, 1896-05-02
CYCLING IN THE BOTS DE
BOULOGNE.
(From tile Daily Telegraph

which it has enthralled the inhabitants OF
Parls,and more especially the fair Parisienne.
Aud Just as the female devOtee of the wheel
ID London betakes herself to the Serpentine-
road IN Hyde Park, or, after hours, to the
more plebelan paths of Battersea, so here
does the rank and fashion of the cycling
world and many others, as we'll, without
the magic ring-congregate in full force in
the Bots de Boulogne. Indeed. the far famsd
wood is an IDEAL ground for the eycIist, with
Its well-kept roads, shady avenues, and re-
tired alI6es. Even the streets of Paris itself
are very attractive to the skilful wheeler, for
are they not broad. scrupuloHsly clean, and,
where woOd-slocks are used, beautifully even?
Yet, despite all these adv antages and the fact
that scarcely one-ffth the amount of traffic
it's th~oroughfares to what is seen
III London, it is no mean feat to manosu-
vre @ machine in them without coming to
grief. For the Paris cabby, universally exc
Grated az the most careless of drivers, has the
knack, or rather the birthgifs, of being able
TO fill the whole breadth of q street without
the slightest difficulty, even if his be the sole
vehicle III sigh. He is, in fact, a terrible
plague, as much for the cyoli>t as for the pe-
destrian. 10 scare q timid foot. passenger
out of his senses by nearly running him down
causes this extraordinary Jelu infinite plea
sure, and his glee is quite as apparent and
well-gratifed when he can worry the man ON
the wheel and obstruct his path. But to re-
turn to the Bots. The French lady cvclist il
not too early a riser, and does not call for her
iron steed at too unreasonable an hour of the
morning; nor, i'll fact, does she indulge in a
spin every day of the week. The saunterer
may wander through the avenues of the Bois
of a weekday without meeting all undue num-
bar Of fojr Honloalc o.oo:-,t1
escort, gently p:opellIng their machines over
the firm, true, macadamised roads. But let
thesun shine brightly and the air prove soft
and bslmy Oh u Sunday or some popular f6te
day, and such Stream of cycles of every des-
crlptlon will speed continuously into the
heart OF the Bots as will astonish even those
that are accustomed to the crowds that circle
round the Achilles sfatue before the luncheon
hour. 1t Is then that the true extent of the
cycling "craze" in Paris can be gagged. for
II they pass Ill their scores on a Sabbath
morning, half the popula ion seems to be
astIlde Of the wheel III the afternoon. Merry
Eastertide marks the period when the calm
sedate cyelist comes out of his winter she'll
and bstakes himself once more with renewed
energy to his beloved exercise, bat tits scarce.
ly yet the moment when the Bots lie Bou-
logne Is at Its best. The trees are only Just
peSlhhlhS W put on their spring foliage. the
tWltterlng oftiny birds is yet but family heard.
aud dead leaves and witheled branches still
cucumber the ground, whilst mist and damp
ness hover>; but, despite these little draw
backs, soon to fade away as the summer
comes, the Bots is very alluring to the oava-
her, be he mounted on horseback or steel on,
a cheerful sunny morning.
The favourite ride is to descend he Ayen.
ne du Bots dc Boulogne, leaving the Arc de
Iriomphe behind, and on reaching the line
OF fortlhcations to turn sharp to tho right and
gam the magnificent Avenue des Acacias.
winch leads to the Longchamps raoecourse.
1t Is here of u morning till the hour Of one
has sounded-afte1 which this thoroughfare
is closed to the cycl st-that the parade takes
place. Up and down, male and female, they
pedal, gliding gently in and out of the maze
of vehicles which help to throng the road.
One broad footpath accommodates the ~strollers.
who carelessly eye the moving mass or chat
and gossip with one another ever the latest
fait da jour. Across the avenue, we'll under
the spreading branches, are the cavaliers.
gently walking their cattle or indulging in o
quiet easy going canter. All is animation and
gaiety, but a sharp turn will soon lead the
sightseer into more secluded and less fire..
quented lanes. Here he will wander across
stray couples on single machines or a mixed
tandem, with the lady at the helm, trundling
along at a dolce far nianta naoa T, tbo.