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origin and also the promoting organisation. In both of these respects the
G.P.Lugano differed widely from the accepted UK norms of cycling’s “Golden
Era” and should interest to Club members who like to study the way cycle
clubs evolve (membership catchment, events run, etc) and also the way
time-trials were conducted, both here in the UK and on the Continent. There
is no “hidden agenda” my writing, as I’m only really concerned here with
describing the Lugano events and how other cycling enthusiasts did things
elsewhere and why.
The race was the creation of the
referred to locally as “
This club was the major in-town rival
- or “enemy” (sic) - of the V.C.Lugano, which
just three years later was to become the
official Swiss organising body for the 1953 UCI
World’s, won by Fausto Coppi. was
unusual because at its foundation in 1905 the
main competitive interest was in fact race
walking ( ) and running ( ).
Cycling was popular however, but was
restricted mainly to social riding and mass
touring. Nevertheless, a cycle race of sorts
was promoted in 1907, albeit with only five
starters. The final result was a winning (solo) 1951 - Last Lap
break of 26 minutes after two competitors
had been eliminated by a “ruinous crash”! Another curiosity was
the social composition of this Swiss-based sporting club. These club folk
included a high proportion of individuals who were Italian nationals,
who - then as now - formed a significant part of the immigrant working
population. This proved disconcerting in the Spring of 1915, when
activity was suspended as the Italians answered their WWI military call-up’
and went home to “serve their colours”.
Fortunately for all survived and this fact was proudly announced
in the Ticino press in October 1918, as the de-mobbed Italian survivors
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