The Tour of Somerville is an annual series of bicycle races held in Somerset County, New Jersey. The races are held over Memorial Day weekend with the premiere race held on Monday. The series of races are called "tours" due to a New Jersey state law forbidding racing on highways for prizes.
In 1940, Fred "Pop" Kugler, a local Bicycle shop owner and professional bike racer, decided to start a bicycle race in his home town of Somerville. The Tour of Somerville has been held every year (with the exception of 1943-1946 due to WWII) since its inception. The Tour has become known as "The Kentucky Derby of Cycling" and draws international Olympians and top cyclists from around the world. It was the predominant American cycling race from the 1940s to the 1980s.
Read more about Tour Of Somerville: Past Winners (Kugler-Anderson Memorial Tour)
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“Do you know I believe that [William Jennings] Bryan will force his nomination on the Democrats again. I believe he will either do this by advocating Prohibition, or else he will run on a Prohibition platform independent of the Democrats. But you will see that the year before the election he will organize a mammoth lecture tour and will make Prohibition the leading note of every address.”
—William Howard Taft (1857–1930)