The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-01-23
CENTURY bike RIDERS.
Chicago Girls Who Have Made 100
Miles on Wheel in Sixteen
Hours.
a Pluoky School Ma'am Was the
First to Accomplish the
Feat.
Four very Good Century Courses Load
Out From the Eig City ON Lake
Michigan's shore.


,snecial Correspondence Of THE PEN
Cur,Aao. Jan. 17.-BicyclinR Is = tavor-
ite diversion OF the Chicago girls NO o'hsf
c;4v in the country has developed SO many
expert lady riders. There are no les'' 'usn
half q dozen of them here who nave coveieo
100 miles in sixteen hours. MISS iAAis'
wsuoh. a pretty achool-ma'ana, has we
distinction of being the hrst lady IN lli-
nois to make a century run WITHIN 'n"s
limit of time. During the last sensoh-.
and il is scarcely proper to say the AAs''
for bioycies sre common in Chicago o"fAns
NIL the winter months-the wheslmen "
tho Garden City of tho lakes seemed 20 go
century crazy. Hundred-mile SPINS oane
nearer being the rule than the excepsAon''
Climbs boast of members who MADE ono
evory pleasant Sunday, an organl2a'ion
that admitted none but century riders De-
care one of the most popular wheelmshs
o,,hs in the city and acquired allargs mem
ha,ehip within two months after Its lnspi-
ration. ~" .#."
Chicago, as a starting point, offers to the
nubitioug wheelmen fonr fairly good one
hundred-mils courses. 70 the nofth'
stretchiuea along the shore of lake Michigan
lies the road to Waukegan. q goodly part OF
it over thu much talked OF sheriasn or'Ve'
which. at the present time, for the wheel
mans purpose, is far from an ldeaA rlolne
ground. Ten miles OF thls - SAND at
times almost unrideable, beyond which IN .
favorable season stretches away a nara clay
road AZ smooth IS q pavement, anu suit
Gently billy to satisfy the rider whose Cd
- A~ Nv I
iect is to annihilats distance ana not 10 en-
counter thrilling, Embarrassing coastln9 az
ventures. From Waukegan southwest 70
Wheeling and southeast TO Ch1cago aboue
the wheelmen journey over Level, plack
loan roads,. heavy with mud after araln, TO
Joliet. near which the country becomes
hilly and rocky. From Joliet the course
lies nearly north to AURORA over g rolling
section blessed at most times with GOOD
roads. From Aurora to Chioago
tho road is comparatively level. but often
times anything but smooth. Another
course to the northwest is to Long Lake
and return. Tho most favored, however Is
the Chicago lgin-Aurora course, q distance
of ave or six miles over a hundred. The
isunt to Elgin, thirty-elght miles. Is over
fairly good roads, dusty at times and ex-
ceodingly heavy at others. The seoono
section from Elgin to Aurora, Twenty-Five
miles in length, is through one OF the most
picturesque portions Of the sucxer ss !ssa
bordering al is does the beautiful Fox
river. A clay road, we'll packed from much
travel, threads its way over numerous nils,
enc or two of which tax to the utmost the
endurance of the rider. From Aurora back
to Chicago the road partakes OF the char
this route that all tbs Illinois ladies have
made their one-hundred-mile spins. The
record Of the course is 9:15 Hat. held by MT.
T.. Ullbrecht, of Chicago.
The ride which has already introduced
Miss Waugh to fame was the second one
attempted BY her; the first having been
given up about ten miles fror Chicago on
account of extremely muddy roads. She
rode 4 safety with a solid tire, and was &C
, companied bya Chicago man, who then
completed his fifth century run. Miss
Waugh is 81 years of age, an attractive
blonde, tall and slender, and a pleasant
sonvarsationalist. At the time of her ia
NOUS ride she had been riding but about
fvs months. Speaking Of the trip, she said:
"We started about four o'clock in the
morning. The roads were in splendid CON
dition. and we made good time, reaching
Elgin at $50. There We had breakfast and
rested. I was tired whom We reached there
and thought I had made another failure;
but when We resumed our trip at 10 O'Clock
felt as fresh and strong as when l started
from Chicago. We arrived at Aurora at two
p. m. The roads between Elgin and
Aurora were in magnificent condition.
and had it not been for the strong head
vino We would doubtless have beer
nble to cover the distance in considerably
less time. We took dinner at Aurora and
started for home at three o'clock. and finish
cd at our starting point at 7:45, having beer
Conc fifteen hours and forty-fivs minutes
[ was not particularly tired after my Ions
ride bat the sun had done its work, and m!
face and hands were badly burned. I think
/ can lower ny record for the run, ano
mean to do so next summer"
Mrs. Henry Aiken. of Haywood, a suburb
of Chicago, was really the first woman il
Illinois to osyer ono hundred miles owe
country roads, but at the time she IN ade til
run there was no limit in regard to tim'
save that q rider mu0t complete the dis
lance within twens7-four hours. This rult
afforded too much time for rest and tn
limit was cut down to sixteen hours; henc
under the new rule Miss Waugh is the 1irs
woman to complete q century run. Mrf
Aiken has duplicated her run. bringing
within the prescribed time, and is therefor
enrolled upon the list of centurions. Sh
is a charming little woman, bright an
companionable. and a graceful az we'll a
a ~tireless rider.
One recent Sunday 1870 persons starte
almost at the same hour and over the sam
course. OF those, 127 finished within til
time limit, that number including I'll
ladies, Mias Marguerite Clinton, Miss Hid
Peterson and Mrs. Fred Il. MoEweu, {
Elgin.
OF these three runs. Miss Peterson
probably, was made under the most tryin
circumstance and illustrates what physic
harlships a member of the weaker sex ca
endure when she sets her heart upon o
object. The ride had been projected *
some time, but owing to an objection {
the maternal side of her household Mi
Hilda was not quite certain it would bs a
tempted. The evening previous WAS passs
therefore, in dancing, and the wee sm
hours" wote oloss at hand before a SAT-
.acto;y offering to Terpslchore had bee
made. When her escort called at fol
O'Clock that morning she was not, thel
fore. III tne best trim for q long rio
Owing to a desire not to keep the you
gallant Whiting she started without brea
fat, and ton miles or more of t
100 wers Travelled on an emr
stomach. Anyone familiar with athletl
Epows what n loss of physical force th
means. While taking a light breakfs
those who had started with hor rapid
drew away to the wost, and. after aga
starting. she endeavoreu to catch the
riding hard and strong to do 1t. Her q
deavor WAS moro satisfactory than she h
dared to couhider, for many of them Cal
rolling into Elgln many minutes behi
her, During the ride she received seve
hard falls from her wheel, which, at
best, is far from a light e~asy-running O
but she giuckily renountsd and centinr
the he q riding. Leaving Chicago at 4
she reached Elein at nine o'clock, Aur
at two O'Clock and Chicago again ar S:15.
~ It, J.-. II