The Islander
A RUSH TO THE OLYMPICS

By Lynette Stofer 1980

Lew Rush's love affair with a bicycle began in 1929, when like most youngsters of that time, his principal means of transportation was his bicycle. The thought occurred to him that a racing type, weighing perhaps half the weight of his present bike, would be much easier to peddle.

There was a sporting goods dealer, Jim Bryant, whose store was located in the 1400 block on Douglas Street, and it was from this shop that Lew purchased his racing bike. At the suggestion of Frank Rose, the salesman, Lew entered in a cycle meet held at the Royal Athletic Park, where there was a quarter-mile cinder track.

In Lew's words, "From that event onwards my cycling career never looked back. It would seem that I had a natural ability to excel in this type of sport and it enabled me to win most of the events I entered. These sprint races were held periodically and here I must acknowledge the tireless efforts of Bob Peden and George Robinson who gave so freely of their time to organize these and other bicycle races in Victoria."

During the next couple of years Lew also took part in a number of road races. Every spring and fall there was a 15-mile event staged around Beacon Hill Park where many riders from Victoria and Vancouver vied for the Penwell and Moody trophies. Much larger events were staged annually by the Province newspaper in Vancouver and the Colonist in Victoria. Lew was fortunate to win each of these events at least once. Other trophies in his possession are for a 25-mile Pacific Coast Championship and a race from Seattle to Vancouver which he completed in a little over seven hours.

Headlines to back up these statements leap from the yellowed pages of Lew Rush's scrapbook. "Lew Rush Uncorks Blinding Speed to Win Province Race - Lew Rush in Fine Performance to Win Province Race - Rush Wins Race From Seattle - Rush Wins Moody Cup Bike Event - Rush Captures Colonist Cup."

In May of 1932 Lew really hit the big time. The headline in the Victoria Daily Times read: "Rush Shatters Olympic Time in Winning Bicycle Trial. Local Star Clips over a Minute from One Kilometre Run. Wins Olympic Games Test from Standing Start in 1 minute and 12 4-5 seconds during trials held on Shelbourne Street yesterday evening and bettering the winning mark at Amsterdam in 1928 by 1.3-5 seconds. Glen Robbins was second, and Stan Jackson third."

Lew modestly states that a wind may have been in his favor that night. In any case, following headlines in July painted a rosy picture: "Figure Victorians Good Candidates for Olympic Bike Squad" and then confirmation- "Lew Rush and Glen Robbins selected to represent Canada."

Unfortunately this fame did not last too long. The Victoria bike squad found their European competitors superior in every event. The cycling events for the 1932 Olympics took place at the Pasadena Rose Bowl where a board track had been constructed. It was regulation Olympic size, the circuit appearing to be about a quarter-mile in length. The Canadian team consisted of five from B.C. (Victoria and Vancouver) and two from Ontario. It was the first time that any of our boys had seen a board track. The road racing events took place on a section of highway along the coast.

Lew says: "The biggest thrill of the games for me took place at the opening ceremonies when the Canadian representatives marched into the Los Angeles Coliseum and I suddenly saw and heard more than 105-thousand cheering spectators. What a spine-tingling experience."

Upon his return to Victoria, Lew found that there was a Six Day Bicycle Race about to be promoted in Vancouver. This offered him the opportunity to enter the professional field.

His partner in this venture was none other than the great "Torchy" Peden. At this point in our interview Lew took a deep breath and launched into an impressive story: "Because of lack of experience in this type of racing, one night I was in a collision with" Torchy" Peden which could have easily ended his career. I tangled with him on one of the steeply banked turns and forced him to the top of the track where he sailed over the railing, bike and all, and fell more than 20 feet to the floor below. Fortunately I was able to hang onto the railing. It seemed like a miracle that he escaped from that terrible fall with just bad bruises. In the years to follow I witnessed others making that same trip with disastrous results."

The Six Day Bicycle Race, as the name implied, actually went on for six consecutive days with one or the other partner of each team of two on the track during that period. At certain times of the day, mealtime and between the hours of 5 a.m. and 1 p.m., when the participants obtained a few hours sleep, it was understood between management and the riders that they would just barely keep moving so that the 'race' could be called continuous. The races catered to the paying public with the afternoon and evening performances. There was plenty of action and the fans loved it. The races at Madison Square Garden were probably the best patronized. This was partly due to the fact that many of the riders were Europeans - some brought over for the event - which appealed to the cosmopolitan crowd.

Lew mentioned an interesting sidelight. "There was a fire regulation that made it mandatory for all public buildings to have refuse cleared out every 24 hours. So, during the week, every morning at 5 a.m. the patrons would be asked to leave the arena in order for this task to be accomplished."

There were usually 10 or 12 teams taking part in these six day marathons, all under contract with the management. However, there was no prize money. The compensation varied greatly between those who had achieved fame in the business and those who were struggling for recognition. During those periods in the afternoon or evening when most of the action took place, it simply was not possible for the competitors to carry on at high speed for hours on end. Consequently the pace would slacken at times. It was then that some of the patrons, wanting more action, would offer cash for a 10-lap sprint. The amount offered in most cases would probably average between $10 and $50. However, there was one exception. During a never-to-be-forgotten race in New York, a well known night club entertainer of that era by the name of Texas Guinan, put up $5,000 for two 10 lap sprints ($2,500 each). This sort of bait naturally caused fierce competition between riders.

Lew continued to reminisce. "This sporting event seemed to come to an end in North America around 1939 with the advent of the Second World War. I've never heard the reason for its demise in this part of the world and can only assume that there was a breakdown at the management level or with availability of good riders and equipment. In any event, the sport lost its place in the arenas of the big cities which are usually-booked solid for years in advance. A couple of attempts were made in the 1940s to revive it, but for some reason it never regained its past popularity."

From 1932 to 1936 Lew made a living by participating in bicycling events which took place annually in such cities as Toronto, Montreal, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

"By 1936 I realized that even if I had the ability to get to the top and received the best compensation that was available in the business, and if I stayed there for 10 to 12 years, providing I didn't have a serious accident, I would still have to seek employment in order to provide a proper livelihood. So when the opportunity came along to join a major oil company, I accepted it, and thus ended my career in bike racing. Later on I had my own business, Mortimer's Monumental Works."

I mentioned to Lew that I had heard via the grapevine that he had more than a nodding acquaintance with well known old time movie comedian Joe E. Brown. Brown was known for his expansive grin and zany skits. While the boys from Victoria were in Los Angeles on one of their stints they were noticed by Joe E. Brown, who in turn thought up the idea of producing a movie, in which he would star, called the Six Day Bike Rider. As a result, quite a number of the lads obtained a contract to take part in the picture and a story was contrived for the film. Most of the scenes were taken at a local arena where a track was constructed. Joe was portrayed as being very short sighted, so when he lost his glasses in a spill, his poor eyesight caused him to start off again in the wrong direction. A portion of the process of filming this sequence involved the use of a motorcycle and rider with a cameraman and camera mounted daringly on the rear. This motorcycle traveled around the track in one direction while about a dozen guys rode their bicycles in the opposite direction. All was going reasonably well when Lew had the misfortune to collide with the motorbike. The result was not at all funny as Lew received a fractured skull plus nasty cuts and bruises. Full of consternation, the film company notified his mother and brought her to his bedside. It never occurred to young Lew that he could have sued for damages.

Lew Rush was born in Stewart, B.C., but came to Victoria as an infant. He attended Boys' Central and Victoria High schools. His wife Doris was born in Saskatchewan and used to work for B.C. Telephone in Victoria. One evening they happened to be at the same party and were introduced to each other by "Torchy" Peden. Reverend Whitehouse married them in Metropolitan Church in 1940. Their home for the last 24 years has been on Crescent Road about as close to the water as one could be. It was a delightful bungalow with a magnificent view. Sea lions and even the odd killer while grace their landscape and the sunsets they witness are breathtaking. Soft spoken, gentle Lew potters around the place gathering seaweed and firewood, he also enjoys playing the piano, classical music being his favorite. Both he and Doris were avid lacrosse fans.

He missed his old pal "Torchy" Peden and the telephone conversations they had every so often that began each time with: "Is that the famous "Torchy" Peden? Well, this is the famous Lew Rush."

I asked him whether he was going to attend the Olympics this year which once again will take place in Los Angeles. He had not made up his mind yet but his wife popped her head around the corner of the kitchen and said: "We wouldn't miss it for anything."

I for one, hope they do go but I am pretty certain the experience couldn't possibly reach the heights of the spine-tingling thrill that Lew felt 52 years ago.