Omaha daily bee., 1895-03-10
wh,sperings of the Wheel.

The wheelmen are everywhere furnishing
UP and grooming their mounts for the riding
season of 1885, The recent sprnglike
weather brought out many riders, both male
and female, and within another six weeks
whrling wheel will be common sight on
highway and byway. The interest in cycling
in Omaha has been on steady increase for
several years until now 1t may be said to
have taken on the form Of an epidemic. Two
years ago lady rider upon our streets would
have attracted almost universal attention, but
today she occasions no more stir than any of
the customary sights of the town. So pro-
nounced has the rage become that hundreds
of men and women now come and go on
| their errands Of either business or pleasure
| on a wheel. Its general use is becoming
more marked every day. and II will be but
| few years before large proportion OF the
population, male and female, will be regularly
| devoted to it. 1t is bound to lessen the
| general utility Of the horse and most GER
| tainly make itself felt in the receipts Of our
| street railways. Young and middle aged
| Americans find in the fascinating wheel a
| fresh delight in life, means Of getting about
with greater ease and facility and of seeing
more Of the world; source of improved
| health, Of harder constitution and more ro-
| bust form through the medium of the splen-
did exercise it affords. The exertion neces-
sary to locomoton calls on the muscles that
require limbering up and strengthening, and
| the balm Of the open air acts as an elixir
not found in car or carriage In fact, its
| advantages for improvement and enjoyment
are too many and too potent to ever permit
waning in their indulgence. 1t is even
now recognized necessity TO everyday life
and could not be relinquished without a retro
gade action In social progress. Think of
the long rambles awheel through the country
in the glorious summer weather, the ex-
hiaration OF the rapid shifting of the pan
Drama as You glide smoothly and swiftly by,
! and the general feeling Of health and strength
which rebounds from a prolonged journey.
Are these to be abandoned while men and
women retain their senses? / think not.
judging from the plans for the coming cam
paign that are now being made by the local
wheel clubs and the thousands of riders who
claim no club affliation. That the bicycle
has come to stay thereis3po longer doubt
and while the Omaha wheemen are indus
triously at work on their summer program
they should not forget the June race meet
This Is always a source dof much pleasure
and meeting given under the combined
auspices Of the local organizations could GER
tainly be made brillantiIsucc Danish
petty jealousies and rivalries and get down
to business, boys, and let dus have a good
old fashioned meet in the rosy days of June
One OF the pioneers of cycle manufacturing
} is dead-Senator Thomas Pickering of Con
, necticut. He was the maker OF the machines
used In the velocipedei halls by the Pearsal
brothers and the Hanion brothers before tht
majority Of present-day riders were born.
Tr-Tu
On Washingtons birthday in the indoor
tournament at San Francisco, Emil Ulbricht
an old Chicago boy, broke the worlds indoor
records for every distance from one to TWEEN
ty-fiye miles His time for the twenty-fv,
miles was l hour minutes and II 3-5 sec
onds.
The Century Wheelmen OF Phadelphi;
are planning a tour of Europe awheel
+ Eighteen bikers are on the list TO go.
The Omaha Turner Wheel club reorganizet
on February and elected the folowin,
/ officers for the year 1896: e. SchurlgI pres
, ident; T. Banner, vice president; Theodor
Becker. recording secretary; Ed Hayden
! corresponding secretary; Gus Doyle, treas
+ urer; Phil Moeler, captain; f. Spratelin
lieutenant. The meeting was we'll ATTENDED
and twenty-six new members were takel
into the club. The club is making prepara
tion for an entertainment on the 26th o
March, and all wheelmen, turner's and the