Tom Hayes wrote:
> What is a "milk race," the term used for what appears to be a kind (I
> am not
> sure that it is in fact a kind of race) in British amatuer racing? Is
> there
> something characteristic of what is termed a "milk race" as opposed to
> other
> kind of racing? Is the term an acronym? and what is the origin of
> the word
> (I do not have an OED available on-line on my home computer)?
http://en.wikipedia.org/
* the *Milk Race* (1958 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1958>-1993 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1993>)
At its peak, this was a two-week amateur event similar in status to the Peace Race <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peace_Race>, contested by international teams. From about 1983 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1983>, the event was also opened to professional teams. The Milk Marketing Board also sponsored the *Scottish Milk Race*, a smaller tour in Scotland.
I think it's about sponsorship, but I'm no expert.
Morgan Fletcher
Oakland, CA