The evening times., 1896-12-19
AMONG THE BICYCLE CLUBS.
What Is Doing With and With
out the Wheels.
MEETING DAYS AND RACES
District Guard Cycle Corps to Have
a smoker Just After christmas.
Queer wheelmen Donation Party
ON Christmas Day Officers Elect
ed and New Members Added.

The local bicycle world, like Br'er Rab-
bit, is layin' low until this cold weather
shall have PASSED.
Not only are runs conspicuous by virtue
OF their infrequency, but the clubs them
selves have undergone a metamorphosis,
havingtaken unto themselves the nature and
quality, II not the appellation, of social and
pleasure clubs strictly and exclusively.
Like the popular coalescencc of quinine
ana whisky, with the qiinine left out, the
cycling clubs at present are bicycle clubs
with the bicycle left out.
Only spasmodic attempts are made in
the way of runs, whose participants are
generally two or three, and whose dis
tances are matter of as many miles.
Its matter of considerable regret on
the part of the local wheelmen that the
two mos: popular roads, the Marlboro and
the Conduit, are in winter the most ex-
posed to the ASA hts OF "Old Boreas." The
former thorougiifare has the full benefit
of the broad and comparatively level sur
face of Prince George farms, while the
latter avenue is hand in glove with the
Potomac SO far as river gales are con-
cerned.
Perhaps the most satisfactory path to
affiliate novelty and certain amount of
danger with the smooth surface and favor
able meteorological conditions, is the road
bed of the Pennsylvania railroad between
This city and Baltimore. Unlike the Balti-
more and Ohio, this roadway is gravel
ballasted, thus insuring path between
the tracks as smooth, to all practical pur'
poses, as a wax floor. This fact. taken in
frs.rtN Vla..
winter zcphyrs, afforded by the bordering
hills and forests, is thrustiDg the route into
popula consideration, anditis isnouncommon
thing to See ambitious knights Of the pedal
streaking for Baltimore and return.
COTTAGE AT TAKoMA.
The Cyclists Cottage, at Takurna, still
allures a large coterie, who brave the ad-
verse elements to get inside the cottage and
to get outside OF the goodly array or
eatables aud drinkables stored therein.
Perhaps the most formidable road at this
season is that bugbear OF bugbears to the
cyclists heart, the pike to Baltimore, via
Bladensburg. 1t would doubtless be an
excellent idea to place photograph OF that
road in every clubhouse and every private
dwelling in whose basement OF hail re-
poses wheel.
There could be but one result in contrast
other roads, and even street, would
seem a waxed floor.
Looked at from a business standpoint the
local field is decidedly dull. Some few of
the firms have received their consignments
OF the new years stock Of wheels. but the
majority have yet to hear from headquar-
tiers in that connection. Prospective buy
ers are waiting for the market to become
more fully stocked before venturiDg invest
ments.
The renting departments of the various
stores are doing fairly active business and
the repair shops are holding their own with
hands down. The future, however, Is OF
promising nature, and there is every pros
pect for an encouraging trade the coming
year.