The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-04-19
SUNDAY CYCLING PLANS.
RUNS ON COUNTRY HoADs nam
our mr. WBEELMEN ron TO-DAY

New Course 60 Hampstead or
Pleasures OF = spin AionG the upa.o
County Boulevard-hfntters or Int.r.,
60 Cyclists Increasing Use OF Tandem.
Advantages or the bicycle Truph-Cou
plants Of whselwonen that They M..
with Insuit on the R~ouievsrd-sow
New Devices for tho Use or Cyoiist
Sunday Ia popularity supposed TO be a dsv q
rest. mi fact, II Is with most people. but wha
II rest for one man IL work for another. Th,
people who do not ride wheels consider wheelin,
very hard work, while those who do call IL res
TO pedal over ten, twenty, or forty miles o
country road. according to the nun Der OF degree,
that they have taken in the craft of cycling
Again, non-cyclists wonder why II is that hun
dreds of mechanics and laborinR men. host,
OF young and old women, and boys and
men employed In shops and Offices, to say
nothing Of their employers. and tina,
vast army who have Just as much time to ride
ono day as another, long for aud wish for, and
walt for Sunday to come. On tho other hand
the merry wheelers cannot understand why
the uninitiated do not love the Sabbath day
with an ardor that should moro than satisfy II
man who obeys the Fourth Commandment to
the letter OF the law. This fact remains tho
same through all difference OF opinion. Every
man and woman who rides a bicycle fairly loves
Sunday. All prove II by jamming the highways
and hedges. Last Sunday IL looked as IL
every person who owned or could beg. borrow,
buy. rent. or steal a machine was on the road,
but this was not true. The pleasant weather
caught many q man and woman unawares;
some had not taken their bicycles out OF winter
storage. Some who do not own their own
wheels had failed to rent one before it was too
late. and others, n great many others, had the
old, sad story to teli-nothinR to wear.
These people won't be left again. II to-day Is
clear and warm they. along with their friends
who couldn't go last Sunday for one reason or
another. will Join the long procession. Those
who possess little sentiment-Boulevard riders
they are called-wnl stick to the runs about
town. 1t is strange, but they seem to enjoy spin
ming along the city streets, shut in by brown
stone fronts and staid apartment houses and
intersected at every few blocks by car tracks.
Others will take themselves to Jersey or Long
Island or up the river where broad green fields
stretch out on all sides and the birds get n
chance to make themselves heard. They are
the wise cyclists, too. for there they may in
dulge in q fierce scorch II they have a mind to
without fear Of being nabbed by a mounted
policeman. Or II one has not enough sporting
blood In his veins for such a lively sprint he
can plod leisurely along as fancy dictates. and
feel sure that he won't be smashed into
smithereens by the cable cars or the crush of
carriages. such as Is found on the drives In the
Park Sunday afternoons.
II every cyclist who has made q prognostica-
tion about the weather for to-day had been COM
PEELED to lay down a dollar as a forfeit to Mr..
Dunn for infringing on his rights, that gentle
man would have had a handsome income for
the rest of his life. even II he could secure a
drink at the fountain of immortal youth. The
people who ride wheels are OF q cheerf full, hope
full disposition. and most OF them believe that
there will be sunshine a-plenty and ] ust enough
of q breeze to keep the riders cool. Any way.
they've all been planning for a grand time. and
It is sincerely to be hoped that tickle April will
not lout them after a whole week OF pleasant
anticipation.
It's a great fad with ~wheelwomen nowadays to
study out and plan runs for their male friends.
who are too busy to do so during the week. and
then to lead them over the routes on Sunday.
This is well. 1t gives the girls and their mothers
and older sisters something to do, it stirs up
their interest In local geography and history,
for the cyclists are discovering that there arc
many points OF historical Importance and in
terest around New York. and above all it makes
these, women feel that they are doing something
that has heretofore been left to the man cyc!isi.
aona atFe n ns ! y9h TG it hof H%"H 81 matter ts as w Gemm Hon
turn you hear that question, Women stop each
other In the road, IN tho Pork; up Riye5Side, and
A half dozen were holding a conclave in the
academy on the Boulevard yesterday to decide
. good deal OF wrangiing a pretty. plump blonde.
in n short cadet blue skirt, an up-to-dates shirt
waist and sailor hat, said:
Girls. you never would listen to any of my |
pr posed runs, and now you've got to hear tho
ally said pretty good when | went over it to
him. and You know what that means"
sisters run. Wen take it," Interrupted a little
bloomsrite' who who calmly and ,p,iacidiy declares
other woman who rides a wheel does. and fur
thermore ANNOUNCES that this thing Of wearing
the only sensible thing to do when tie mercury
Is on the point Of boiling in the tube is to ride
IN thin stockings and low shoes. as the girls in
What is your run ~ some one asked.
TO Hampstead" the blond girl proceeded.
F, IT. nj w SiJeet entrance T. the Park say, at
Ell.ns ~ Fiji, a,tnue 2 Ninrty-;ixth, street.
There we turn to the right ami follow \ lnety-
three blocks to the NiRety-ninth street
ferry. I've gone over this much OF the route to
riding. At the ferry we take the boat to College
Point. IL is half IN hours sail across, and this
: ii,t Ges sSil 'h seems to to rest bra sed' o Ss'ids so
for n days ride. I'm free to confess
1 1ea c t'ss College 'r PUNT i@v "" foiioS S" the s shore road road
until 1t end ~ the main, road which leads to
Flushing: TINS shore road is excellent, and al
Flushing we Will have 10 make in
Quiries to reach Flushing avenue. ana once on
that we are on the direct road To Jamaica.
There Is scarcely n mill to be encountered be-
tween these two points. or at least they are no
easy OF ascent that they are not worth speaking
Of. and the distance is eight miles. There are
several macadamized roads leading from
to Hampstead ut varying distances,
and We can go there, or II the majority prefers
after leaving Jamaica we can follow the Mer-
ryc~lists-until we turn off into the. Valley
Stream road. About ten miles from Jamaica
we take a side path to Far Rockaway. and from
here we get a line straight, road to Rockaway.
The trip there and back covers about
miles, and. for my part, ] think a
run like that is Just enough. and not
too much. Any way, let's go somewhere
around Jamaica or Flushing, for everybody out
here rides md the roads are In perfect condi-
lion; and not only that. but the island 10 inter-
sting just nov, when The truck farmers are be-
ginning 10 make garden sass hum, as the country
people down south say"
Agreed" exclaimed two or three of the
women, and not n dissenting voice was heard.
(which is II, then. Hampstead or Rockaway ?"
,sked the run promoter. with an exuirant
augh.