The San Francisco call., 1896-06-06
THE WHEELMEN.
The Central Park Race Meets &
Enil,tra-OIIIh EvantS

The Central Park Race Meets a
Failure-CIub Events.
Cycle track racing has been abandoned
in this City for the present, the Central
Park venture not proving a financial sue
cess. This is not to be wondered at, as no
audience would care more than once to sit
and watch ten or a dozen preliminary
heats of an amateur race, three or four
yemi-finals and a final. 1t gets very
monotonous, and the management of the
track has itself to blame that the pro-
grammes were not better arranged and
more events and novelties introduced.
Take the card for last Saturday night,
for instance. 1t consisted of a short
distance professional race and one-mile
amateur ''consolation"-tha was all. The
professional race was all right in its way
but there were only four heats, with two
or three starters in each, and final, and
1t was soon over. Then came the con
ISOLATION" As may be imagined by the
name such a race is for MEN who have
never won prize at the track. Does any
one care to sit for an hour watching lot
of men who are too slow to win even anna
teur races ride off seven heats, two semi
finals and a final. covering the miles at
anywhere from 2:30 tie 2:502 The public
does not care for that kind of sport" and
gTamme only drew a few friends of the
riders themselves.
Before Wells Coulter, Mcfarland, Ter
rill Parker and some other crack pro-
fessionals went East, the races were quite
interesting and well contested; even then,
however, the management made the mis-
take of not having enough events on the
programme; in seeking to save few
dollars in prizes by leaving out a race,
they adopted a penny wise pound foolish
policy, and the result is the failure of the
meets from financial point of view.
1t IS desirable that San Francisco should
support a cycle track, that the racers of
this City may have place to train and to
compete occasionally. A race meet con-
duct d here say once a month, would pay
its promoters we'll, If properly handled.
The Cycle Board of Trade is going to look
into the matter, and it will also be brought
before the California Associated Cycling
Clubs at their meeting in Alameda to-
night. 1t is quite evident that weekly
meets will not pay, particularly when
there is nothing on the programmes to
attract the public. Trick riding, match
races, tandem races, long-distance rides
against time and other novelties could be
introduced, and would draw well. But
there is nothing TO interest the most
ardent admirer of the sport in Zone
mile amateur scratch, consolation" race,
or ''one-miIe novice" run-off in a dozen
or fifteen heats before the final.
June is a splendid month for touring,
the roads being usually at their hest ali
during this month. In July and August
they will be very dusty. There will be sew
eral road races the latter part of this
month, and on the second Sunday in July
comes the great twenty-mile event of the
associated clubs.
Captain Pixley of the San Francisco
Road Club has arranged series of out
ings for the club members for the next
few Sundays to come. Tomorrow they
will go to the park and Cliff, leaving the
clubhouse on Golden Gate avenue at 10
o'clock. Next Saturday evening, the 18th,
they will take the steamer ZinfandeI at
Jackson-sIreet wharf at IL o'clock and go
to Napa, where they will visited the petri-
fed forest, soda springs, insane asylum
and other places of interest, returning
Sunday night. On Sunday, June 81, there
Will be blind run, leaving the clubhouse
at A. NJ, and the Sunday following the
members will have five-mie handicap
road race over the San Leandro- Haywards
course. July and the club will spend
at Petaluma, the occasion being the an
nual meet Of the League of American
Wheelmen which all the clubs will attend
Such programme affords the members
variety OF wheeling and enjoyment, and
Captain Pixley's example in announcing
his intentions so far ahead could be fol-
lowed to advantage by other club captains
as it gives the members a knowledge of
what they are going to do and where they
will be sufhciS1tly far in advance to keep