The Sun.
London, England, 1869-05-07 00:00:00

VELOCIPEDE BIDING EXTBAORDINAA'

A curious display took place on Thursday at the Well'
known Velocipede Riding School in Old Street, St•
Luke's. A number of English gentlemen, who have
learned the use of the velocipede during the last few
months, were assembled to welcome a young Frenchman
who had come over to prove how great is the proficiency
to be acquired on the instrument which is just now the
rage. The leading English amateurs present displaYel
much excellence in the new art, and in the games
of "follow my leader" and "touch me not" wn..11
the praise of their rival and guest. But
Henri Pascaud, the young gentleman in question,
stands alone. The feats he accomplishes have never been
approached in this country, and it was amusing to remark
the utter amazement of the velocipede teachers and their
pupils as he went on, adding marvel to marvel on the two
wheels. The bicycle will not stand alone, and it is °l'll
when in motion that the rider can support himself uP°ll it'
which he generally does by means of a guiding bar that
balances him and the instrument he sits on. This remern.
tiered, M. Henri Pascaud's performance will be seen to be
.
most extraordinary ; for he stops the bicycle when at full
speed without using his hands or applying brake-P°w:el:
So true is his seat that he manages the machine
with his feet alone, and on Thursday Le vent roil ."
the school neck and neck with his competitors, lane bi
arms were folded, his hands unemployed, and his face and
eyes apparently turned in every direction but that in
which ordinary riders would find themselves compelled to
look. The skaters regard cutting the figure 8 as an elegant
accomplishment ; but they would have been struck on
Thursday at the smallness of the space in which it was
done on the velocipede ; while the sharpness of the curves
and turns, the rapidity with which the course of progress
was reversed when the rider was at a speed of twelve
miles an hour, and the dexterity with which he
doubled on his pursuers, seemed little short of magical.
The first heat was between Mr. Mayan, the We'
tinguished expert, who made a successful trip t°
Brighton the other day, and M. Henri Pascaud.
latter started first, and the former's task was to Nine
abreast with and tap him on the shoulder. This seen°
little to tell, but to those who are familiar in any degree
with the working of the velocipede it will be seen to be
fraught with difficulty. It is not a question of mere
racing. The Frenchman's tactics are much more
To beguile his adversary into following him into a corner
from which there was apparently no escape, and then, 11
a dexterous twist in a direction which only he could e%ed
cute, to leave him at full speed and within a feivi
inches. of the wall, was one of M. Pascatintat
favourite devices. The next trial was one e'
speed and curves. In the centre of the great roil' a
space was marked out which was scarcely more than the
bicycle would stand in ; the ends of its two wheels being.
within a few inches of the limit at either end. In thi6,
spot M. Pascaud tusnedround and round on the velocipede
with perfect ease ; and then proceeded to spew how slowly
he could work it round the school. To move slowly is
matter of considerable difficulty, and prizes are given both:
in Paris and America to the slowest as well as the fastest
rider. Now this Frenchman crawled. None of the
Englishmen attempted to vie with him in this. 111 e-a
came a long game at "follow my leader," and " hare aillhe
hounds," and here again M. Pascaud was triumphant.
eight gentlemen who followed were all splencil"
riders ; and nothing could be prettier than thne
long row of velocipedes, rushing round and round at eve"
distances and in regular line. The pace was tremencina;
and it really seemed at times as if they formed one Ina"
train at express speed. Finally, P. Pascaud set his 1106,611
a series of playful tasks, which, if we mistake not, wi
give many gentlemen with a taste for velocipeding
ployment for their leisure for months to come. a-
stopped short under the most difficult circumstances, an
started again without using his hands ; he vaulted uP°O
and stood on the saddle while at full speed; he vaulted on
and off at the same pace ; he rose on his feet on the pedal!'
and while thus standing saluted the company with his
hands ; he sat sideways, in the position a lady occupies
oa
horseback, and worked the velocipede with one foot, an
without using his hands ; he stood at the extreme end
°
the spring, propelling it now with one hand, now with tbs
other—in short the machine seems to him a perfect OP
It was stated that M. Pascaud is seventeen years of nge'e
and that he has only practised on the velocipede for 0011/4
twelve months. He attained his proficiency, however, bc;
frequent attendances at the Cascade of the pnie
Boulogne and at the Place de la Bourse, where for
time past the best velocipede practice in France has been
exhibited.