The Dunlop Grand Prix was, in 1927, the biggest cycling race in the

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and the richest race in the world. It was organised by the

Dunlop Rubber Company Dunlop Ltd. (formerly Dunlop Rubber) was a British multinational company involved in the manufacture of various natural rubber goods. Its business was founded in 1889 by Harvey du Cros and he involved John Boyd Dunlop who had re-invented and ...

which had a long history of organising bicycle races, including the Warrnambool to Melbourne, Colac to Melbourne and Goulburn to Sydney. As a result of the Dunlop Grand Prix, the Warrnambool was not held in 1927 however the Colac and Goulburn races were. The race was held in four stages from the 14–19 November 1927, with two rest days, covering and a description of the race was broadcast on radio station

3LO ABC Radio Melbourne (official callsign: 3LO) is an ABC Local Radio station in Melbourne, Australia. It began transmission on 13 October 1924, and was Melbourne's second licensed radio station after 3AR. Most Local Radio stations in Victoria s ...

. At that time the title of Long Distance Road Champion of Australasia was awarded to the fastest time in the Warrnambool and for 1927 the title was awarded to the fastest time in the Dunlop Grand Prix. There was a dispute between the

League of Victorian Wheelmen Cycling Victoria, CV, is the peak governing body for organised competitive and recreational cycling within Victoria, Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the ...

and Melbourne Carnivals Ltd which threatened the participation of a number of cyclists, including Hubert Opperman. The dispute however was resolved a month before the event. The featured riders, in addition to Opperman were Percy Osborn,

Jack Beasley John Albert Beasley (9 November 1895 – 2 September 1949) was an Australian politician who was a member of the House of Representatives from 1928 to 1946. He served in the Australian War Cabinet from 1941 to 1946, and was a government minist ...

, then holder of the world's record, Harry Moody, NSW and Harry Watson from

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. Also competing were the winners of the Warrnambool from 1926, Les Einsiedel, 1925 Esmond Williamson, and 1924 winner WF King his father, 47-year-old WA "Buffer" King. The fastest riders from the Goulburn to Sydney were also competing, with Ken Ross from 1926 and RJ Cruise from 1925. The riders started together on the first 3 stages however on the final stage the riders left according to their accumulated time gains. In addition to the time prize, there was also a sealed handicap and a teams championship for interstate and country riders.

Race conditions

The late 20s and early 30s were an era of transition in relation to bicycle equipment and race conditions. Areas of controversy were the use of variable gears and two sprocket wheels,

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

tyres, the use of butterfly or wing nuts and the provision of outside assistance. The Dunlop Grand Prix permitted variable gears but prohibited butterfly or wing nuts and singles. The riders were required to repair their own bikes during the stage, were not able to change bicycles unless it was bona fide damaged and no spare parts or other assistance were permitted. Similarly the riders were not permitted to accept food or drink other than from officials at feeding stations or procured by rider from established store, hotel or refreshment room.

Stages

Stage 1:
Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
- Wangaratta

Stage 1 on Monday 14 November 1927 was from Melbourne to Wangaratta and was described by Iddo "Snowy" Munro, the former

Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consists ...

rider, as the toughest race set for road riders in Australia and before the stage Snowy predicted that only 25 or 30 would complete the stage. While the pre race reports spoke of a limit of 110 riders, 59 riders faced the starter, and 52 finished. Opperman was in the lead from

Healesville Healesville is a town in Victoria, Australia, 52 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district, located within the Shire of Yarra Ranges local government area. Healesville recorded a population of 7,589 in the 2021 census. He ...

for the hardest climb of the stage, the Blacks Spur. Einsiedel caught Opperman on the downhill run from Narbethong to Buxton. Opperman dropped Einsiedel at

Alexandra Alexandra () is the feminine form of the given name Alexander (, ). Etymologically, the name is a compound of the Greek verb (; meaning 'to defend') and (; GEN , ; meaning 'man'). Thus it may be roughly translated as "defender of man" or "prot ...

while Watson overtook Einsiedel at Benalla. The stage was won by Opperman in convincing style, 50 minutes in front of the expected time and with a 15-minute lead over second placed Watson. The time limit for the stage was 12h 35' and 35 riders were within the time. The last rider in was N Coates who walked the last 5 miles so he could finish, albeit 4 hours after Opperman, 1 hour 40 minutes outside the time limit. It appears the time limit was not enforced however as all 52 finishers were reported as starting stage 2.

Stage 2: Wangaratta -
Bendigo Bendigo ( ) is a city in Victoria, Australia, located in the Bendigo Valley near the geographical centre of the state and approximately north-west of Melbourne, the state capital. As of 2019, Bendigo had an urban population of 100,991, makin ...

52 riders faced the started for Stage 2 on Wednesday 16 November 1927 for the shortest stage of the race covering a distance of . The time limit for the stage was 10h 55' Opperman punctured after winning the sprint at

Shepparton Shepparton () ( Yortayorta: ''Kanny-goopna'') is a city located on the floodplain of the Goulburn River in northern Victoria, Australia, approximately north-northeast of Melbourne. As of the 2021 census, the estimated population of Shepparton, ...

and was 8 minutes behind the leader Moody at Rushworth with left in the stage. Despite riding into a hot north west wind, Opperman caught Moody between Wanalta and Colbinabbin, before dropping him from Bendigo and gaining a further 5 minutes lead on Moody by the finish. Osborn recovered from his disappointing 22nd in stage 1 to finish 3rd a further 7 minutes back.

Stage 3:
Bendigo Bendigo ( ) is a city in Victoria, Australia, located in the Bendigo Valley near the geographical centre of the state and approximately north-west of Melbourne, the state capital. As of 2019, Bendigo had an urban population of 100,991, makin ...
- Warrnambool

Stage 3 was held on Thursday 17 November 1927, covering with a time limit for the stage of 12h 15'. This was always expected to be the toughest stage of the race, however it was made even harder by a strong headwind for the final from Scarsdale to Warrnambool. Even the leading riders were 1 h 15' outside the time limit. Yet again Opperman won the stage, however Watson, Osborn and Bainbridge finished on the same time. Teddy Rodgers, in addition to punctures fell twice with severe abrasions to his hands and legs. He ultimately finished the stage in 20h 10', long outside the time limit. Again the time limit was not enforced and he was able to ride the final stage.

Stage 4: Warrnambool -
Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

The final stage on Saturday 19 November 1927 was the traditional route from Warrnambool to Melbourne covering with a time limit of 10h 30'. The finish of the race was at the Royal Agricultural Society's Showgrounds, Flemington. An unusual feature of the stage was that the leading riders left according to their accumulated time gains, while the 20 riders at the end of the field started together, with the balance of their time to be added at the end. The Referee described the final stage as a hollow victory for Opperman, in that, with a 45-minute start over second place Watson, only a serious accident could have prevented him winning. That assessment may be harsh given Opperman's form in the previous 3 stages and that his time on stage 4 was 26 minutes faster the Bainbridge in 2nd. The Sporting Globe reported that Opperman looked tired and stayed 1 minute at Colac, while the Australasian reported that Opperman finished "perfectly fresh". The last rider to finish was Teddy Rodgers who had lost so much time on stage 3.

Aftermath and following events

Jack Campbell, of Melbourne Carnivals Ltd, the company which promoted events at the motordrome hosted a banquet in Opperman's honour. Speaking at the banquet, Mr Harry James, of the Dunlop Rubber Co, announced that he was confident that the Dunlop Grand Prix would be an annual event. This did not come to pass and the next big stage races were not until 1930 with the Sydney to Melbourne and the

Tour of Tasmania The Tour of Tasmania is a cycling road race contested annually in Tasmania, Australia. Created in 1996, the race formed part of the calendar of the Union Cycliste International from 1997 to 2002. The race was not contested the 2001, 2003 and 20 ...

. A similar event to the Dunlop Grand Prix was not held until 1934 and the staging of the

Centenary 1000 The Centenary 1000 cycling race was a one-week road bicycle race over seven stages covering . The race was run in 1934 as part of the celebrations of the Centenary of Victoria. The race was originally conceived along the lines of the Dunlop Gra ...

. One wish that did come true was the sending of Opperman and an Australian team to the

, funded by a public subscription, organised by the Sporting Globe. Writing after the Dunlop Grand Prix, Opperman paid tribute to 3 riders, Watson, Bainbridge and Osborn and these were the riders selected to travel with him to France.

Notes

References

{{reflist, 30em, refs= {{cite news, title=Opperman scores , url=http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=NZTR19271124.2.41.14 , work=New Zealand Truth, date=24 November 1927 {{cite news , url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article3891160 , title=Dunlop Grand Prix 685 Miles in four days , newspaper=

The Argus (Melbourne) ''The Argus'' was an Australian daily morning newspaper in Melbourne from 2 June 1846 to 19 January 1957, and was considered to be the general Australian newspaper of record for this period. Widely known as a conservative newspaper for most ...

, date=12 November 1927 , page=25 , publisher=National Library of Australia {{cite news , url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article184866375 , title=Grit and Stamina Shown Over First Stage of Dunlop Grand Prix. , newspaper= The Sporting Globe , location=Melbourne, Vic. , date=16 November 1927 , page=12 , publisher=National Library of Australia {{cite news , url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article184813833 , title=J. Beasley Breaks World's Record in Warrnambool Race , newspaper= The Sporting Globe , location=Melbourne, Vic. , date=31 October 1923 , page=13 , publisher=National Library of Australia {{cite news , url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article118938115 , title=Opperman again , newspaper=

Evening News Evening News may refer to: Television news *''CBS Evening News'', an American news broadcast *''ITV Evening News'', a UK news broadcast *'' JNN Evening News'', a Japanese news broadcast *''Evening News'', an alternate name for '' News Hour'' in so ...

, location=Sydney, NSW , date=19 November 1927 , page=3 , publisher=National Library of Australia {{cite news , url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article140807021 , title=Dunlop Grand Prix. Notes by "Cyclos" , newspaper= The Australasian , location=Melbourne, Vic. , date=26 November 1927 , page=72 , publisher=National Library of Australia {{cite news , url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article184866798 , title=Sectional Prizes. , newspaper= The Sporting Globe , location=Melbourne, Vic. , date=23 November 1927 , page=7 , publisher=National Library of Australia {{cite news , url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article184867088 , title=Opperman's Grand Prix Victory —Collects £400, Creates World's Record. , newspaper= The Sporting Globe , location=Melbourne, Vic. , date=23 November 1927 , page=6 , publisher=National Library of Australia {{cite news , url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article3881731 , title=Dunlop Road Race. Rules and conditions , newspaper=

, date=27 September 1927 , page=11 , publisher=National Library of Australia {{cite news , url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article3892044 , title=Cycling grand prix. Second stage completed. , newspaper=

, date=17 November 1927 , page=3 , publisher=National Library of Australia {{cite news , url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article3892305 , title= Cycling grand prix. Third stage completed. , newspaper=

, date=18 November 1927 , page=16 , publisher=National Library of Australia {{cite news , url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article185071331 , title=W.F. King wins world's famous Warrnambool from C. Snell and A.J. Brumby , newspaper= The Sporting Globe , location=Melbourne, Vic. , date=11 October 1924 , page=3 , publisher=National Library of Australia {{cite news , url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article127570783 , title=Warrnambool to Melbourne race , newspaper= The Referee , location=Sydney, NSW , date=14 October 1925 , page=15 , publisher=National Library of Australia {{cite news , url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article184842319 , title=Young Gippsland grazier wins famous Warrnambool road race , newspaper= The Sporting Globe , location=Melbourne, Vic. , date=9 October 1926 , page=4 , publisher=National Library of Australia {{cite news , url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article167190648 , title=Sensational Finish in Road Race. , newspaper= Sydney Sportsman , location=Surry Hills, NSW , date=22 September 1925 , page=8 , publisher=National Library of Australia {{cite news , url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article16324149 , title=Cycling, Goulburn to Sydney. , newspaper=

The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...

, date=20 September 1926 , page=8 , publisher=National Library of Australia {{cite news , url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article183038938 , title=Variable gears. Official views differ , newspaper= The Sporting Globe , location=Melbourne, Vic. , date=24 May 1933 , page=11 , publisher=National Library of Australia {{cite news , url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article183040563 , title=Tour of Tasmania ban on variable gears sought. , newspaper= The Sporting Globe , location=Melbourne, Vic. , date=14 June 1933 , page=13 , publisher=National Library of Australia {{cite news , url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article181738800 , title=3-speed gears. Plan to ban them. , newspaper= The Sporting Globe , location=Melbourne, Vic. , date=2 August 1933 , page=13 , publisher=National Library of Australia {{cite news , url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article3882996 , title=Cycling. Dispute settled. Opperman may ride Saturday , newspaper=

, date=4 October 1927 , page=11 , publisher=National Library of Australia {{cite web , url=http://www.classiclightweights.co.uk/components/wingnuts-griffith-comp.html, title=Wingnuts , author=Steve Griffiths , accessdate=9 August 2015 , publisher=classiclightweights.co.uk {{cite news , url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article128104485 , title=Among the cyclists. , newspaper= The Referee , location=Sydney , date=22 September 1926 , page=17 , publisher=National Library of Australia {{cite news , url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article128100703 , title=RW Lamb survives protest. , newspaper= The Referee , location=Sydney , date=29 September 1926 , page=19 , publisher=National Library of Australia {{cite news , url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article182531703 , title=Opperman awarded "Warrnambool" following Marshall's disqualification. , newspaper= The Sporting Globe , location=Melbourne, Vic. , date=5 October 1929 , page=6 , publisher=National Library of Australia {{cite news , url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article136209230 , title=Marshall appeal , newspaper= The Referee , location=Sydney, NSW , date=16 October 1929 , page=17 , publisher=National Library of Australia {{cite news , url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article127912617 , title=Opperman, Champion. Wins Victorian 75 miles' road title , newspaper= The Referee , location=Sydney, NSW , date=19 October 1927 , page=17 , publisher=National Library of Australia {{cite news , url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article3890496 , title=Cycling Dunlop Grand Prix , newspaper=

, location=Melbourne, Vic. , date=10 November 1927 , page=5 , publisher=National Library of Australia {{cite news , url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article184866630 , title=Stage By Stage. How the leaders fared. , newspaper= The Sporting Globe , location=Melbourne, Vic. , date=19 November 1927 , page=4 , publisher=National Library of Australia {{cite news , url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article127907443 , title=Dunlop Grand Prix , newspaper= The Referee , location=Sydney, NSW , date=30 November 1927 , page=17 , publisher=National Library of Australia {{cite news , url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article184866809 , title=How I Won the Grand Prix. , newspaper= The Sporting Globe , location=Melbourne, Vic. , date=23 November 1927 , page=1 Edition: Edition1 , publisher=National Library of Australia Cycle races in Australia Cycling in Melbourne Sports competitions in Melbourne

Race conditions

Stages

Stage 1: Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ... - Wangaratta

Stage 2: Wangaratta - Bendigo Bendigo ( ) is a city in Victoria, Australia, located in the Bendigo Valley near the geographical centre of the state and approximately north-west of Melbourne, the state capital. As of 2019, Bendigo had an urban population of 100,991, makin ...

Stage 3: Bendigo Bendigo ( ) is a city in Victoria, Australia, located in the Bendigo Valley near the geographical centre of the state and approximately north-west of Melbourne, the state capital. As of 2019, Bendigo had an urban population of 100,991, makin ... - Warrnambool