Charles Piercey (20 January 1890 – 25 June 1966) was an Australian

racing cyclist Cycle sport is competitive physical activity using bicycles. There are several categories of bicycle racing including road bicycle racing, cyclo-cross, mountain bike racing, track cycling, BMX, and cycle speedway. Non-racing cycling spo ...

. As a teenager he joined the Coburg Cycling Club and came to prominence at the age of 20 with a win in the Melbourne to Warrnambool Road Race. Piercey started the race with a 47-minute handicap and took 10:01:00 to complete the race. Later that year he was beaten by a wheel in the

Austral Wheel Race The Austral Wheel Race is the oldest track bicycle race in the world still existing, stretching back to 1887. It is owned and run by AusCycling Victoria. The Austral race is Australia’s greatest track cycling event. It is held in Melbourne, ...

that was held that year at the

Melbourne Cricket Ground The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), also known locally as the 'G, is a sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne, Victoria. Founded and managed by the Melbourne Cricket Club, it is the largest stadium in the Southern Hemisphere, the Lis ...

on a grass track. In the early years of his career he took part in the Melbourne Six Days Races in 1912 and 1913. At the time

six-day racing Six-day cycling is a track cycling event that takes place over six days. Six-day races started in Britain, spread to many regions of the world, were brought to their modern style in the United States and are now mainly a European event. Initiall ...

was very popular in many parts of the world and usually featured international riders In 1914 Piercey, together with Iddo "Snowy" Munro,

Don Kirkham Don Kirkham (February 11, 1908 – March 7, 1998) was an American soil scientist regarded as the founder of mathematical soil physics. His special interest was the flow of water through soils and drainage of agricultural land. He was awarded the ...

, Charlie Snell and George Bell, became part of the first team of Australian Cyclists to head off for racing in Europe, with the objective to be competing in the

Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage cycle sport, bicycle race held primarily in France. It is the oldest and most prestigious of the three Grand Tour (cycling), Grand Tours, which include the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a ...

. Initially the team rode as professionals for the Paris-based Gladiator Cycles & Clement Tyre team, competing in classic races like

Milan–San Remo Milan–Sanremo (in italian language, Italian ''Milano-Sanremo''), also called "''The Spring classic''" or "''La Classicissima''", is an annual road bicycle racing, road cycling race between Milan and Sanremo, in Northwest Italy. With a distance ...

Paris–Roubaix Paris–Roubaix is a one-day professional bicycle road race in northern France, starting north of Paris and finishing in Roubaix, at the border with Belgium. It is one of cycling's oldest races, and is one of the 'Cycling monument, Monuments' ...

, Paris-Bruxelles, Paris-Nancy and the

Tour of Belgium The Tour of Belgium (; ) is a five-day bicycle race which is held annually in Belgium, and is part of the UCI ProSeries. It was held annually between 1908 and 1981, except during both world wars. Between 1982 and 1990 several races were not org ...

. Eventually only Munro and Kirkham were selected for participation in the Tour de France Piercey was never to return to Australia; in early August 1914 he left from

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

for New York City with fellow Australian cyclist Fred Keefe to try their chances in the United States' track circuit. Newark, New Jersey and its famous track was to be their base. Still in 1914 Piercey was a contender in the

Six Days of New York The Six Days of New York was a former six-day cycling event, held in New York City, in Madison Square Garden's velodrome. Between 1899 and 1961, a total of 73 editions were held, sometimes three per year.Gabriele, Michael C. (2011), The Golden Ag ...

Race at

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...

, followed by another Six Days Race in New Jersey in December 1914. He retired from his cycling career in 1920. A resident of

Brielle, New Jersey Brielle is a borough located in southern Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, along the Manasquan River. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 4,982, its highest decennial count ever and an increase ...

after he retired from cycling, Piercey became an avid hunter and fisherman.Staff
"Shore Has Its Share of Bike Riders Who Recall Old Days"
''

Asbury Park Press The ''Asbury Park Press'', formerly known as the ''Shore Press'', ''Daily Press'', ''Asbury Park Daily Press'', and ''Asbury Park Evening Press'', is the third largest daily newspaper in the state of New Jersey. Established in 1879, it has been o ...

'', 24 January 1965. Accessed 17 September 2017. "Charles Piercey, Brielle, looks at one of the many hunting and fishing trophies he has collected since giving up bike racing."

References

External links

Official CyclingRanking page for Charles Piercey
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Piercey, Charles 1890 births 1966 deaths Cyclists from Melbourne Australian male cyclists People from Brielle, New Jersey Sportsmen from Victoria (state) 20th-century Australian sportsmen