Evening star., 1896-12-23
CONTEST NEXT WEEK
Interest Growing in the Si1-Day
Cycle Race.
TEDDY HALE EXPECTED HERE TODAY
Building the Track to Begin Satur-
day Night.
CURRENT SPORTING NOTES

The interest in the big six-day. eight
hour race ut the Ice Palace, which will
start Monday afternoon at 2 o'clock, Is in
creasing, and the prospects are that a large
crowd will witness the daily appearance of
the riders. The men in the race are after
the hard cash. and are what can be termed
''old stagers." Every one has hal expe-
rience in six-day races of all kinds, and
they can stand almost any kind of an en-
durance ride. The coming race Is recog-
nized as being one of the tightest ever con-
tested, and all of the entrants in the city
are getting in trim fo- the event Charlie
Ashinger who rode On his machine from
Indianapolis to New York ard took part in
the six days go-as-you-please race is in the
city. He has not ridden any since that
event, and yesterday started in training He
has small home trainer. W hich is at the Ice
Palace and going into side room he put
his bicycle in place, dressed in his racing
costume, and made things hum for an hour
He will Increase his time riding every day
during the week, and will probably ride as
much as three hours at a time the latter
part Of the week. The other members of
Ed. Plummers contingent are practicing
at the international Athletic Park reeing
on miles al time.
The general opinion of all the entrants is
o.
as-you-please race. In the latter race a
rider can rest when he feels like it. but in
a time race every lap counts and it Is
risky to get off the wheel even once during
the riding time. AS an illustration of this
Ashinger when in a siX-day eight-hour race
at Omaha sc me time ago lost a few min
utes, feeling unwell. When he got back on
the track again the leading man was seven
laps ahead of him, and it took Just three
Gays in which to catch up to the lead
again.
Teddy Hale. the winner Of the recent six
days race at Madison Square Garden in
New York city, Is expected i'll the city today
in company with Plummer The other ten
me mbers of Plummers contingent are al
ready in the city. enjoying themselves and
keeping in trim. Hale came across the
ocean with Plummer. and when he started
at Madison Square he was considered one
of the weakest men in Plummer's string
ne supposed stars gave out. and Plummer
was compelled to tie to Hale, and the
plucky little Irishman rode on to victory.
The talk of Linton riding in the six-day
race is all bosh. He is a long distance
rider, but he would not stand much of a
show in such a long race. He has been in
the city for several days, and is very quiet
and uncommunicative.
building the Track.
The track is expected to arrive in the city
the latter part Of the week from New York
1t will be put in plate without any annoy
ance to the patrons of the Ice Palace Work
on its erection will not commence until mid
night Saturday, and pushed forward as
rapidly as possible, 1T being expected that
everything will be in readiness to start the
race Monday morning, if desired Several
improvements will be made in the track
which will prove of benefit to the ride rs.
ana enable them to make better time. When
in place in New York there were several
defects, and as maneShuhps which had the
enect Of making the riders sore. 1t is need
less to say that these will be remedied
when the track is erected at the Ice Palace
AS stated in The Star Saturday the track
Will be sixteen feet wide, and will be one
twelfth of mile iniength. 1t is of pine.
planed and smoothed. and closely joined, to
prevent too much vibration to the riders
Though the general impression is that a
smooth wooden track is much faster than
one of unplaned floor boards the six-day
| racers seem to think different. One of them
stated yesterday to Star reporter that a
track of undressed pine flooring would be
at least four seconds faster to the mile
and this short time counts considerably in
that distance. On an undressed pine floor
Ing track 1t Is calculated that mile can be
ridden In two minutes. and only few days
ago at Philadelphia, Charlie Martin rode "a
half mile on such track in 1.O5.
The racers expect to average !6O miles a
night, or rather during the eight hours
rot counting any accidents or sickness
This may not seem to be SO much, but a
little figuring on the matter will prove in
teresting. One mile is twelve laps and ten
miles makes 100 laps. Twenty-Five miles
will make 300 laps. while fifty miles will
make an even 500 laps. For 100 miles each
rider will have gone around the track 200
times, while for $50 miles, the total number
of circuits will amount to 1890. If each
rider succeeds In covering 100 miles during
the eight hours he will have completed
1920 laps, or 50 short of 1000. To make the
necessary 800 miles, which each rider will
have to do before securing a prize, the
riders will have made 200 circuits
Ashinger's Record.
Perhaps one of the best known of the
racers Is Charles w. Ashinger of New
Hope. Ohio, the post office of which village
is Upshur. He Is native of Ohio and was
born just thirty-seven years ago. He is an
old hand at long-distance riding. and has
won more such events than all Other riders
who will participate. He first began riding
in 1884, and had scarcely been mounted
three months when he started in racing,
and won the one, two and three mile state
championships of Ohio, at a meet held in
August of 1884 at Cleveland.
In 1891 he started his first long distance
race at san Francisco, which was seven
day elght-hour affair He won this with
$50 miles to his credit; beating out Robb by
only half a lap. In the same year he en-
tered a siX-day twelve-hour race at Madi-
son Square Garden. He made 046 miles
which won the race. The finish was excep-
tionally close, and he only won by about
six inches from Lamb
Or late he has been doing very little rae
ing. In 1888 he entered six-day go-as-you-
please race at Madison Square, but he was
run into by Waller and forced to quit the
race Shock won this race with 900 Lilo
miles In 1894 he entered a twenty-four
hour race at the same place. Waller won
this, with 4}2 miles. while Ashinger made
i2S miles. His last race was the one held
two weeks ago at Madison Square. He
rode in poor trim. and, though he covered
1913 miles. he was down in the list of
a faa1c
win the coming race. and that the score of
the winner will be in the vicinity of 1900
miles, II 1t does.not exceed that figure
lie changed his mount in 1891 from an
upright to a safety, and at first he did not
Ike the new machinen. Ite became used to
It,, however. In the eraSe he will ride a
wheel geared to eghtyeight. but on his
does compare r1tively little training. When
In trim he rides from fifty to seventy-five
miles day, and, though bicycling is his
hnh he tc