The record-union., 1895-12-12
THE BICYCLE WORLD.
Items of Particular Interest to Wheel
men.
Contest Between the Professional and
Amateur Classes in the
League.
(From Cycle Topics.)

The demands of the professional rae
ing men who insist upon having rep
resentative on the l.. A. w. racing
board seems strange when contrasted
with the frigid manner in which the
league has acted toward them since
the sun of their hope first peeped over
the horizon. That the l.. A. w. did look
askance at the threatening cloud, par
ticularly when the deluge was antici-
pated early in the season, there is no
doubt, but place under the protecting
wing of Mother League was found for
the ugly duckling, and it has found
solace there since. But the creature has
grown fat on the league patronage and
fiutters now in the full triumph Of it's
esotistic immensely. While it may
Guack for representation, that right
will be denied the class if tor nothing
but sentiment that still clings to the
league wherein lies a memory of past
seasons of untainted amateurism. 1t
nIay be possible that the racing board,
al the next assembly, will reduce its
classes of racing men to amateurs and
professionals, but it will be more than
d season before the cash prize men can
hope for any authority whatever in L..
y. w. councils.
There will always be room enough
for the high grade bicycle. Though the
cycle manufacturers field is rapidly
filling and thousands on thousands of
wheels will be piled onto the market
with the seasons of '96 and 81, there
arc immense possibilities for any wheel
made on artistic and scientific prin-
ciples. When the market was flooded
few years ago with low grade guns
IL was prophesied that the death-knell
Of the high-priced gun had sounded
But they are making the implements
as of old and they still command the
old prices. a crisis in the wheel world
must come in time, but just how far
off the catastrophe is the experts are
now vainly figuring
A rumor has gained currency that
the body of the unfortunate globe grid
Ter, Frank LEM, who was murdered in
Asia Minor by Kurds, has been found
near the scene of his death The report
has not been substantiated Men who
are supposed to be implicated in the
murder are now on trial at Erzeroum
and it is hoped that they will be speed
lily brought to justice.
well-known cycling critic said at
Springfield this fall that Earl Kiser,
the midget racing man of the Stearns
team, would yet lead the cracks in
L
prophecy has been fulfilled The small
est and youngest class rider of any
prominence in America won the mile
open event at Los Angeles from the
best of them, and his time of POI 4-5
establishes Pacific Coast competition
record. And yet this boy was in class
A during the spring and early summer
his work is another Illustration of
what perseverance and persistence will
do. The tenacity of purpose with which
Kiser rides out his races demonstrates
the character in the boy
Some agitation has been raised over
the non-use of gear cases on bicycles
Western wheel paper argues that
they are necessity in rough weather
But the wheeling public discounte-
nances all attempts to detract from the
clean-cut beauty of the bicycle They
discard the mud guard when it is
convenience. Brakes have been cast
aside because they look cumbersome,
but all these ideas will take another
turn within year. Cyclers will out
grow the theories of to-day and adopt
many practical devices now looked on
as difficulties
Harry Clark, a class A rider of Den
yer, recently broke four class A records
in that city. He rode five miles unpaced
from a standing start in the following
time: Two miles, 4:46 1-5; three miles.
7:15; four miles, 9:41: five miles, 1912.
The previous two-mile record was $50,
made by Loughead, September 18th, at
Springfield; the others were 7:1S 1-5,
G:56 10 and 1874 Is, and We're held
by Clark
George Banker, the American cyclist
who competed SO successfully in Europe
during the past season and who is now
at his home in Pittsburg, says that
Jaquelin, the Frenchman, is the fastest
rider in Europe.
Fountain Ferry track at Louisville is
now deserted. Most of the record
breakers have scattered in the direc-
tons of the four winds. Some of them
will hibernate until the warm winds
of spring bring them visions of a pros
porous season, while others will HE
themselves to the South for the pur-
pose of establishing new marks, for the
mile in particular.
A good story is told of an Eastern
wheelman. While in San Francisco
recently he took occasion to ride out to
the Cliff House. and en- route, swung in
behind rider going in the same direc-
ton. The stranger struck up a swift
gait and the Eastern man attempted to
show him bit of sublime speed To
his discontinue the cycler put on
extra steam and shot by him like the
wind 1t was only after reaching the
Cliff House that the fact was made
known to him that his competitor was
no other than Walter Foster who re-
Gently rode paced half mile in IS sec
onds.