1941 Tour of Somerville – three national champs

Cycling History Trifecta – The year was 1941 and Somerville, New Jersey’s bicycle racing hero Furman Kugler had just won his second consecutive hometowm race, the 50-mile, Memorial Day “Tour of Somerville.” But the photo recognizes a then unprecedented feat in cycling. To Furman’s right are Somerville High School student Harry Naismyth and Furman’s sister, Mildred. The prior summer the three had traveled to Detroit to compete in the 1940 national cycling championships. Three champions were awarded that year, and the Somerville trio brought home all the top honors. Furman was named men’s national champion; Naismyth the junior champ and Mildred the women’s top cyclist. Clifton’s Carl Anderson, Furman’s friend, would go on to win the 1942 Tour of Somerville. Then in an ironic Memoriual Day twist, both Kugler and Anderson would be killed during the Second World War. The race was re-established in 1947 as the 50-mile “Kugler-Anderson Memorial” and has been held every Memorial Day since. This year’s edition, the 68th, drew a field of 155 starters and was won by New Zealand’s Timothy Gudsell (Pure Black) in a time of 1:48:21:
(Photo: Tour of Somerville Archives)