International Cycling Association
Encyclopedia
The International Cycling Association (ICA) was the first international body for cycle racing. It started in 1892 to establish a common definition of amateurism and to organise world championships. Its role was taken over by the Union Cycliste Internationale
(UCI) in 1900.
made amateurism an issue in many sports. It was especially relevant in cycle racing because riders had begun travelling internationally to compete in track, or velodrome
, races. Riders from one country would complain that they were at a disadvantage to those from another, that they were riding against what they considered to be professionals.
The world's dominant cycling association was the National Cyclists' Union
(NCU) in Britain
. The historian Jim McGurn said:
The NCU's championships were considered the unofficial championships of the world. It was because the sport needed world championships independent of any national body that Henry Sturmey of the magazine The Cyclist and later founder of the Sturmey-Archer
gear company proposed an International Cyclists Association in 1892. Having secured the co-operation of British officials and writers such as George Lacy Hillier, he approached other countries' national associations through the NCU.
They met in the Agricultural Hall, London
in November 1892, listed as representing the NCU (Henry Sturmey and W. M. Appleton), the Union des Sociétés Françaises de Sports Athlétiques (A. E. Kemplen), German Cyclists Union (Heinrich Kleyer), Dutch Cyclists Union (Franz Netcher), Italian Cyclists Union (G. Bonetti), Belgian Cyclists Union (A. Choisy), Canadian Cyclists Association (Dr P. E. Doolittle).
Trouble was already in store because the Union des Sociétés Françaises de Sports Athlétiques was not the French national body. The national body, the Union Vélocipèdique Française, sent observers but was not allowed to take part because the NCU had broken off relationships with it over the question of amateurism. Scottish Cyclist reported:
The meeting agreed that any country could belong to the ICA "providing they enforce a strict amateur rule", resolved to hold a world championship on the track at one mile, 10km and, with pacers, 100km. "If possible," the meeting resolved, "a team race of teams of not more than four, at a distance of 10km."
, Arthur Augustus Zimmerman
. Zimmerman was an amateur. By the definition proposed by the ICA, that meant:
Zimmerman was "recognised as an amateur by the ruling body of his country", the League of American Wheelmen. The New York Times listed his winnings in 1892 as including 29 bicycles, several horses and carriages, half a dozen pianos, a house, land, furniture and "enough silver plates, medals and jewellery to stock a jewellery store." That summer he took the British mile, five-mile, 25-mile and 50-mile championships, all on the track. Next year he came back with two Raleigh
bikes, his name in Raleigh advertising, and - the NCU suspected - Raleigh money in his wallet as well.
The NCU banned Zimmerman from Britain. But a further weakness in the ICA appeared when the League of American Wheelmen and the associations of other countries took no notice: there was no insistence in the rules that all member countries had to recognise the decisions of others.
, the winners receiving a gold medal and all participants a silver medal. The distance from the centre of world cycling in Europe limited the number of riders and Americans won two of the three gold medals. The tables below show what would have happened had gold, bronze and silver medals been awarded to the first three.
The following championships were run in Antwerp, Cologne
, Copenhagen
, Glasgow
, Vienna
and Montreal
.
, "[the ICA] achieved considerable success, eventually gaining the support of all the important sport-controlling bodies in the cycling world. But he went on:
France's objection was that Britain had more than one vote and more than one team in championships. The NCU represented only England
and the associations of the other individual nations that made up the United Kingdom
were separately represented.
The sequence of world championships meant that France was due to promote them, in Paris
, in 1900. France no longer wanted to tolerate the system in which several British teams competed and a proposal at an ICA meeting before the 1900 championships called for the UK to be limited to one. Stancer said no warning had been given and that representatives of Scotland, Ireland and three colonies included in the motion were not present. Sturmey succeeded in having the proposal postponed rather than have the countries "kicked out in their absence," as Stancer put it.
Before the fresh meeting was held, Stancer said, France convened a meeting in Paris and formed the Union Cycliste Internationale
. Not only would it permit just one team from the United Kingdom but the NCU and Britain's other governing bodies were excluded because they had not been at the founding meeting. It took until 1903 for Britain to be admitted.
Union Cycliste Internationale
Union Cycliste Internationale is the world governing body for sports cycling and oversees international competitive cycling events. The UCI is based in Aigle, Switzerland....
(UCI) in 1900.
Background
The ethos at the end of the 19th century and the increasing influence of the Olympic GamesOlympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
made amateurism an issue in many sports. It was especially relevant in cycle racing because riders had begun travelling internationally to compete in track, or velodrome
Velodrome
A velodrome is an arena for track cycling. Modern velodromes feature steeply banked oval tracks, consisting of two 180-degree circular bends connected by two straights...
, races. Riders from one country would complain that they were at a disadvantage to those from another, that they were riding against what they considered to be professionals.
The world's dominant cycling association was the National Cyclists' Union
National Cyclists' Union
The National Cyclists' Union was an association established in the Guildhall Tavern, London, on 16 February 1878 as the Bicycle Union. Its purpose was to defend cyclists and to organise and regulate bicycle racing in Great Britain...
(NCU) in Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The historian Jim McGurn said:
- "The National Cyclists' Union [known until 1883 as the Bicycle Union], made itself unpopular in the early 1890s for its stubborn and seemingly nit-picking opposition to riders who professed themselves 'amateur'".
- "The national organisations which governed cycle sport were often in dispute, largely as a result of their varying attitudes to the spread of professionalism. The Bicycle Union, having quarrelled with the Amateur Athletics Association over cycle race jurisdiction on AAA premises, took issue with the Union Vélocipèdique de France over the French body's willingness to allow its 'amateurs' to compete for prizes of up to 2,000 francs, the equivalent of about 16 months' pay for a French manual worker. The Bicycle Union often refused to recognise the amateur licences of visiting UVF competitors, and eventually broke off relations on the grounds that the UVF allowed mixed amateur-professional events."
The NCU's championships were considered the unofficial championships of the world. It was because the sport needed world championships independent of any national body that Henry Sturmey of the magazine The Cyclist and later founder of the Sturmey-Archer
Sturmey-Archer
Sturmey-Archer is a manufacturing company originally from Nottingham, England. It primarily produces bicycle hub gears but has also produced motorcycle hubs....
gear company proposed an International Cyclists Association in 1892. Having secured the co-operation of British officials and writers such as George Lacy Hillier, he approached other countries' national associations through the NCU.
They met in the Agricultural Hall, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in November 1892, listed as representing the NCU (Henry Sturmey and W. M. Appleton), the Union des Sociétés Françaises de Sports Athlétiques (A. E. Kemplen), German Cyclists Union (Heinrich Kleyer), Dutch Cyclists Union (Franz Netcher), Italian Cyclists Union (G. Bonetti), Belgian Cyclists Union (A. Choisy), Canadian Cyclists Association (Dr P. E. Doolittle).
Trouble was already in store because the Union des Sociétés Françaises de Sports Athlétiques was not the French national body. The national body, the Union Vélocipèdique Française, sent observers but was not allowed to take part because the NCU had broken off relationships with it over the question of amateurism. Scottish Cyclist reported:
- "Already some difficulties have presented themselves. France and its freedom have long been a bugbear to those countries which possess a stringent amateur definition. From their point of view nearly all French riders are professionals, and the Union Vélocipèdique de France a professional organisation. Some time ago, the UVF having failed to establish an amateur class, a cycling section of a large athletic club run on amateur principles was recognised by the NCU as the amateur governing body. But it no more represents French cyclists than, say, the EdinburghEdinburghEdinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
University CC does Scottish cyclists."
The meeting agreed that any country could belong to the ICA "providing they enforce a strict amateur rule", resolved to hold a world championship on the track at one mile, 10km and, with pacers, 100km. "If possible," the meeting resolved, "a team race of teams of not more than four, at a distance of 10km."
The Zimmerman problem
The case for a common definition of amateurism was accentuated by the case of the AmericanUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Arthur Augustus Zimmerman
Arthur Augustus Zimmerman
Arthur Augustus Zimmerman was one of the world's greatest cycling sprint riders and winner of the first world championship in 1893...
. Zimmerman was an amateur. By the definition proposed by the ICA, that meant:
- "One who has never engaged in, nor assisted in, nor taught any athletic exercise for money, nor knowingly competed with or against a professional for a prize of any description... Or who is recognised as an amateur by the ruling body of his country."
Zimmerman was "recognised as an amateur by the ruling body of his country", the League of American Wheelmen. The New York Times listed his winnings in 1892 as including 29 bicycles, several horses and carriages, half a dozen pianos, a house, land, furniture and "enough silver plates, medals and jewellery to stock a jewellery store." That summer he took the British mile, five-mile, 25-mile and 50-mile championships, all on the track. Next year he came back with two Raleigh
Raleigh Bicycle Company
The Raleigh Bicycle Company is a bicycle manufacturer originally based in Nottingham, UK. It is one of the oldest bicycle companies in the world. From 1921 to 1935 Raleigh also produced motorcycles and three-wheel cars, leading to the formation of the Reliant Company.-Early years:Raleigh's history...
bikes, his name in Raleigh advertising, and - the NCU suspected - Raleigh money in his wallet as well.
The NCU banned Zimmerman from Britain. But a further weakness in the ICA appeared when the League of American Wheelmen and the associations of other countries took no notice: there was no insistence in the rules that all member countries had to recognise the decisions of others.
The world championships
The first world championships were held in ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, the winners receiving a gold medal and all participants a silver medal. The distance from the centre of world cycling in Europe limited the number of riders and Americans won two of the three gold medals. The tables below show what would have happened had gold, bronze and silver medals been awarded to the first three.
| 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 7 | |
| 2 |  South African Republic |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 3 |  Germany |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 3 | 3 | 3 | 9 | |
| Sprint |
Arthur Zimmerman Arthur Augustus Zimmerman Arthur Augustus Zimmerman was one of the world's greatest cycling sprint riders and winner of the first world championship in 1893... |
John S. Johnson John S. Johnson John S. Johnson was an early American cyclist and speed skater. He was the first to bicycle 1-mile in less than two minutes, or 1:56.6. This happened in 1892 at a racing track in Independence, Iowa. Johnson was also a world record holder in speed skating, and won world championship titles in both... |
John Patrick Bliss |
| Stayers |
Lawrence Meintjes Lawrence Meintjes Laurens Schmitz Meintjes was a South African track cyclist and winner of the inaugural stayers contest at the 1893 ICA Track Cycling World Championships in Chicago. Meintjes was born in Aberdeen and died in Potgietersrust.... South African Republic |
Charles Albrecht Germany |
B. Ulbricht |
| 10 km Sprint |
Arthur Zimmerman Arthur Augustus Zimmerman Arthur Augustus Zimmerman was one of the world's greatest cycling sprint riders and winner of the first world championship in 1893... |
John Patrick Bliss |
John S. Johnson John S. Johnson John S. Johnson was an early American cyclist and speed skater. He was the first to bicycle 1-mile in less than two minutes, or 1:56.6. This happened in 1892 at a racing track in Independence, Iowa. Johnson was also a world record holder in speed skating, and won world championship titles in both... |
The following championships were run in Antwerp, Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
, Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
and Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
.
The end of the ICA
"After a modest start in the early 1890s," said the British cycling official George Herbert StancerGeorge Herbert Stancer
George Herbert Stancer OBE was a notable English racing cyclist of the late 19th century who became one of the most notable administrators of the British Cyclists' Touring Club after World War I...
, "[the ICA] achieved considerable success, eventually gaining the support of all the important sport-controlling bodies in the cycling world. But he went on:
- "Then discord began to simmer in France, where objection was taken to Britain's alleged domination over international racing. This domination was more apparent than real, for the NCU exercised no control or influence over the independent governing bodies of Scotland, Ireland, Australia, South Africa and Canada. Wales, I think, was not represented. France, to put it plainly, wanted to rule the roost and the method adopted to achieve that end was not particularly creditable."
France's objection was that Britain had more than one vote and more than one team in championships. The NCU represented only England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and the associations of the other individual nations that made up the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
were separately represented.
The sequence of world championships meant that France was due to promote them, in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, in 1900. France no longer wanted to tolerate the system in which several British teams competed and a proposal at an ICA meeting before the 1900 championships called for the UK to be limited to one. Stancer said no warning had been given and that representatives of Scotland, Ireland and three colonies included in the motion were not present. Sturmey succeeded in having the proposal postponed rather than have the countries "kicked out in their absence," as Stancer put it.
Before the fresh meeting was held, Stancer said, France convened a meeting in Paris and formed the Union Cycliste Internationale
Union Cycliste Internationale
Union Cycliste Internationale is the world governing body for sports cycling and oversees international competitive cycling events. The UCI is based in Aigle, Switzerland....
. Not only would it permit just one team from the United Kingdom but the NCU and Britain's other governing bodies were excluded because they had not been at the founding meeting. It took until 1903 for Britain to be admitted.