The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-08-19
A BICYCLIST'S TRAINING
HINTS FROM A TALK WITH CHAM
PION ZIMMERMAN.
How to Pedal PrOperly-No Rider
Should COnfine His or Her Exer-
else to the Machine Only.

This article was inspired by a con-
versation with Champion Zimmerman,
just before he sailed for Europe, and
many of the suggestions are the fruit
of his wide experience in bicycle riding
for pleasure and profit.
The first item to merit attention is
the matter of pedalling. How many
riders pedal properly? How many get
all there is out of the force applied with
out waste of power, and consequent IA
ugue? Not one amateur in a thou
sand. They just press their feet down,
| and keep p..ssing them until the pedal
comes uppermost again, and to a GER
tain extent the pressure is continued
the whole way round. even when it is
a waste of power. The movement of
the pedal is round a circle. AS soon as
it passes the top of the circle, the
weight of the foot drives the wheel
until it passes the lowest point and
then the power of the foot on that
pedal ceases to be a driving power and
becomes, TO greater or less degree, a
break or deterrent power 1t is TO the
practical application of this one item
that much of the phenomenal speed of
the professional is due The way to
develop this method is to commence
and ride slowly, watching the pedals
| then slowly increase the speed, and
practice until it becomes second nature
| Another very important item is to sit
fairly upright in all ordinary riding
! The stoop is all very we'll for speeding
or turning corners but it is more fatigu-
| ing for any distance over mile. and
so is a loss instead of gain. If the
handles are tightly gripped, and the
arms used as rigid levers to brace the
| feet, much more graceful and easy
| style of riding will result, with none of
the cramped feeling the following day
| When going up hill a rider will find he
instinctively levers himself upon his
arms to obtain the greater motive pow
er, and that should be sufficient to
show at once the Importance of this
style of leverage in ordinary straight
riding for a distance. By persistent
stopping a false growth or development
is obtained, which will eventually not
only round the shoulders, but will cramp
thespace occupied by the lungs, and
so impede the brea thing.
No bicycle rider should confine his or
| her exercise to the machine only. The
machine only plays upon one set of
muscles, and therefore the others are
in more or less danger of losing some of
| their usefulness. Those who ride the
wheel for health, as we'll as those who
ride it for speed, will do we'll to devote
a few minutes a day, in the morning
| and evening prefera bly,. to the use of
Indian clubs, and dumb bells. These
should be used in the most free and
swinging action, and in addition there
should be a certain amount of brisk
walking done, after the ride. This is
| to set the inactive muscles to working.
| For those who wish to develop speed
and enter for racing, there are many
pitfalls to be avoided, for the system of
training has totally changed around of
late years, and from being injurious in
many cases, has become a great aid to
the health of young people, if they will
take only one precaution, viz, not go
| beyond their strength. Both for speed
and long distance riding the same rules
hold good. The first great essential is
not to attempt to diet in any way.
Eat what you feel inclined to, but avoid
much pie, pastry and milk diets, and
eat your fill of good meat and vegeta-
bles slowly, masticating well. The use
of tobacco should be as limited as pos
sible. The only other items are work,
work and again work.
Jump out of bed in the morning,
take a cold bath, use the clubs and
bells for ten or fifteen minutes, and eat
a couple of crackers just to stay the
stomach, and then get out of the house
and walk a mile or SO, finishing with
a slow dog-trot run, just fasB enough
not to drag, until tired, or the wind
gives out, but under no circumstances
| continue to cover a set distance to
the distress of the runner. Then ease
| off, and walk quietly home so as to run
no chance of taking cold, while eating
! a hearty breakfast exercise has pre-
pared the stomach for. Take a light
but substantial lunch, and wait until
the evening before again exercising.
This may be before or after meals.
Riding should never be INDUCED in inn
mediately after heavy meal. Get out
the bike see that all is right, mount
and start to ride slowly, getting the ped
alling automatically correct as before
described. Then increase to a good,
hard and level pace, according to the
road, and continue this, if possible,
for at least two miles, increasing tie
distance as the condition improves.
Never squirt at the end, nor in any way
distress yourself Do this every day,
without a miss, rain or shine, and the
result will be apparent in a very few
days. If race is in prospect, it will
takes month to produce any condition
to speak of, and not until the last week
should the racing distance receive at
tention, then the ground may be cover
ed twice a day Gf under five miles, to
accustom the rider to the distance
posts, but no racing must be permitted,
no speeding against the watch; too
many races, both of men and horse are
run before the day itself.
Have a friend to time you some day
when you do not know it, and to get
a fair guage of your speed, but the
great secret is to slug away to the eX-
tent of your strength the whole time
you train, without ever passing the
limit where the sustained effort falters.
The rider who does this most success
fully. is the one who wins.
When the race comes off, never mind
about the others or what they are do
ing. You know what pace you can set
If you are in front, keep steadily along,
lif you are behind, you know the pace
must bring them back to you, unless
they are very superior to you, and in
that case you have no business in their
company.
Such training as this will not only
produce condition" but it will i'm.
prove the health and strength of every
. boy who undertakes it.
If caught in the rain, and soaked
do not stop riding until you reach
home or shelter, where you can take
Iyour clothes off. Colds are never
caught by continuous movement in wei
clothes, but only by sitting or standing
around in them. Get them off, put the
feet into hot water, if possible, rub the
entire body, and feet especially, will
whisky. Then put on the dry clothes
or, if at road house, roll in between
the blankets, until the clothes are
thoroughly dried.
Girl or boy, carry a needle anC
thread in your case, and, more impor
tant than all, a bottle. of calendula
which can he purchased for X 70 4
cents at any homeopathic or drug store
tL,;S iS tho rraASt sa1raroic-,. E,