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| Event type

100 kilometres, Men

Date15 – 18 July 1908
StatusOlympic
LocationWhite City Stadium, London
Participants43 from 11 countries

The 100 kilometre race was considered the “major” championship of the 1908 Olympic cycling program, and the Prince of Wales donated a cup to be presented to the winner. Leon Meredith was the heavy favorite. He would be World Champion seven times in the 100 kilometre motor-paced event - 1904-05, 1907-09, 1911, and 1913.

A potentially disastrous accident occurred in heat two of this event. At the beginning of the sprint, Mr. Harry Venn, a judge in the walking contests, wandered onto the track and Guillaume Coeckelberg (BEL) collided with him. Coeckelberg was thrown from his bike, and struck his head on the concrete curb of the track. Fortunately, neither was severely injured and Coeckelberg was able to remount and finish the race and qualify for the final as a result of having led the race for a sufficient number of laps.

The track was wet from rains at the start of the final of this event and intermittent rain saturated the riders for most of the race, which was marred by multiple punctures and accidents. At 13 miles, Meredith was involved in a crash with Walter Andrews and D. C. Robertson. He remounted but was off the back and could never rejoin the leading group. Meredith was lapped at 62 laps, and he dismounted within the next mile. The half-way mark (50 km.) was covered in 1-16:47.2, with Sydney Bailey (GBR) leading.

At 70 kilometres (115 laps) the leading pack numbered seven, including Charles Bartlett. But Bartlett punctured, only to be paced back to the pack in eight laps by the Canadian, Harry Young. The final lap came down to a pack of four - Bartlett, Charles Denny, Octave Lapize, and Billy Pett. With three British riders, Lapize stood little chance, and the Brits paced the quick sprinting Bartlett, leading him out for the final sprint, which he won by about one wheel to earn the Prince of Wales Cup. Bartlett had no other major international titles but won the NCU 50-mile tandem-paced championship in 1908 and 1909. His time in winning this race was a world record, bettering the mark of 2-49:00.8 set by Capelle in Dijon, France on 20 October 1898.

Although Octave Lapize “only” earned the bronze medal, in 1910 he became the first former Olympic rider to win the Tour de France. He also remains the only rider to win Paris-Roubaix in three consecutive years - 1909-11. His other major professional titles included Paris-Brussels in 1911-13 and Paris-Tours in 1911. Lapize was killed in a dogfight during World War I.

Paul Texier (FRA) [38 laps], Lapize [31 laps], and Denny [23 laps], received Diplomas of Merit for leading the greatest number of laps. Bartlett led for only 16 laps.

PosCompetitor(s)NOC
1Charles BartlettGBRWRGold
2Charlie DennyGBRSilver
3Octave LapizeFRABronze
4Billy PettGBR
5Paul TexierFRA
6Walt AndrewsCAN
7David RobertsonGBR
8Syd BaileyGBR
AC r2/2Andrew HanssonSWEDNF
AC r2/2Georges LutzFRADNF
AC r2/2François BonnetFRADNF
AC r2/2Jack BishopGBRDNF
AC r2/2Harry MussenGBRDNF
AC r2/2Leon MeredithGBRDNF
AC r2/2Gustaf WesterbergSWEDNF
AC r2/2Guillaume CoeckelberghBELDNF
AC r2/2Harry YoungCANDNF
AC h1 r1/2Will AndersonCAN
AC h1 r1/2André LepèreFRA
AC h1 r1/2Alwin BoldtGER
AC h1 r1/2Georgius DamenNED
AC h1 r1/2Gerard, Jonkheer Bosch van DrakesteinNED
AC h1 r1/2John NormanGBR
AC h1 r1/2Ioannis SantorinaiosGREDNF
AC h1 r1/2Fred McCarthyCANDNF
AC h1 r1/2Richard KatzerGERDNF
AC h2 r1/2William MortonCANDNF
AC h2 r1/2Pierre HosteinFRADNF
AC h2 r1/2Hermann MartensGERDNF
AC h2 r1/2Bruno GoetzeGERDNF
AC h2 r1/2Paul SchulzeGERDNF
AC h2 r1/2Max TriebschGERDNF
AC h2 r1/2Dorus NijlandNEDDNF
AC h2 r1/2Guglielmo MalatestaITADNF
AC h2 r1/2Battista PariniITADNF
AC h2 r1/2Cesare ZanzotteraITADNF
AC h2 r1/2Harry PassmoreRSADNF
AC h2 r1/2Henri CunaultFRADNF
AC h2 r1/2Camille AvrillonFRADNF
AC h2 r1/2Jean MadelaineFRADNF
AC h2 r1/2Robert JollyGBRDNF
AC h2 r1/2David NoonGBRDNF
AC h2 r1/2Louis WeintzUSADNF

Round One (15 – 16 July 1908)

Top six finishers plus the two riders from each heat who led for the greatest number of laps advanced to the final.

Heat One (15 July 1908 — 10:00)

PosCompetitor(s)NOCTimeMargin
1Andrew HanssonSWE2-50:21.4Q
2Georges LutzFRAat ½ wheelQ
3Syd BaileyGBRat 2 lengthsQ
4Paul TexierFRAQ
5Jack BishopGBRQ
6David RobertsonGBRQ
ACFrançois BonnetFRAq
ACHarry MussenGBRq
ACWill AndersonCAN
ACAndré LepèreFRA
ACAlwin BoldtGER
ACGeorgius DamenNED
ACGerard, Jonkheer Bosch van DrakesteinNED
ACJohn NormanGBR
DNFIoannis SantorinaiosGRE
DNFFred McCarthyCAN
DNFRichard KatzerGER

Heat Two (16 July 1908 — 10:00)

PosCompetitor(s)NOCTimeMargin
1Leon MeredithGBR2-43:15.4Q
2Charles BartlettGBRa short lengthQ
3Gustaf WesterbergSWEQ
4Octave LapizeFRAQ
5Walt AndrewsCANQ
6Billy PettGBRQ
7Charlie DennyGBRq
8Guillaume CoeckelberghBELq
9Harry YoungCANq
DNFWilliam MortonCAN
DNFPierre HosteinFRA
DNFHermann MartensGER
DNFBruno GoetzeGER
DNFPaul SchulzeGER
DNFMax TriebschGER
DNFDorus NijlandNED
DNFGuglielmo MalatestaITA
DNFBattista PariniITA
DNFCesare ZanzotteraITA
DNFHarry PassmoreRSA
DNFHenri CunaultFRA
DNFCamille AvrillonFRA
DNFJean MadelaineFRA
DNFRobert JollyGBR
DNFDavid NoonGBR
DNFLouis WeintzUSA

Final Round (18 July 1908 — 15:45)

Match 1/2 (15:45)

PosCompetitor(s)NOCTimeMargin
1Charles BartlettGBR2-41:48.6WR
2Charlie DennyGBRat one wheel
3Octave LapizeFRA
4Billy PettGBR
5Paul TexierFRA
6Walt AndrewsCAN
7David RobertsonGBR
8Syd BaileyGBR
DNFAndrew HanssonSWE
DNFGeorges LutzFRA
DNFFrançois BonnetFRA
DNFJack BishopGBR
DNFHarry MussenGBR
DNFLeon MeredithGBR
DNFGustaf WesterbergSWE
DNFGuillaume CoeckelberghBEL
DNFHarry YoungCAN