Post 400

The last few paragraphs of the Mercury write-up of the 400 record ride ( posted up a few days ago ) catch Oppy just post-effort.  There are a few gems in there that are eyebrow raising and also salient for the modern cyclist.

Again, paraphrased to save looking back ;

Interviewed the day following his great effort, Oppy described a specific preparation schedule of some eight weeks duration prior to attempting the record, and some expected soreness from the efforts of his ride. 

He revealed candidly that he had thought the record lost at Launceston.  A flat spot ( in energy levels and motivation ) before Evandale had deflated his morale and the heavy conditions shifted his perspective on record possibilities, with the expectation of a nine hour return ride. 

On the journey home conditions had proven better than expected, and having overcome his stomach ailment, had lifted his output in response to the support from onlookers along the route.  

The record holder revealed that specific training methodologies incorporated the inclusion of milk into his training diet and ride food, and the practice of relaxing muscles whilst on the bike, a hint still relevant to the modern day long distance cyclist. 

Oppy’s weekend obligations were not complete however, without stage appearances at the Prince of Wales Theatre to describe his record setting efforts before an appreciative crowd, and to relate his experiences of the 1928 Tour de France accompanied by slides of this great event.

Here is a nice little follow up to that last piece, published the day after Oppy's 400 record ride.

It would  have been utterly absorbing to see Oppy live on stage describing his recent exploits and the events of the previous day.  In an era of silent films and radio, having the main star right there in person, larger than life and probably still showing the signs of fatigue in eyes and face would have been very exciting.

I can recall going to see Allan Pieper as a much younger man ( both he and I ) and being absolutely entranced as he spoke about his early professionall years and some of his best riding performances.  Although this took place in the early Nineties, the Tour de France was somenthing that cyclists read about in the journals of the day - three months after it took place...

I'd love to meet Allan again someday and apologise for being a bashful teenager too star-struck to get the word 'hello' out in response to his greeting - and to let him know how much I appreciated that he took the time to travel to Launceston to talk to us.

Allan had just retired at that point - I think feeling about for some way to make sense of his career, and come to terms with the 'what next ' as a chapter in his life closed.

By contrast, the Oppy of 1930 had been a professional for nine years - with a Tour de france and European season in his legs and a number of remarkable distance records also under his belt - really coming into the absolute peak of his physical strength and ability...The best was yet to come.

More about our own '400' soon. 

Then next up for us is a retracing of the inaugural Tour of Tasmania - to be ridden on our period bikes at the end of this month.