When the last Tour of the West Coast was cancelled, the legacy of the man who rode across the continent in 1877 was left behind.
“There was a lot of pride, a lot more than I’m used to,” he said.
The Tour of Britain was cancelled because of the war, the War of Independence and the Great Depression.
Taylor and the rest of the Tour de France team was in Australia when the war was over.
He was in the country when a group of young soldiers were sent by the British to help train for the invasion of Australia.
They stayed on and stayed until the end of the First World War, when Taylor and his men returned to Britain.
As a war veteran, Taylor spent many years in the military and was awarded the Victoria Cross for valour in the Second World War.
In a country that had seen some of the most bloody wars in history, Taylor saw some of his comrades fall.
For a man of such great physical strength and the physical endurance of a man, he had to deal with the loss of his men, he said, “and you couldn’t see it from the front line.
You were always on your guard.
There were some really terrible things you had to face.
But I’m very proud of my service to the country, my countrymen and to my country.”
The tour he helped organise for George Strait in 1884 had the support of the Commonwealth Government and the Australian Government.
And it was a tour that many people will never forget.
During the tour, Taylor toured Victoria’s capital, Melbourne, and the towns and cities of the surrounding state.
After returning home in 1885, he became the first man to complete the Sydney-Munsell Race, the first solo Australian to cross the continent, and won the inaugural Australian Road Race.
His achievements are still evident today, with the Tour of Australia still in place and many of his photographs being used by road races around the world.
Topics:history,adventure-sports,tour-event,american-flag-football-league,australia,aurelia-2157,vic,port-augusta-5700,newcastle-2300,brisbane-4000,southport-4215,south-austra-4217,tas,canberra-2600,sydney-2000,melbourne-3000,lismore-2450,vicMore stories from Victoria
