The Human Motor
Hubert Opperman and Endurance Cycling in Interwar Australia
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12344508 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Daniel Oakman (0009-0000-2624-5282, National Museum of Australia, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2015 |
| Volume | 46 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 214-233 |
| Publication date | 2015-05-04 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Australian Historical Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1031-461X • E-ISSN: 1940-5049 |
| Publisher | Routledge (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/1031461x.2015.1039555 |
| OpenAlex | W1928958250 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
During the late 1920s and 1930s, Hubert ‘Oppy’ Opperman (1904–96) rose to prominence as the greatest endurance cyclist of the period. After success in Europe, Opperman spent a decade setting a slew of transcontinental and intercity cycling records. This article explores how Opperman attained his celebrity status and why his feats of endurance resonated powerfully with the Australian public. More than a mere distraction in the economic turmoil of the Depression, Opperman’s significance can be explained within the context of broader concerns about modernity, national capacity, efficiency and race patriotism. This article also argues that for a nation insecure about its physical and moral condition, Opperman fostered new understandings of athleticism, masculinity and the capacity of white Australians to thrive in a vast and sparsely populated continent
Context (archaeology · Economic history · Masculinity · Modernity · Patriotism · Political science · Politics · Sociology · White (mutation · Australian History and Society · Gender Studies · History · Law · Sport and Mega-Event Impacts · Sports, Gender, and Society
| Citations per year | 0.11 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2017 - 2017 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |