy in Third Place. Teams all tighten up in Toronto Six-Day Grind-One Team is penalized. Swinging into the last 16 hours of the 6-day bicycle grind, seven out of nine teams had travelled the same mileage 2203 miles and 5 laps and were separated in the sprint point's columns.
August 1, 1933: Trans-Canada Cyclists Off-Twenty-six of Fifty-four Entrants Tie for Leadership in First Leg of Journey from Montreal to St. Gabriel de Brandon. Joe Alporte of Montreal leads the pace in first place with Torchy Peden second.
August 3, 1933: 13 Riders Tie in Cycle Race. Strain, spills and injuries cause several to withdraw from Trans-Canada Grind. A reduced band of bicycle riders early today prepared to set out on a 229mile (366km) run which is scheduled to land them in Cornwall, Ontario tonight.
August 8, 1933: Peden Leads Bike Race. Racers cover 90-mile trip from North Bay to Sudbury in 4 hours and 23 minutes. Armand Vincent's cosmopolitan bike brigade wheeled out of here today for Sault Ste. Marie on another lap of their trans-continental trip. The battered bicyclists, who left Montreal a week ago, arrived here yesterday after a strenuous session with the roads from North Bay to Sudbury.
August 9, 1933: Peden Is In Front-Victoria Cyclist Leads Trans-Canada Peddlers in Lapsed Time. Punctures and spills beset the bicyclists after they left Sudbury yesterday. Peden's vigorous riding resulted in seven punctures and almost every other contestant had two or more.
August 10, 1933: Bike racers are cut off-American end of Trans-Continental Bicycle Race Cancelled Because of Immigration Laws. Willie Spencer, promoter of 6-day bicycle racing has taken over control of the race from Armand Vincent, Montreal Sports Promoter, who has dropped out of the project.
August 14, 1933: Torchy Peden Still Leading-Trans-Canada Bike Riders rest today in preparation for 75mile Track Grind. Forty weary bicycle riders approaching the end of a tour which has taken them from Montreal to Sault St. Marie and back to Toronto, rested today in preparation for a 75-mile grind around a board track before taking off on the next lap of their tour. From Toronto, the riders are to go to Kingston, Ottawa and then conclude the tour in Montreal Thursday night. The race has gone more than 76 hours in elapsed time, with Torchy Peden, Victoria Giant, leading the entire parade by nearly a minute. Freddy Ottevaire of Belgium is second.
August 16, 1933: Peden Fourth In Bike Race-Marathon Cyclists Rest after all day pedal from Toronto.
August 17, 1933: Bicycle Race Ends Tonight. Joe Laporte, former Canadian amateur Champion will have a 23 second lead to maintain to give him first position in elapsed time. Harry Horan, Newark was right behind, with Torchy Peden, Victoria third.
August 21, 1933: Peden Adds To Laurels-Gains victory in International Bike Race on Last Lap at Montreal Stadium. Billed as the most ambitious wheelmen's event ever attempted on this continent. The race was organized by Armand Vincent. It was to have made a great swing through Canada and United States, taking in a score of cities, including Minneapolis and Chicago. When the race reached Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, after a hard grind over rough roads of Northern Ontario the rider were refused admission to the United States. Vincent withdrew from the picture and was replaced by Willie Spencer, who shipped the riders down the lakes to Sarnia and sent them back towards Montreal.