This race was the 13th six-day event that had been staged in North American since the Second World War and the venue was New York's 22nd Engineers Armory. It was New York City's' 70th six-day race. Albert Schelstraete from Delhi, Ontario had been contracted to build the wooden track for this event. On the final evening with the arena filled to capacity Albert witnessed a very dramatic finish to the race.
An Australian team comprised of 25 year old Reginald Arnold and his veteran partner 33 year old Alfred Strom had been attacking the favourites all week. The race had been a rough and tumble affair with four riders being hospitalized soon after the race started. Gulio Rossi (Ita) and Milio Carrara (Ita) were two of the riders that crashed heavily and spent the night in the hospital. The other riders returned to the track with minor cuts and bruises. As well, Bill Roberts (Can) from Montreal abandoned. Only 7 of the original 13 teams would finish the race.
The pace was fierce and by day four Arnold and Strom were tied with Rigoni/Terruzzi and the Italian-French tandem of Redolfi (Ita) and Raymond Goussot (Fra). On day 5 the Aussies gained a lap and were now in the lead going into the final day of racing.
The favourites, Italian sprint champion 35 year old Severino Rigoni (Ita) and his 25 year old partner Ferdinando Terruzzi (Ita) were frustrated with the infernal rhythm of the Australian duo. Arnold and Strom had been winning sprints and jams all week and had amassed an insurmountable lead in points.
In the final day of the race, Rigoni and Terruzzi gained a lap and were now tied with the upstarts from down under Arnold and Strom. A showdown was in the cards. During an intermission Arnold and Strom were resting in their trackside bunks when the promoter John Baruche (or James 'Jimmy the Whale' Proscia) visited the Aussies and offered them a financial settlement if they let Rigoni/Terruzzi win. The 165th Street Armory was packed with a partisan Italian crowd and the promoter was hoping that a victory by the Italian favourites would send the local spectators home satisfied and wanting to come back.
The Aussies were part of a new breed of riders that wanted to get the six-day game going and bring back the speed and endurance of six-day racing in the 1920's -1930's. The bottom-line was, six-day racing would survive on good fair racing and not local fixes. Incensed, Arnold returned to the track and hammered like a man possessed. With the fix off Rigoni/Terruzzi tried to catch the emotionally charged Australian duo with a massive effort but it was all for naught as the high gear Australians, Arnold and Strom crossed the finish line in 1st place winning their first six-day race.
A month later in Germany the rivalry continued in Europe where Rigoni/Terruzzi won the December 1949 Berlin Six-Day with Arnold/Strom in second, ahead in points 309 to 195 but 1 lap in arrears. Arnold/Strom won the next two Berlin 6-day races in 1950. Rigoni/Terruzzi won the New York 6-Day in March 1950 but without the Australians present.
The team of Reginald Arnold / Alfred Strom won 5 times out of the total 25 they raced together. Arnold raced with his 1949 New York 6-day rival Ferdinando Terruzzi (Ita) twenty-two times winning 5 times.
Severino Rigoni continued to race 6-days until he was 42 years old. His last victory was at the 1957 San Paulo Six-Day in Brazil when partnered with Bruno Sivilotti (Ita). Similarly, Alfred Strom raced six-day events until 41 years old. His last victory was at the 1957 Louisville Six-Day partnered with John Tressider (Usa). Strom retired to Belgium, living in the Flanders.
The post WWII revival of six-day was short lived in North American. The costs of staging a six-day marathon bike event were too much for most sports promoters and the sporting public seemed to gravitate to team sporting events such as baseball, football and hockey. Even though the six-day races were on primetime radio and the new medium of television, interest in the "race-to-no-where" faded.
There were thirteen six-day bicycle races between April 1946 and March 1950. The North American wooden indoor tracks would remain quiet for seven years until the second 6-day race renaissance commenced in 1957.
Arnold Devlin
www.6dayracing.ca
References: