Queen's Park Velodrome (Site of World's Bicycle Meet 1899)
The story of the Queens Park Velodrome in Verdun should include:
1. How Canada was awarded the World Championship
2. Why was Montreal the city within Canada chosen
3. Who would compete at he event
4.What happened at the Championship
The following webpage does this by quoting different authors and giving links to other pages
1. How Canada was awarded the World Championship
2. Why was Montreal the city within Canada chosen
3. Who would compete at he event
4.What happened at the Championship
The following webpage does this by quoting different authors and giving links to other pages
Le Monde Illustrê, 19 August 1899, Showing World Bicycle Meet Races at Queen's Park in Verdun
Quoting from Don Morrow's "A Sporting Revolution: The Montreal Amateur Athletic Association 1881-1981" page 47
"In the Summer of 1899, Montreal was awarded the World's Bicycle Meet. More than anyone else, Louis Rubenstein of the M.B.C. was the primary force behind it. A versatile athlete, Rubenstein had won the world figure skating championship in 1890 and was an accomplished cyclist and bowler. His greatest contribution to Canadain sport however , was in organization and administration. Over a number of years he served as director of the M.A.A.A., president of the Montreal Toboggan Club and president of the Amateur Skating Association of Canada. In 1898 he was elected vice president of the Canadian Wheelmens Association and a year later became its president by acclamation. All confidence was placed in him for the conduct of the World's Bicycle Meet.
Rubenstein travelled all over Canada in the late 1890's to promote the formation of bicycle clubs and their affiliation with the C.W.A.. In one trip around the Montreal district, he encouraged the organization of twenty-five new clubs. Between 1897 and 1899 Rubenstein travelled to the United States and the farthest reaches of eastern Canada distributing flyers for the 1899 meet. His own Club, the M.B.C. formed a group called "Rubenstein's Greatest Bicycle Band" and the band travelled with him on occasion to play selections from Wagner and Beethoven at bicycle races.
Consider the size of the organization for which Rubenstein was campaigning. In the last year of the nineteenth century. there were 9,000 cyclists in the Canadain Wheelmen's Association, 76,000 in the League of American Wheelmen and one million in the International Cyclists Association. The week of professional and amateur world races would mean $200,000 in net profit to the city's business men. John A. Grose's Secret Service Bureau was engaged to control the crowds that attended the meet, held on a special third-of-a-mile track constructed at Queen's Park in Montreal. The Windsor Hotel became the headquarters of the event and every inch of the M.A.A.A. was given toward the storage of cycles. The meet, with its races, masquerade parades, moonlight tours and banquets, was a tremendous success. At the same time, it marked the end of the supremacy of bicycling and of the M.B.C. glory.
The automobile captured the greatest interest at the exhibition races conducted during the World's Bicycle Meet. The machine that literally paved the way for the automobile became nearly extinct in appeal to the public and to the cyclists of the 1890s. Within a few years, the M.B.C. was forced to cancel most of its outings because of lack of interest, and racing disappeared. As quickly as it had come, the cycle craze ended. Like the Montreal Snow Shoe Club, the Montreal Bicycle Club -- the M.A.A.A. summer lifeblood during the 1890s-- became a handful of euchre-plying devotees who awaited better days."
La piste du Queen's Park
Le Monde illustré, vol. 15 no 752. p. 345 (1 octobre 1898)
Courses du Montagnard au Queen's Park : L'annonce du résultat
Le Monde illustré, vol. 15 no 749. p. 295 (10 septembre 1898)
Quoting from Guy Billard, Société d'Histoire et de Généalogie de Verdun
http://veloptimum.net/Velop/documents/5-course/velQueensParkVerdun.html
www.erudit.org/en/journals/hq/2013-v18-n3-hq0536/68962ac.pdf
"It is nevertheless extraordinary that there was a velodrome built in Verdun at the end of the 19th century which could accommodate 8000 and even 12,000 spectators according to certain chroniclers, while Verdun had only about 2000 inhabitants. Obviously, the participation of spectators from Montreal and the surrounding area was necessary to make this project profitable. It is mainly due to the dynamism of Ucal Henri Dandurand that this project was carried out with the participation of its partners including A.B. Rattray.
It is thanks to this modern and fast velodrome that Mr. Dandurand was able to attract the "World's Meet" in August 1899, the international bicycle races. However, the exact location of the race track, platform and other buildings of the complex has not yet been determined. The author of this text, Guy Billard, therefore did research in the Viger Street and Holt Street Archives. It was finally in the newspaper "La Patrie" traced at the BANQ that the historian made discoveries. He carefully examined the photos and illustrations in the archives of the Verdun Society of History and Genealogy (SHGV) in order to create a montage with an illustration of the place."
It is thanks to this modern and fast velodrome that Mr. Dandurand was able to attract the "World's Meet" in August 1899, the international bicycle races. However, the exact location of the race track, platform and other buildings of the complex has not yet been determined. The author of this text, Guy Billard, therefore did research in the Viger Street and Holt Street Archives. It was finally in the newspaper "La Patrie" traced at the BANQ that the historian made discoveries. He carefully examined the photos and illustrations in the archives of the Verdun Society of History and Genealogy (SHGV) in order to create a montage with an illustration of the place."
First, if we look at the photos and illustrations of the Queen's Park Club, we see that there is a fence behind the building, which probably surrounded the velodrome; we know that this building was also part of the complex. It is known that the Queen's Park Club was located at the corner of Rielle and Lower Lachine Road (Boul. LaSalle). In conclusion, the velodrome was located in the quadrilateral of Wellington, Rielle, Lower Lachine Road and Gordon streets. It was in this building that the first mass of the parish of Notre-Dame-des-Sept-Douleurs was transformed into a provisional chapel, on September 17, 1899.
It remains to be seen where the platform was located. By examining the photos and illustrations, we can see a structure which seems to be the platform, and which would locate it on the side of rue Rielle, as shown in the illustration.
As for the main entrance, it was possibly on Wellington Street, which is only speculation. We also know that the first tram in Montreal was the "Rocket", and that the end of the Ontario / Wellington tram circuit in Verdun at that time, bypassed the velodrome.
History of the Wor's Meet
The International Cycling Association held an annual meeting to name a city for the World's Meet competition the following year. International tournaments took place in Chicago in 1893 during the World Fair, but since that date specific tournaments have always taken place in Europe.
In 1897, however, the Canadian Wheelman Association decided to send a delegation to the convention, held in Glasgow that year, to make a request that Canada be chosen to host the 1898 convention. This was unsuccessful, the Austrians came out victorious and Vienna was chosen.
The assembly, however, promised the delegation that if Canada was represented at the Vienna tournament, it would be chosen to be the site of the 1899 convention. In 1898, at the convention of the Canadian Cyclists Association in Toronto, the fight narrowed between Montreal and Toronto. Thanks to the hard work of Mr. A.B. Rattray, Chief Consul of the district of Montreal and Mr. U.V. Dandurand and the directors of "Queen's Park", Verdun triumphed.
Then there was the Montreal Club, the largest and oldest club in the city which out of jealousy began to harm the Verdun organizers. Its members disappointed to have been overtaken by the other clubs which had taken the initiative of the organization of the carnival sought to denigrate the affair from the beginning. They even worked for Toronto to win.
Promoters from several countries have finally agreed to hold the first international cycling championships in Montreal, at Queen's Park. More than 100 cyclists from seven countries (United States, Scotland, Australia, South Africa, England, France, Canada) participate in this Universal Cycling Carnival (World's Meet). Major (Marshall) Taylor, a black American runner, won the championship. He is the second American black, after boxer Jack Johnson, to be consecrated world champion.
It is interesting to note that "La Machine Infernale", a bicycle with a gasoline engine, appeared at that time. Two men had to ride it to drive it. It was the beginning of the motorcycle which also bore the names of: Tandem engine, Tandem engine, Bicycle engine, Tricycle engine, Single motorcycle, Motocycle, Engine machine, Moped and Motomotor.
The company “Les Scieries Préfontaine et Shearer” used 95,000 square feet of white pine for the construction of the track and the platform which was originally intended to hold 6,200 spectators and be 686 feet long. Due to the extra space, the stage was extended to accommodate more than 8,000 spectators. It is undoubtedly the section without roof which was lengthened. The platform was also to contain about twenty boxes. The cost of construction was to be from $ 35,000 to $ 50,000. It should be noted that initially the complex was to have a horse racing track outside and around the cycling track. This project was not retained because no horse race is mentioned in the articles of La Patrie at the time: “One hundred thirty two (132) cyclists participated in the competitions, including 91 amateurs and 41 professionals. Track specifications: 1/3 mile, 22 feet wide at the narrowest points, 28 feet and a few inches wide at the bends, 7 feet incline (La Patrie 5 Aug 1899).
It is also mentioned that the velodrome was lit by electric lights, which was a novelty at that time.
Several Montreal cycling clubs participated in a masquerade organized in Montreal, including Le Club de Montreal, Le Club Temple, Le Club Voltigeur, Le Club YMCA, Le Club Montagnard, Le Club Annex and Le Club Primrose.
Also, during a cruise aboard the steamer "Le cultivateur", several clubs attended, not to mention the presence of the Ratto orchestra. A large banquet at the Windsor Hotel closed this carnival.
Dates to remember
April 25, 1898: Beginning of construction of the Queen's Park velodrome
May 11, 1898: Travel of A.B Rattray, the Montreal district consul to Ottawa, to interview President Beament of the C.W.A and assert our rights. He had with him the plans and specifications of the magnificent "Queen's Park" trail that J. Ashinger is currently finishing in Verdun.
May 17, 1898: Finishing work on the velodrome.
May 24, 1898: Inauguration of the Vélodrome. Queen Victoria Day. The brass band plays "God Save the Queen" and "La Marseillaise".
May 27, 1899: Saturday, First races of the season.
June 7, 1899: Wednesday, The Le Montagnard Cycling Club inaugurates their new room in the building of Club Queen's Park.
July 28, 1899: Laying of the cornerstone of the Belcher Anglican Church next to the velodrome. First church to be built in Verdun.
July 29, 1899: Advertising in La Patrie: $ 3000 in cash for professionals. Reserved seats .50 and .75 cents, boxes (6 places) $ 6.00.
August 7 to 12, 1899: WORLD'S MEET COMPETITIONS.
April 13, 1901: (La Patrie) The Pointe St-Charles Association is now the owner of the Vélodrome.
June 27, 1901: (La Patrie): Since Mr. Dandurand ceded his magnificent field to the Pointe Saint-Charles Athletic Association, there have hardly been any bicycle races.
Conclusion
Bike racing was very popular at the time, but there was a decrease in interest in the sport after the World's Meet. However, amateurs predicted the opposite.
U.H. Dandurand "Les Quatres Vents" on Lower Lachine Road (Boul. LaSalle) was destroyed by fire at the end of 1901. Dandurand then left Verdun to settle in his other house on Dorchester Boulevard. He also resigned from his position as councilor at the City of Verdun since he no longer lived in Verdun.
Mr. Dandurand had sold the Queen's Park velodrome to the Pointe St-Charles Athletic Association in 1901, so links with Verdun had been cut although he still had real estate interests. There is no mention of bicycle racing in 1902 at the velodrome in the newspaper La Patrie. We can therefore conclude that the runway was demolished because it had no roof and was prone to bad weather and flooding. However, it seems that the platform was kept for a few more years to accommodate other activities. More research will be needed to reveal the other secrets of the famous Queen's Park velodrome.
It remains to be seen where the platform was located. By examining the photos and illustrations, we can see a structure which seems to be the platform, and which would locate it on the side of rue Rielle, as shown in the illustration.
As for the main entrance, it was possibly on Wellington Street, which is only speculation. We also know that the first tram in Montreal was the "Rocket", and that the end of the Ontario / Wellington tram circuit in Verdun at that time, bypassed the velodrome.
History of the Wor's Meet
The International Cycling Association held an annual meeting to name a city for the World's Meet competition the following year. International tournaments took place in Chicago in 1893 during the World Fair, but since that date specific tournaments have always taken place in Europe.
In 1897, however, the Canadian Wheelman Association decided to send a delegation to the convention, held in Glasgow that year, to make a request that Canada be chosen to host the 1898 convention. This was unsuccessful, the Austrians came out victorious and Vienna was chosen.
The assembly, however, promised the delegation that if Canada was represented at the Vienna tournament, it would be chosen to be the site of the 1899 convention. In 1898, at the convention of the Canadian Cyclists Association in Toronto, the fight narrowed between Montreal and Toronto. Thanks to the hard work of Mr. A.B. Rattray, Chief Consul of the district of Montreal and Mr. U.V. Dandurand and the directors of "Queen's Park", Verdun triumphed.
Then there was the Montreal Club, the largest and oldest club in the city which out of jealousy began to harm the Verdun organizers. Its members disappointed to have been overtaken by the other clubs which had taken the initiative of the organization of the carnival sought to denigrate the affair from the beginning. They even worked for Toronto to win.
Promoters from several countries have finally agreed to hold the first international cycling championships in Montreal, at Queen's Park. More than 100 cyclists from seven countries (United States, Scotland, Australia, South Africa, England, France, Canada) participate in this Universal Cycling Carnival (World's Meet). Major (Marshall) Taylor, a black American runner, won the championship. He is the second American black, after boxer Jack Johnson, to be consecrated world champion.
It is interesting to note that "La Machine Infernale", a bicycle with a gasoline engine, appeared at that time. Two men had to ride it to drive it. It was the beginning of the motorcycle which also bore the names of: Tandem engine, Tandem engine, Bicycle engine, Tricycle engine, Single motorcycle, Motocycle, Engine machine, Moped and Motomotor.
The company “Les Scieries Préfontaine et Shearer” used 95,000 square feet of white pine for the construction of the track and the platform which was originally intended to hold 6,200 spectators and be 686 feet long. Due to the extra space, the stage was extended to accommodate more than 8,000 spectators. It is undoubtedly the section without roof which was lengthened. The platform was also to contain about twenty boxes. The cost of construction was to be from $ 35,000 to $ 50,000. It should be noted that initially the complex was to have a horse racing track outside and around the cycling track. This project was not retained because no horse race is mentioned in the articles of La Patrie at the time: “One hundred thirty two (132) cyclists participated in the competitions, including 91 amateurs and 41 professionals. Track specifications: 1/3 mile, 22 feet wide at the narrowest points, 28 feet and a few inches wide at the bends, 7 feet incline (La Patrie 5 Aug 1899).
It is also mentioned that the velodrome was lit by electric lights, which was a novelty at that time.
Several Montreal cycling clubs participated in a masquerade organized in Montreal, including Le Club de Montreal, Le Club Temple, Le Club Voltigeur, Le Club YMCA, Le Club Montagnard, Le Club Annex and Le Club Primrose.
Also, during a cruise aboard the steamer "Le cultivateur", several clubs attended, not to mention the presence of the Ratto orchestra. A large banquet at the Windsor Hotel closed this carnival.
Dates to remember
April 25, 1898: Beginning of construction of the Queen's Park velodrome
May 11, 1898: Travel of A.B Rattray, the Montreal district consul to Ottawa, to interview President Beament of the C.W.A and assert our rights. He had with him the plans and specifications of the magnificent "Queen's Park" trail that J. Ashinger is currently finishing in Verdun.
May 17, 1898: Finishing work on the velodrome.
May 24, 1898: Inauguration of the Vélodrome. Queen Victoria Day. The brass band plays "God Save the Queen" and "La Marseillaise".
May 27, 1899: Saturday, First races of the season.
June 7, 1899: Wednesday, The Le Montagnard Cycling Club inaugurates their new room in the building of Club Queen's Park.
July 28, 1899: Laying of the cornerstone of the Belcher Anglican Church next to the velodrome. First church to be built in Verdun.
July 29, 1899: Advertising in La Patrie: $ 3000 in cash for professionals. Reserved seats .50 and .75 cents, boxes (6 places) $ 6.00.
August 7 to 12, 1899: WORLD'S MEET COMPETITIONS.
April 13, 1901: (La Patrie) The Pointe St-Charles Association is now the owner of the Vélodrome.
June 27, 1901: (La Patrie): Since Mr. Dandurand ceded his magnificent field to the Pointe Saint-Charles Athletic Association, there have hardly been any bicycle races.
Conclusion
Bike racing was very popular at the time, but there was a decrease in interest in the sport after the World's Meet. However, amateurs predicted the opposite.
U.H. Dandurand "Les Quatres Vents" on Lower Lachine Road (Boul. LaSalle) was destroyed by fire at the end of 1901. Dandurand then left Verdun to settle in his other house on Dorchester Boulevard. He also resigned from his position as councilor at the City of Verdun since he no longer lived in Verdun.
Mr. Dandurand had sold the Queen's Park velodrome to the Pointe St-Charles Athletic Association in 1901, so links with Verdun had been cut although he still had real estate interests. There is no mention of bicycle racing in 1902 at the velodrome in the newspaper La Patrie. We can therefore conclude that the runway was demolished because it had no roof and was prone to bad weather and flooding. However, it seems that the platform was kept for a few more years to accommodate other activities. More research will be needed to reveal the other secrets of the famous Queen's Park velodrome.
Poster for World's Bicycle Meet 1899
Quoting from Andrew Ritchie "The Extraordinary Career of a Champion Bicycle Race : Major Taylor" page 123
Taylor arrived in Montreal for the world championships at the beginning of August amid the fanfare of applause for his spectacular world record ride. It was the first time he had been outside of the United States. He was full of pride and confidence and was in the peak of condition. The record ride had been reported in newspapers all over the United States and Europe. Cycle Age called the ride "the most remarkable speed performance in the history of the 1-mile record... French promoters have cabled generous offers to the colored phenomenon since the news of his latest and best performance reached the other side". In Montreal he was generally conceded to be the best rider there and the favorite for the all important 1-mile world championship title. The fans knew his history and wanted to see him race - and win.
The crucial question in the days immediately preceding the championships was whether members of the "outlaw" professional movement, the American Racing Cyclists Union, now affiliated with the National Cycling Association, would be allowed to participate. A.G. Batchelder, president of the breakaway movement, was in Montreal to lobby on behalf of the rebel organization's members and was allowed to make a statement to the International Cycling Association, the world body governing cycling, founded in 1892 in London. It made little sense, he argued, to exclude most of the strongest American professionals because they had decided to part company with the LAW, and pleaded for them to be admitted to the championships. The insecure situation in American racing had meant that many of the top European racers had either been unwilling to go to the expense and trouble of crossing the Atlantic or had actually been prevented by their own national organizations from doing so. Obviously, if they came, these riders wanted to race against all, not just a few, of the American champions.
However the arrival in Canada of the imposing and regal Henry Strumey, the British executive secretary of the International Cycling Association, squashed the rebel's remaining hopes. No, they could not compete, said Strumey. There could be only one controlling body of the sport in America, and as far as he was concerned, the League of American Wheelmen was that body. What amounted to a pact between President Thomas Keenan of the LAW and Henry Strumey was sufficient to freeze out the rebels from the World Championship. This decision meant that Taylor would not be facing the full force of either his American or international competitors. Eventually, however, the French and Italian cycling bodies would be putting pressure on Sturmey because of what they called "the disagreeable and really intolerable situation" in which they were placed by the chaos in American racing. After the championships in 1899, it was only a question of time before the LAW would be forced to relinquish control to the NCA."
Taylor arrived in Montreal for the world championships at the beginning of August amid the fanfare of applause for his spectacular world record ride. It was the first time he had been outside of the United States. He was full of pride and confidence and was in the peak of condition. The record ride had been reported in newspapers all over the United States and Europe. Cycle Age called the ride "the most remarkable speed performance in the history of the 1-mile record... French promoters have cabled generous offers to the colored phenomenon since the news of his latest and best performance reached the other side". In Montreal he was generally conceded to be the best rider there and the favorite for the all important 1-mile world championship title. The fans knew his history and wanted to see him race - and win.
The crucial question in the days immediately preceding the championships was whether members of the "outlaw" professional movement, the American Racing Cyclists Union, now affiliated with the National Cycling Association, would be allowed to participate. A.G. Batchelder, president of the breakaway movement, was in Montreal to lobby on behalf of the rebel organization's members and was allowed to make a statement to the International Cycling Association, the world body governing cycling, founded in 1892 in London. It made little sense, he argued, to exclude most of the strongest American professionals because they had decided to part company with the LAW, and pleaded for them to be admitted to the championships. The insecure situation in American racing had meant that many of the top European racers had either been unwilling to go to the expense and trouble of crossing the Atlantic or had actually been prevented by their own national organizations from doing so. Obviously, if they came, these riders wanted to race against all, not just a few, of the American champions.
However the arrival in Canada of the imposing and regal Henry Strumey, the British executive secretary of the International Cycling Association, squashed the rebel's remaining hopes. No, they could not compete, said Strumey. There could be only one controlling body of the sport in America, and as far as he was concerned, the League of American Wheelmen was that body. What amounted to a pact between President Thomas Keenan of the LAW and Henry Strumey was sufficient to freeze out the rebels from the World Championship. This decision meant that Taylor would not be facing the full force of either his American or international competitors. Eventually, however, the French and Italian cycling bodies would be putting pressure on Sturmey because of what they called "the disagreeable and really intolerable situation" in which they were placed by the chaos in American racing. After the championships in 1899, it was only a question of time before the LAW would be forced to relinquish control to the NCA."
The Wheel and Cycling Trade Review August 10 1899
Start to the 1899 World Cycling Meet at Queens Park in Verdun