The San Francisco call., 1896-03-05
FOR B|KERS TONIGHT
The Big Indoor Cycling Tourna'
ment to Open at the
Mechanics Pavilion.
Professionals Terrill and Osen, An.
nouncer Knapp and the Great
Sextuplet Are Here.

The indoor bicycle racing tournament
and show opens tonight at the Mechanics
Pavilion, and from all indications will be a
great success.
When the eight-lap track was finished
last Sunday afternoon, it was pronounced
by all the riders who tried it as being the
finest indoor track they had ever ridden
upon. 1t is well banked, fast and in all re-
spects safe, the only drawbacks being two
heavy posts at the east and west ends,
which some thought might be trifle too
close for comfort for the rider who had
the inside position in a race.
That the racers might have no complaint
whatever. and to insure their absolute
safety and to have perfect track. Manager
Wikidel attended a meeting of the di-
rectors of the Mechanics Institute Tues
day evening and offered to pay the entire
cost of removing the posts and placing in
their st cad two arches to support that por-
ton of the gallery. After considerable dis
cussion it was decided to permit him to do
this, and last night large force of carpen-
ters were at work making the necessary
changes.
The experienced riders sa the track is
the fastest indoor course they have ever
raced upon, and it will be no great sur
prise if many of the existing records are
lowered during the tournament.
The training quarters for the racers are
at the Polk-street end of the building,
where each club has commodious quarters
and the men can rest in comfort between
heats of races.
The ten-mile club cup race, the first
heat of which will be run off tonight, is
exciting the greatest interest and rivalry
| ii, e. - -
| from each club are being specially trained
| for it.
A large number of regulars from the
| Presidio were at the track last night, as
| they are greatly interested in the military
| relay race to be run next Monday night
between infantrymen and cavalrymen, ten
men on each side, for a valuable prize.
One of the most interesting features OF
the cycle show will be the celebrated Fow-
ler sextuplet, which arrived here yesterday
! from the East and will be used on the
! track and shown in one of the exhibits.
| The wheel which Champion Zimmerman
rode in Australia and France last year will
also be shown.
The management will give away a
| bicycle every night as gate prize. and
there is such a large and varied number
| of them, the fortunate winner can have his
| or her pick as to make and style.
! Oscar Osen OF the Olympic cyclers, the
fast professional, arrived from Santa Mon
lea yesterday, and tried the Pavilion track
| last night. He exhibited remarkable
| speed and passed lots of the men as though
| they were standing still. He said that J.
NJ. Campbell, the champion of Oregon,
who was also at Santa Monica, will reach
here tomorrow for the tournament
| Probably the most interest in the new
arrivals centered in w. A. Terrill of the
Bay City Wheelmen, who came in on
late train from Coronado, where he has
been all winter trying for records. Terrill
marked the last day OF his stay there by
! lowering the worlds half-mile tandem
record to So 3-5 seco nds in conjunction
with w. A. Taylor.
Terrill, Campbell and Osen are all crack
| professional riders, and the management
of the tournament will arrange special
events for them and other pros" to give
| the public chance to see them compete.
Terrili weighs 100 pounds and is in perfect
condition.
| Charles S. Wells, the Bay City's 200
| pound champion, has made the best time
| on the track thus far, riding lap at a
| gait which would have meant q mile in
| | AS had he kept it up. This will give
some idea of how fast the track really is.
| w. Fred Knapp, the "only' announcer,
without whom no coast race meeting is
complete, returned yesterday from Port
| land especially for the tournament. Knapp
! has officiated as announcer since when the
mind of man remembers not-certainly
ever since bicycle races were held in Cali
| fornia. Before that he was the profess
sional worlds champion when the mile
record stood at 2:34,. and he even now
claims to hold records which tstand still. ("
Be this as it may. Knapp is feature of all
cycle meets, and his jolly ways and catchy
sayings have made him friends everywhere.
Members of the League of American
Wheelmen will be admitted to the races at
half price upon presentation of their MEM
bership cards.
The one-miIe race to be run tonight
will be q great event, as the entries repre-
sent the fastest men of the coast. The
other races are also we'll chosen, and as all
the prizes are valuable and the track is
safe the men will have every incentive to
ride their best. From the advance sale of
seats an immense crowd is assured.