Event News and History
Ask a native resident of the small central New Jersey town of Somerville to say the first thing that comes to mind when you say Memorial Day, and you're likely to hear "Bike Racing." Each Memorial Day for almost 70 years, they came. They came to watch, to eat, to enjoy...
They came to Somerville to witness what is known as the oldest bicycle race in the United States - a race rich in history and tradition, regarded as the most prestigious cycling event in America. They came for the Kugler-Anderson Memorial Tour of Somerville. Known as "The Kentucky Derby of Cycling," the Tour is a race to be won among top national and international Olympians and professional cyclists.
How the Tour Started
When professional bike racer and bike shop owner, Fred Kugler, now universally known as "Pop," decided to promote a bike race in his hometown of Somerville, he encountered one problem. New Jersey state law prohibited racing on highways for prizes, and Somerville's Main Street is State Highway 28. To bypass this legislation, Kugler then decided to name the race a "tour." Hence the classic, 50-mile Tour of Somerville was born in May of 1940.
Kugler's son, Furman, a past junior champion and one of the country's most promising cyclists, won the inaugural Tour of Somerville in 1940 and repeated his victory in 1941. Carl Anderson, a friend of Kugler's won the Tour in 1942. World War II suspended the Tour from 1943-1946, and its Memorial Day date took on a sad irony when Kugler and Anderson were both killed while serving with the Armed Forces overseas. Resumed in 1947, the Senior Men's race of the Tour of Somerville was officially renamed the Kugler-Anderson Memorial, in honor of the two past winners that died for their country.
Community Event
The Tour of Somerville is a community event, free for spectators, that transcends the sport of cycling. It is not only a bike race, but a festival, a carnival, and a giant family reunion all in one. The event honors American heroes as part of this Memorial Day tribute.
Even as the Tour has grown, it has maintained its homegrown, hometown image. The day's highlights are both the cycling and the opportunity to show community pride in the town of Somerville. Many organizations work together to make the event a success.
Tens of thousands of people from all over the nation converge on the tree-lined streets of Somerville to cheer the cyclists as they speed up to 40 mph past Victorian homes and main street storefronts in the borough’s downtown district.