Fast Digs Update: Racing in the Valley
It took a San Fernando Valley newspaper, the Van Nuys News, to cover a Valley road race way back in 1921. From the Thursday October 27, 1921 edition, with the headline, Bicycle Races Draw Crowd:
The bicycle races held by the Van Nuys Bicycle Shop on North Sherman Way last Saturday attracted a large crowd of spectators and furnished an interesting and wholesome afternoon of sport. There were 23 entries and the races were all close and exciting. The slow race and scramble race provided lots of fun. Chas F. Hardin, under whose direction the event was held, had provided an attractive list of prizes. Following are the winners and the awards: 10-Mile Road Race First time Gus Hakanson, gold medal; second time, George Vigliani, Silver medal; third time, Conrad Miller, bronze medal. First place, Robt. Jordan, gold watch; second place, Chas. Schwab, pair of Pierce tires, third place, Gus Hakanson, Federal tire; fourth [place] Conrad Miller, Federal tire; fifth place, George Vigliani, Congo tire; sixth place, Frank Testa, Congo tire; seventh place, Earl Neff, pair of pedals. Slow Race 1st, Ben Halverson, bicycle lock. 2nd Donald Jordan, Scout grips. 3rd Joe Chaves, whistle. Scramble Race, 3-4 Mile 1st, Ferdinand Mendenhall, Hartford tire. 2nd, William Neilson, frame pump, 3rd Raymond Chavez, pair of toe clips. Half Mile, Boys of 12 and Under, 1st Donald Jordan, gold watch. 2nd Raymond Chavez, electric tail light. 3rd B. Halverson, nickel monkey wrench. 4th, Sam Greenburg. Half Mile, Boys over 12 1st Robt. Jordan, bicycle chain. 2nd, Donald Jordan, set of wrenches. 3rd, John Stepan, hand ball. 4th Joe Chavez.
A couple things of note from all that: I originally found this while searching for information about George Vigliani, a SoCal racer whose name pops up a lot in that time period, racing both track and road. Second - the name Frank Testa; you might remember this name from the original Fast Digs. Only sixth place here, but I believe he was still only 18 years old in 1921, and he would go on to become a quite accomplished Six Day racer, also racing in the 1932 Olympics. Third, a little history note: Today, residents know Sherman Way as a major east / west street across the Valley, but in 1921 that was not the case: "When Van Nuys was plotted in 1911, the main thoroughfare [running north / south] and its offshoots were called Sherman Way. As the town developed, North Sherman Way was renamed Van Nuys Boulevard as the main boulevard in the town of Van Nuys." (Water and Power Associates)
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