The morning call., 1894-10-25
BEST ON WHEELS.
Harding Is the Latest
Wonder.
WINS THE CENTURY MARK.
And Does 1t Without Turning a
Hair.
ONCE THE RAIN STOPPED Hill
But He Kept at Work Until at
Last he Holds the
Record.

ST. LOUIS, Oct. 24.-Albert C. Harding,
a class A rider belonging to the ST. Louis
Cycling Club. is the holder of the Ameri-
can century record, which, owing to his
marvellous efforts to-day, now stands at
4 al :56 3-5. or twenty-three minutes better
than the best previous record, held By
Frank Radway of London, Ontario. Har-
dihg's victory is decisive and trium phant.
at no time was he in trouble. His logged
persistence was rewarded with the success
1t so well deserved. Undeterred by the
fasco of last Saturday. when he was
stopped by rain at the fOrtieth mile, he
went at the record to-day with renewed
determination. After fifty miles had been
covered it was evident that the American
record would go, and the excitement was
intense among the large number OF bicycle
enthusiasts gathered at the fairgrounds
track. Many of his friends in
listed on his going for the worlds
record OF 4:19.00. held by the Eng
lishman, Michael, but his handlers refused
to allow il. claiming that he had sure
thing on the American record and that it
would be unwise to drive him too hard.
Still very many competent judges gave it
as their opinion that Harding would have
but little trouble in doing better than
4:19:00. The work OF the pacemakers was
very good. taken all around.
At all periods of the run Harding held
well within his schedule. always keeping
at least FIVE minutes ahead. When he had
ridden sixty miles he had lead of ten
minutes. and it was at this time the crowd
shouted TO him to 60 for the world's record,
bi, hll a mr. ci Tor hIv fin ich hah av-
actly 5:03h inside his time allowance.
The pistol spoke a. 10 80 A. NJ, and paced
by G. A. Maxwell and Rumsey Harding
started on his long journey. A medium
pace was set, the first five miles being COW
cred in 1858 4-5 l.. Coburn and Roth.
his PAGERS. made things much liveier, and
the ten miles were made in 27:10. Thirty
miles were rolled off in 1:19:41 40, and
after :46:27 hard riding forty miles.
From this time up TO the sixty mile stone,
the pace was very fast, Harding riding a
good ten minutes inside his schedule.
The pace was now slackened considerably
and the eightieth mile was finished in
3:39 :21 2-5. The miles were not averaging
close TO a tnree-minute mark, because the
rider had 10 reason to try harder, as that
gait was more than fast enough to bring
him home well ahead of the record
The last mile was wheeled in 2:51 3-5,
and in h. 81 min. 56 As see. Harding shot
across the line victor in a great contest
and holder of the bicycle record for 100
miles. His fastest mile was the nine
teenth, which was run in 2:30 2-5, and his
slowest the thirty-fourth, which took 3:15
to accomplish. Harding was paced in his
great race by G. w. Maxwell, Horace
Rumsey, Tom. Dave and Louis CoburD,
E. w. Roth. j. A. Weaver, E. J. Rotty,
Gus Leeffell. w. j. Corf. o. L. Rule. Fred
Hattersly and A. s. Crow.
G. A. Maxwell, who started in the first
race of the day, a three-mile open, class
A. broke the competition record for that
distance. He made the three miles in
:05 3-5, taking nearly ten seconds off
Johnson's time.