Site icon Sport Australia Hall of Fame

William ‘Bill’ Long

melbournefcwp

William Thompson Long OAM was Inducted into The Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 1991 as a General Member for his contribution to the sport of cycling.

Bill Long promoted the sport of cycling at all levels. He has served the sport in every capacity as an amateur and professional road and track rider, club president, organiser, official, handicapper, judge, promoter, team manager, coach, sporting journalist and broadcaster. He was involved in three pivotal actions; bringing international champions to Australia, introducing drug testing, and unifying the professional and amateur bodies. 

He became the youngest councillor of the League of Victorian Wheelmen in 1948 and its youngest president in 1954 at age 30. He served again as president in 1974 for six years and was awarded Life Membership in 1979. His association with the LVW spanned 40 years. He was also national president of the Australian Professional Cycling Council (previously known as the Australian Cycling Council) in 1977 and awarded him Life Membership in 1991, president of Victorian Veteran Cycling Council in 1990 and awarded Life Membership in 1999, national president of Australian Veteran Cycling Council in 1993 and awarded Life Membership in 2003.

Long has been the manager of Victorian and Australian teams to national and world championships and Australian delegate to UCI World Cycling Conferences. He was the first Australian delegate (professional) to a UCI World Cycling Conference in 1963.

A highly respected official with the world cycling countries, he has brought about many changes to international racing regulations. He promoted cycling in Australia in almost every discipline including Australia’s most traditional events the Melbourne to Warrnambool Road Race, the Austral, the Melbourne Cup on Wheels, state, national, amateur, professional, schoolboy and veteran championships, weekly track carnivals, world record attempts, madisons, omniums, 24-hour races, and 49 Six-Day bike races offering rich prize-money and innovative incentive payment contracts bringing international champions to Australia. He was involved in the creation of The Sun Tour of Victoria in 1952 with Laurie Jones (founder), Ben Kerville, Harry Lovell, Snowy Munro and Chalmers Watt. He organised the road and track dress rehearsals for the Melbourne Olympic Games. Such was Long’s innovation for cycling promoting he even got a political party, The Nationals, to sponsor an 8-day bike tour around country Victoria criss-crossing each electoral boundary.

He was a cycling commentator with the ABC from 1956 and covered more than three Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games and World Cycling Championships.

Long was invited to Japan from 1973 to 1978 as a specialist sprint coach and from 1975 had 3 professional cyclists win 14 medals (10 gold, 1 silver, 3 bronze) in 12 UCI World Championships (1975-1986) putting Japan on the world stage for sprint cycling excellence.  One of those cyclists, Koichi Nakano, won a record 10 world professional sprint titles – the blue-ribbon event – 10 years running from 1977 to 1986. In 1976 Long was honoured by the Fédération Japonaise de Cyclisme Professionnel.

He worked in the bicycle trade, first at Hartley’s, as a travelling salesman before and after serving in World War Two, then as a retailer, Progress Bicycle Company, for 37 years, mechanic, manufacturer and expo director. He was the Retail Cycle Traders Australia president in 1963, then secretary in 1964 for 24 years, steering it from a state association to a national one in 1979. In 1983 he created the Bike of the Year Award and in 1984 Bike Expo and ran 8 Expo’s, now known as Bicycling Australia Show. The RCTA awarded him Life Membership in 1985.

In his spare time, Long played cricket with various clubs including the AIF during World War Two and RSL Victoria after the war, then Collingwood (1957-1963) and Elsternwick (1963-1976) Cricket Clubs having Captained both First XI and Second XI as left-hand opening bat. Elsternwick Cricket Club awarded him Life Membership in 1975.

At one stage, circa 1969-1973, Long entered into the arena of boxing having Lionel Rose, Henry Nissen, Tony Mundine, Paul Ferreri and Rocky Mattioli under contract.

Cycling Awards and Events Established 

Honours and Achievements

Exit mobile version