A brief history of the Christchurch to Timaru race and the Rudge Whitworth Cup.

In the early days of road racing nothing drew the attention of race and the public quite like a classic - a one day, point to point or single lap race. The Timaru to Christchurch was started by the  Timaru “cash” cycling club.

The first race was held in 1899, four years before the inaugural Tour De France! It’s course (typically 100 miles) has varied over the years for safety reasons.

Like many other classics, the Timaru to Christchurch is handicapped. Officials send riders off at intervals based on their abilities, with the fastest riders (the scratch bunch) leaving last, often up to an hour behind the first to start (the limit markers). If the handicappers have judged well and everyone rides as expected, all riders should finish within a few minutes of each other.

Between 1909 and 1923, the legendary Phil O’Shea made the Timaru to Christchurch race his own. He won line honors twice and took fastest time on six occasions. In O’Sheas time, the road were gravel and riders had to ford the Selwyn river . Several decades later smooth sealed roads and vastly improved cycles helped racers achieve remarkable times.

In 1985 Timaru’s Colin Ryan led home a crack bunch of seven scratch riders in 3 hours and 29 minutes a time that still stands today as the fastest recorded for the distance.

Today the tradition of a point to point 100 mile classic race is continued with Cycling Timaru hosting the very first Twizel to Timaru, a chance to start writing the next 100 years of cycling history in New Zealand.