Saturday, May 8, 2010

George Sutherland, seen here posing in 1898 with the 75 Guinea Royal Enfield Challenge Cup, was quite the lad.

He was a  "cashie", a racing cyclist who raced under the rules of the  League of New Zealand Wheelmen's "cash amateur" rules.

The rules allowed for cash prizes, but not financial sponsorship. Cash Amateur riders weren't supposed to give up their day jobs.

As you might guess from his Sterling emblazoned jersey, George didn't follow those rules to the letter. Some say he was New Zealand's first domestic professional cyclist.

At the time this photo was taken, George was about 20 years old and already a dominant force in New Zealand cycling. The previous year, he won the 50 Sovereign New Zealand Wheel Race, a 2 mile handicap styled on the Melbourne Bicycle Club's Austral Wheel Race.

In 1898, "The features of the [NZLW] meeting were the success of single pacing in the long distance events, and the magnificent riding of G. Sutherland, of Christchurch, who defeated all-comers in the One-mile Championship, the Five-mile Championship, and the Royal Enfield Challenge Cup Race". (Christchurch Star, 28 March 1898, Page 2).

In 1900, George was set to represent the NZLW at the Paris World Champs when he finally fell foul of anti-professionalism rules. A letter was produced which proved that he had demanded appearance money from a race promoter. George was summarily banned from racing, but more evidence was produced to show that Ted Reynolds, the Auckland "crack" who was to have replaced Sutherland in Paris, had received expenses whilst racing in New Zealand. Pragmatism ruled and both cyclists headed for Europe. In the end, only George raced at the worlds, simultaneously signing the League up with the newly-formed Union Cycliste Internationale, which had just won the stoush for control of international cycle racing.

George admitted that in Paris he was hopelessly outclassed in the tactical "continental" racing, for which antipodean handicap races provided poor preparation.

As well as signing NZ up with the UCI, George's influence on New Zealand cycle racing was long felt. In the 1920s, he managed the highly successful English Park Stadium velodrome in Christchurch. Under his management, English Park experienced its own jazz-age revival as bicycle racing once again echeived status as a glamour sport.