In 1899 William Burvill entered the third Beverley to Perth Race, at that time called Armstrong’s Cycling Road Race after it’s creator and promoter, entrepreneur cyclist Percy Armstrong. In 1899 the Warnambool to Melbourne cycle race, wasn’t run, leaving the Beverley as the longest road race in Australasia and as a consequence it attracted interest from all over the country. Telegraph stations along the race route gave live updates to “persons in the city and in all the principal provincial towns”, as competitors passed.

William, a relatively inconspicuous city racer, untested in an endurance event of this nature, was given a handicap of 60 minutes over the three scratch men, Tom and Alec Jewell, and Jack Beck. The Jewells were the reigning 50 and 25 mile champions. Jack Beck, originally from Menzies was a star goldfields rider, who by 1898 was also manager of Percy Armstrong’s Kanowna shop. Jack had already won the inaugural Beverley in 1897.

Joining William at the 60 minute mark was Charles Salkilld from York and a fellow Perth rider, H.F. Williams. 25 riders had entered the race, however by the Friday night before the race only 16 had made the trip to Beverley. Charlie Baxter, another favourite from Kalgoorlie withdrew due to influenza on race day leaving a starting field of just 15.

Burvill, Williams and Salkilld were waved off from the Post Office at 8:30 to cheers from their competitors and Beverley townsfolk. Fine, clear conditions with a favourable light southerly wind made it a torturous wait for the rest of the riders. Two more, Fredericks and Powell, were let go at 20 minutes. At 30 minutes H.L. Jones, Morrell and Millington started. A.D. Jones, “the two Italians” A. Wind and B. Leo, and Best all went between 9:05 and 9:10, with the three scratch men waiting until 9:30.

Almost immediately the challenges began; Harold Millington punctured just five miles out of Beverley and lost a precious quarter of an hour putting things to rights. H.F. Williams was beset by cramps before reaching York, leaving Burvill and Salkilld alone at the front.

The three scratch riders, pacing one another, set a blistering pace of 24mph (38kmh) for the first 12 miles (19km), at which point Alec Jewell suffered a puncture and retired. By York, 22 miles (35km), the other two had clawed back 7 minutes on the leaders.

Halfway between York and Northam the trio of A.D. Jones and the two Italians came to grief. Jones’ cycle was rendered unrideable following a fall. Leo, thrown from his bike after a stick got in his spokes, injured his arm and was unable to continue. Wind, tyre and morale deflated by a puncture, also retired.

The two remaining scratch riders passed Jones walking his broken bike a few miles out of Northam and subsequently caught Millington. They rode with him arriving in York at 11:46am having gained 9 minutes on Best and 16 minutes on the leaders.

Beck, Tom Jewell and Millington caught Best a few miles shy of Newcastle (now Toodyay), however an exhausted Tom Jewell retired at this point, riding quietly into the town. Just south of Newcastle the new trio of Beck, Best and Millington passed Powell sitting on the roadside attempting to fix a puncture. Fredericks had also retired before Newcastle, and after riding another half-mile with Beck and Best, Millington cried “enough” and retired too.

Still working together Beck and Best made short work of Morrell and H.J. Jones in the hills out of Newcastle and were making good time on the three riders in front of them; Burvill, Salkilld and Williams, who by now were each riding solo.

At Mayhew’s, thirty miles from the finish, Williams had overtaken a flagging Salkilld and the powerful back marker team of Best and Beck were now 24 minutes behind the race leader Burvill. Around Mundaring Best slipped on a loose surface and fell, Beck rode over him, and also came down. Neither was injured, and they resumed racing.

At the top of Greenmount Hill Best broke away furiously from Beck and had put a mile into him by the time they hit the flats of Midland. By Guildford Beck had overtaken Best again and with just nine minutes between himself and the race leader, Burvill, he set to work to reel him in. It wasn’t to be though; Burvill kept up a good pace and actually put some time into Jack Beck, crossing the finishing line near the Causeway 10 minutes 30 seconds ahead of him. Best and Williams followed minutes after Beck, and Morrell, the only other rider to finish the race limped in a half hour later.

Burvill’s time of 8 hours 29 minutes is much slower that that of the previous two winners. Jack Beck won the 1897 event in 6 hours 47 minutes in squally, wet conditions. Beck's relatively poor time in 1899 (7 hours 39 minutes), together with Burvill’s suggest a challenge not noted by race reports. Pacing was allowed in 1897 and 1898, but banned in 1899. Burvill rode much of the day on his own, but Beck had the benefit of companions all the way to Greenmount Hill. Is it possible that a strong south westerly wind held them back?

Freewheels and calliper brakes, while available, were still considered a novelty, and it would be another 26 years before a geared bike was ridden in the Beverley. Who knows what the road conditions were in the days before motor cars and trucks arrived on these shores. It’s certain that they were unsealed and mostly used by horse drawn vehicles. Competitors in the 1899 race were undoubtedly mounted on sturdy, fixed wheel bicycles, pedalling non stop for the entire 116 mile (185km) route.

On the morning of Nov 1st, at the invitation of His Excellency the Governor, the successful competitors attended Government; House. William Burvill received the first prize, a Raleigh tandem valued at £45, (for perspective blocks of land in North Perth in the area where William’s factory was could be had for around £40 at the time). Jack Beck, who took second place received a Humber machine; Best a Rover, and Williams a locally built Flying Arrow. Beck was also awarded a set of Dunlop tyres and the opportunity to compete in the Warnambool for making the fastest time in the contest. The Warnambool, wasn’t run in 1899 or 1900, however Beck makes a showing in the results of the 1904 edition.

William Burvill was born in Ballarat, Victoria in 1867 and moved to Western Australia around 1893. He was a plaster modeller by trade and operated one of the first plaster businesses in Perth. He had some financial difficulties around this time and it is interesting to note that on the 2nd of November 1899, just 4 days after winning the Beverley, and the day following his audience with the Governor, he appeared in the Perth Local Court over a debt for 6 pounds and 11 shillings. He was ordered to pay the amount in full or be imprisoned for 21 days. It is understood he was unable to pay and served his time. This was one of a number of court appearances over the next decade. William continued riding, competing in the Beverley again in 1901. He died in Fremantle in 1940.

Ross Burvill and Robert Frith.

*William Burvill, third from left with pipe, at work. Photo most likely taken at his Fitzgerald St, Perth, plaster molding factory. Photo supplied by William’s great nephew Ross Burvill.*

The original, more extensive, account of the race was written by “Pedal” and published in The West Australian on Mon Oct. 3rd 1899. Here is the Trove link to the original article.