The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-05-31
He Defeats All the Cracks by Covering
the Eighteen Miles i'm Fifty-Seyen
Minutes and Ten Seconds.
WINNERS AT SHELBYVILLE
Zigzag Club Riders Capture
Eleven of the Prizes.
Results at Cleveland, Buffalo, Detroit
and Other Cities-Several Worlds
Records Lowered.

CHICAGO. May S0.-The Chicago road
race, the successor of the historic Pull
mar bicycle event, was run over the new
North Side course to-day, the finish being
witnessed by an immense throng of en-
thusia site spectators. Fred Rau, of Chi
cago, who started at 10aO714. won the race.
finishing in 81 minutes and 10 seconds. His
handicap was z minutes and 80 seconds.
The race was for the first time run from
a point on the lake shore drive opposite
the Grant monument in Lincoln Park, north
TO Evanston and back to the starting point.
a distance of something over eighteen miles,
and while it was a trifie longer and con-
tanned more bad turns than the Pullman
course, 1t was much the superior of the
old route as to footing. The hour of start
ing was fixed at 10 o'clock, and long before
the time arrived the driveways and foot
paths of Lincoln Park were thronged with
spectators. People in carriages, tallyhos,
and park phaetons, wheelmen and pedes-
TRANS, were clustered about the imposing
monument to cheer the scant robed wheel
men and view the finish. There were 4l6
entries, and over three hundred contestants
lined up when the hour arrived. The vet
eran wheelman, n. H. Van Sicklen, Off
ciated as starter, and promptly at the
stroke Of 10 the limit man was started,
twelve minutes ahead of the scratch.
AS the first man left the mark and, bend
ing over his frail steed, punched his pedals
straight away for Evanston, he was greet
ed with a rousing cheer, and was soon
skirting the lake nortward at a terrific
pace. Soon as the limit man was off the
others followed in quick succession, start
ing in twos and threes and punches. ac-
pOr1ipQ m ft6ir han1i0onc Five cracks
were billed for the scratch-J. p. Bliss.
Herbert Citizens, George K. Barrett, H. r.
Winship and A. e. Lumsden-but of these
only the three latter were on hand. As
they left the mark, amid lusty cheers,
and sped away after the leaders, carriages
and bicycles swung into line and followed
at a rafting pace to view the first few
miles of the contest. There was but one
bad place in the route, the crossing of the
st. Paul road tracks, and there some of
the riders were badly delayed. but the ma
jority crossed free from the obstruction
of passing trains and swinging gates.
AS soon as the last starter had disap-
course became unmanageable. Surging back
and forth, straining at the ropes and crowd
ing over one another in the attempt 10,
reach a point of vantage, the driveway was
soon black with people. The ropes parted,
police lines were broken through and in the
crush many were Knocked down and tram
DiCQ uIOA dllllOuSn HOnC was SCllOQSls III
jured. Mounted police time and time again
charged the surging lines and only after
a vicious amount OF clubbing was the track
cleared. Soon disabled riders began to
make their appearance, limping down the
course and showing or carrying their broken
H merma of the Y. m NJ. ca caeAA 4. a a relative Of
Zimmerman, the crack, and a rider who
was expected TO make a good showing. He
collided with a mounted policeman within a
mile of the start and returned with a bad
! ly-mashed wheel and strained arm. The
Belmont-avenue turn developed into a dan
gerous point in the course and many OF the
riders went down there. Three men-E. c.
G. Touch, w. III. Gross and William Holmes
met at that point and a terrific collision
| followed. Gross and Holmes were badly
disabled. Many minor accidents resulted
from punctured tires and buckled wheels.
and during the hours wait for the finish a
sorry looking procession of bruised and
bleeding wheelmen limped past the Judges
stand and hunted up physicians. All along
dows and on the sidewalks, watching the
racers as they whirled by, occasionally
urging them on with hearty cheers. The
men who dropped out or were disabled along
the way were overwhelmed with offers OF
assistance and many were sent back to the
park in carriages.
One of the most serious accidents of the
day occurred near the finish. L. Lindquist,
of the Lakeview Club, was coming into the
final stretch at a scorching pace with half
a dozen riders punched around him. A sud-
den swerve threw Lindquist's wheel against
two others. The rider was thrown from his
L 1lldCillllC t1H4 III NlCt WAS MICCheu. l<tliu
quist was unable to rise from the twisted
pile OF spokeS and tires and was aided by
friends; He was taken to the tent in
which his club had headquarters and ply
sicians who were called pronounced his in
juries very serious. His shoulder was dis
located and his body badly bruised.
The finish was an exciting one. As the
cry went up that the men were coming the
crowds surged forward and were beaten
able to keep the way clear for the con-
t~estants. The leaders swept Gown the
ing all that was in him. The scene was
full of coloring with the green mounds and
granite monument on one hand and. spark
ling in the bright sun, the wide expanse Of
Lake Michigan on the other. Artistically
considered, the race was a success. for
| probably never before was a cycle race
ended in a more beautiful spot. AS Rau
shot over the tape a howl of joy went up
from his friends and the crowd cheered in
sympathy. Besenek was a not second, and
then the men came in punched for the first
fifteen or twenty, all pedaling by at a
break-neck speed. Then came the stray
glers, some working hard and others taking
IL easy, but each one cheered by the crowd.
Rau was pulled from his wheel and carried
up and down the course on the shoulders
of his frantic friends, to be greeted on
every side with congratulations. The time
made was considered good, taking into con-
sideration the stiff northwest wind against
which the men had to pedal, and the race
was unanimously pronounced the most suc-
c~essful, all things considered, in the history
The leaders finished as follows: Pred
Rau, Chicago. first: J. j. Besenek second,
A. Widen third, F. F. Barrett fourth, j..
Shelton fifth. Rau's time. $40.
The contest for the time prize resulted
in a tie between c. II. Peck, of the Chicago
Cycling Club. and w. cambridge, of the
Columbia wheelmen. Time, 54:S6. Peck's
handicap was three minutes and Balm
BRIDGES two minutes.
Fred Rau. who pedaled his way into
cycling glory to-day, is but sixteen years
old. Besenek. who finished second. is twen-
ty-three years old, and has been riding
but two years:
The value Of the prizes given to the sue
cessfIl riders exceeded $500, including
cups, bicycles and trophies.
NnI ~