The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-09-10
Interesting Races of State
WheeImen at the Big
Meeting.
FAST TIME THE DAYS ORDER.
Dow and Smith Made the Tandem
Competition Mark for the
Coast.


Cyclers attracted crowd of fully 5000 peo-
pie to the grounds OF the club this after
noon. The stands were packed with peo-
pie, and the audience was composed
largely of ladies, who evidenced great 10
terest in the sport.
The races were called promptly at I:30
o'clock. A strong wind on the backstretch
made it seem improbable that any records
would be lowered, but the men rode their
best, and as a result fast time was the rule.
The Garden Citys introduced novelty
which was very much appreciated by the
audience and tended to keep the enthusi-
asm running high. a frst-class band
played popular airs during all the races,
and while the music tended to distract
the press representatives it enthused the
racers and made them ride the faster. By
the way, the club should provide better
accommodations for the newspaper men.
Writing on ones knees in crowded, shaky
bandstand is somewhat difficult and tire
some.
There were six heats of the one-mile
handicap, class a, made necessary be-
cause the race had seventy-fve entries.
The heats were all well run and brought
twelve good men into the final. They
were: Freeman (unattached), Squires
(Acme), WilIoughby (Watsonville), Le-
fevre (Acme), Dieckman (Reliance), Holl-
ing (Bay City,, Downing Garden City,,
Gooch (Oakland), Belloli (San JOSEF, Ac-
herman (Petaluma), Seward Garden
City, and Wing (San JOSEF.
The twelve men were we'll punched at
the second lap and came down the back
stretch together. Wing had the lead
and won from Alderman in 2:14 As. A
pair of blankets would have covered the
other ten, they were so close behind.
The one-mile scratch, class B, was
divided into two heats and Long, Jones,
H. C. Smith and Edwards started in the
6rst. 1t was a pretty race all the way,
the men changing position and pace con-
stantly In the race for home Long
jumped the bunch and won handily from
Jones in 2:29. Edwards was third.
The second heat had Foster, Hall,
Slater, Cushing and Nissen as starters.
Nissen tried Longs jump on the back
stretch, but could not hold it and Foster
and Cushing soon passed him. They
raced neck and neck to the tape and the
"
third. Time, 2:29 3-5. =.
When the final heat was ordered run,
tandem pacing was put in to make it fast.
Delmas and Moody were on the tandem,
and Jones caught on behind them with
Long, Foster and Cushing following in the
order named.
The pace was fast, evidently too fast for
Jones, for he slowed up on the second lap,
and Cushing dropped out. The others
would not set pace, and all slowed up to
salmost q standstill. 1t was evidently a
prearranged scheme OF Jones and Foster,
the Olympic men, to do up their former
club-mate, Long, and the audience soon
discovered their purpose, and Kissed them
loudly as they came around the second
time. They loafed around the third lap,
and spurted for home from the last two
hundred yards. Foster won, Jones Sec
ond, but the referee declared it no race,
and the decision was loudly applauded.
Such tactics tend to disgust the public
with bicycle-racing, and as they support it,
they are the ones to please. Foster de-
clared he would protest the referees decis-
ion, but Chairman WEIGH of the racing
board stated to THE CALL representative
that he thought it would serve no pur-
pose, and he would sustain the referees
decision.
When the second final was run Eos
ter refused to compete and so only
Jones, Long and Gushing started. follow
ing the tandem in the order named. Cush-
ing fell on the first turn, but quickly re-
mounted and chased after the others, for
which evidence of pluck he was loudly ap-
plauded. Jones was awarded the race,
though many thought Long won, as he
was so close to him. The time was 2:20 As.
Cushing was good third.
The mile tandem race, the second ever
run on the coast, was interesting as
novelty and fast time was made. The
starters were: Dow and Smith, Garden
City; Benson and Hardenbrook, San Jose
Road Club, Reid and Birdsall, CALIFORNIA;.
The first-named won the race quite handily
in Oil As, with Benson and Hardenbrook
second. The time made is the coast COM
petition tandem record. These tandem races
are interesting and meet-promoters would
do we'll to introduce them more frequently.
There were seven heats to the half-mile
scratch, there being fifty-one starters. The
winner of each heat qualified fer the final,
and the successful ones in their heats were:
Squires (Acme), Willoughby( Watsonville)
Byrne QmperiaD, Edwards Olympic,
Ives (Reliance), Barley QmperiaD and
Dieckmann (Reliance).
Smith and Dow Garden City, paced the
race on a tandem and made it very fast
so very fast that the worlds competition
record for the distance was lowered. Frank
NJ. Byrne of the Imperial Club won the
race, and his time was :01. The best pre-
vious performance was that of c. G. Col
Inns at Denver, August rs last, whose time
was :01 As.
Byrne's ride was wonderful considering
the high wind blowing, and he deserved
the hearty applause he was accorded. He
has long been known as remarkably fast
man in his class, and the Imperials can
we'll be proud of him.
The two-thirds of mile handicap, class
B, was divided into two heats, six men in
one, five in the other. Jones and Long
fought out the first in good style and
finished in the order named, Foster taking
third The time was 1 :2S LIS. The second
heat was not SO fast, Tony Delmas winning
it in AZ As, G. A. Nissen second, Wilbur
Edwards third.