The herald., 1896-08-12
SUNDAY RACING

The League of American Wheelmen
controls all cycle racing matters in this
country. and has as yet never sactioned
Sunday racing. 1t is said to have been
N the intention of the l.. A. w. to allow the
coast officials to permit Sunday rae
ing on the advice of so great an author
ity as Robert M. Welch of San Francis
co. But when the matter came before
the national assembly of the league at
Baltimore last February. Mr.. Welch
was unable to be present to defend the
matter. AS California only had asked
for Sunday racing and no one was pres
ent TO speak for the racing elemnt, the
matter was dropped or rather laid over
until next year
Only few places on the coast wanted
sunday racing, and of these track towns
Santa Monica was the only one in this
end of the state, and the track there is
growing grass.
r. M. Welch is still working for Sun
day racing, and will have for California
the privilege of sanctioning Sunday
races in those places where it is desired,
like bakersfield, Santa Barbara, Sac
ramento, Stockton, Alameda, and San
Francisco, but not this year, so the rae
Ing men Of Southern California have de-
cided to act at once for themselves in
the matter.
A wheelman's racing league has just
been formed in this city and some of
the best riders of the southwest are
members. Fritz Lacy will ride no more
this year on account of his sickness.
Stimson Is out of the state and Morris
Cook Is in the east. All the profession
ais are alreody in the w. r. l..
Tis syndicate of racing men has leased
the Southern Pacific bicycle track at
Santa Monica for the rest of the year
and will conduct it's own races. OF course
1t is serious matter for all the members
of this association, for in taking this step
all have to cut away from the League of
American Wheelmen, and that really
means to become outlaws, for all is con-
trolled by the l.. A. w. The Canadian
Wheelmen's association co-operates
with the l.. A. w. as does the National
Cyclists union of Great Britain and sim
liar associations in France, Germany,
Italy, Belgium and most of the other
countries of the world.
j. Phil Percival will be the referee oe
the Santa Monica Sunday meets. He
has long been considered the best ref
cree, or one of the best, in the southwest.
and has served in that capacity since
cycle racing began to be in this corner
of the country He is the president of
the Wheelmen's Racing league. and was
a racing man himself in the pioneer days.
so he knows the game from both the
side of the racing man and the official.
The able secretary OF the new asso-
citation is Tracy -. Hall, who has also
been both racing man and official. There
is probably not an equal of Hall in tim
ing in this part of the country. He new
er gets excited, no matter how close a
finish may be or who is riding. AS a
racing man, he knows all the tricks Of
the game, both off and on the track He
has also the work of a manager thor
oughly learned, and was the match
maker and manager for Tom McAleer
in the days when McAleer was cham
pion.
One of the first things the racing men
in this syndicate intend to do Is to show
their patrons how fast time can be made
on the track, and already three racing
tandems have been secured and strings
are already out for two four-men ma
chimes and an sextuplet for pacing pur-
poses. At the first race meet, which oc-
ours next Sunday, the mile open will be
done inside of 2:10 If the wind is not too
strong, and, as the racing men improve