Alf Goullet
Encyclopedia
Alf Goullet was an Australian cyclist who won more than 400 races on three continents, including 15 six-day races. He set world records from two-thirds of a mile to 50 miles, and the record for the distance ridden in a six-day race.
and raced on outdoor tracks set in parks and sports grounds.
In Salt Lake City in 1912 he set world records at two thirds of a mile, three-quarters of a mile and a mile. A reporter there wrote:
That winter Goullet won the first Paris six-day race, paired with Joe Fogler of Brooklyn
. He returned to America and in November 1914 won the six-day at Madison Square Garden
, paired with another Australian, Alfred Grenda. The 2,759.2 miles they covered is still a record. Goullet rode the last hour of the race - a six-day relay race - without Grenda's help. His partner had appendicitis
.
He wrote in the Saturday Evening Post after his first six-day race in New York:
Goullet took American nationality in 1916. He joined the navy when the USA joined World War I
in 1917 but never left the country.
Goullet was so popular in the 1920s that he was paid of $1,000 a day. The historian Peter Nye says a National Football League
franchise could be bought at the time for a few hundred dollars. National Football League teams sold for $100 each in the 1920s, making all 11 teams together worth $1100. Goullet made 10 times as much. Such was the crowd - 15,000 - to see him at Madison Square Garden in 1921 that firemen surrounded the building to stop gatecrashers. The New York Times said: "Goullet won the race through the greatest exhibition of sustained speed ever known in history." He and a Tour de France
rider, Maurice Brocco
, picked up $50,000 on the last night. Nye says it would be worth $375,000 today. Damon Runyon
wrote in the New York Times that Goullet was the king of six-day racers, proclaiming, "Long live the king!"
By 1925, Goullet had won around 400 races, established six world records and won the New York six-day eight times.
in the year he hit 54 home runs for the Yankees. He began selling life insurance and owned and ran a skating rink in Wayne Township.
He was inducted into the Madison Square Garden Hall of Fame in 1968, then flew to Melbourne - his first trip to Australia in 75 years - to join the Australian Sports Hall of Fame. He was enrolled in the US Bicycling Hall of Fame May 1988.
, United States. He was survived by his son, Richard, daughter Suzanne, six grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
1912
1913
1914
1916
1917
1919
1920
1921
1922
1923
Career
Goullet – pronounced to rhyme with roulette – was in born Cippeland, Australia and grew up in Emu, Victoria, 150 miles north of Melbourne. He created a cycling track at home by leading a horse as it dragged a log to clear the grass. He made a name in Australia and was contracted to ride in the United States. He landed at New York in winter 1910 "in a snowstorm, wearing a sleeveless shirt and a straw hat because it was summer at home." He was 19. He settled in NewarkNewark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
and raced on outdoor tracks set in parks and sports grounds.
In Salt Lake City in 1912 he set world records at two thirds of a mile, three-quarters of a mile and a mile. A reporter there wrote:
That winter Goullet won the first Paris six-day race, paired with Joe Fogler of Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
. He returned to America and in November 1914 won the six-day at Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
, paired with another Australian, Alfred Grenda. The 2,759.2 miles they covered is still a record. Goullet rode the last hour of the race - a six-day relay race - without Grenda's help. His partner had appendicitis
Appendicitis
Appendicitis is a condition characterized by inflammation of the appendix. It is classified as a medical emergency and many cases require removal of the inflamed appendix, either by laparotomy or laparoscopy. Untreated, mortality is high, mainly because of the risk of rupture leading to...
.
He wrote in the Saturday Evening Post after his first six-day race in New York:
Goullet took American nationality in 1916. He joined the navy when the USA joined World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
in 1917 but never left the country.
Goullet was so popular in the 1920s that he was paid of $1,000 a day. The historian Peter Nye says a National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
franchise could be bought at the time for a few hundred dollars. National Football League teams sold for $100 each in the 1920s, making all 11 teams together worth $1100. Goullet made 10 times as much. Such was the crowd - 15,000 - to see him at Madison Square Garden in 1921 that firemen surrounded the building to stop gatecrashers. The New York Times said: "Goullet won the race through the greatest exhibition of sustained speed ever known in history." He and a Tour de France
Tour de France
The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
rider, Maurice Brocco
Maurice Brocco
Maurice Brocco was a French professional road bicycle racer between 1906 and 1927. In 1911 he won a stage in the Tour de France. He participated six times in the Tour de France, but finished the race only once. In his later career he was successful in six-day races.In the 1911 Tour de France,...
, picked up $50,000 on the last night. Nye says it would be worth $375,000 today. Damon Runyon
Damon Runyon
Alfred Damon Runyon was an American newspaperman and writer.He was best known for his short stories celebrating the world of Broadway in New York City that grew out of the Prohibition era. To New Yorkers of his generation, a "Damon Runyon character" evoked a distinctive social type from the...
wrote in the New York Times that Goullet was the king of six-day racers, proclaiming, "Long live the king!"
By 1925, Goullet had won around 400 races, established six world records and won the New York six-day eight times.
Retirement
Goullet retired at 34, recently married, after that December's race at Madison Square Garden. The organisers paid him an appearance fee of $10,000. He estimated he earned $100,000 from cycling at a time when a manual worker brought home $5 a day. At his peak he earned more than the $20,000 paid to baseball's Babe RuthBabe Ruth
George Herman Ruth, Jr. , best known as "Babe" Ruth and nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Sultan of Swat", was an American Major League baseball player from 1914–1935...
in the year he hit 54 home runs for the Yankees. He began selling life insurance and owned and ran a skating rink in Wayne Township.
He was inducted into the Madison Square Garden Hall of Fame in 1968, then flew to Melbourne - his first trip to Australia in 75 years - to join the Australian Sports Hall of Fame. He was enrolled in the US Bicycling Hall of Fame May 1988.
Death
Goullet died in a nursing home aged 103 in Toms River, New JerseyToms River, New Jersey
Toms River is a census-designated place and unincorporated area located within Toms River Township and is the county seat of Ocean County, New Jersey. It is part of a larger Toms River Township...
, United States. He was survived by his son, Richard, daughter Suzanne, six grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
Palmarès
1909- National sprint champion
1912
- Melbourne six-day, with Paddy HehirPaddy HehirPatrick O'Sullivan Hehir was an Australian cycling champion. He participated in the 1912 UCI Track Cycling World Championships at the Newark Velodrome. He won the American Derby event in 1912. In 1910 Frank L. Kramer beat Hehir in the one-mile open professional event....
- Sydney six-day, with Paddy HehirPaddy HehirPatrick O'Sullivan Hehir was an Australian cycling champion. He participated in the 1912 UCI Track Cycling World Championships at the Newark Velodrome. He won the American Derby event in 1912. In 1910 Frank L. Kramer beat Hehir in the one-mile open professional event....
1913
- National sprint champion
- New York six-day, with Joe Fogler
- Paris six-day, with Joe Fogler
1914
- Boston six-day with Alf Hill
- New York six-day, with Alfred Grenda
- Newark six-day, with Alf Hill
1916
- Boston six-day, with Alfred Grenda
1917
- New York six-day, with Jake Magin
1919
- New York six-day, with Eddie Madden
1920
- New York six-day, with Jake Magin
1921
- New York six-day, with Maurice Brocco
1922
- New York six-day, with Gaetano Belloni
- Chicago six-day, with Ernst Kockler
1923
- New York six-day, with Alfred Grenda