Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1897-07-15

periority over all competitors means
such degree of speed and such per-
lection of condition that the best OF
men cannot maintain their position at
the head for more than three or four
years, and then they are quickly for
gotten in the worship of new cham
pions. When Zimmerman attended the
Quill club wheeimen meet, May %, he
passed in front of the grand stand to the
judges stand, but not voice cheered
the worlds champion of two or three
years ago. He was the center of at
traction for a little coterie of oid-time
racing men, but the new ones paid him
no attention. Such is the evanescent
nature of fame. For. the benefit OF
new recruits to cycling brief bog
raphy of Arthur A. Zimmerman is here
given.
He was born in July, 1869. making
him just % years old at the present
time. He won his first novice race in
1889. at the Queens county meet on
Long island. and was fairly successful
during his first year on the track He
first became famous by his defeat of
W. w. Windle, then almost invincsfale,
at the Peoria (Il.) meet in 1890. Dur
ing the same season he won As first
prizes, Is second. three third. and one
fourth on the well-remembered Star
machine. The following year he began
riding the safety. but alternated occa-
sionally with his high wheel, winning
So firsts, ten seconds and three thirds.
and incidentally creating number OF
worlds records. He went to England in
1892 and was remarkably successful. be-
ing defeated by only two riders in the
United Kingdom and returning to
America with IS firsts and ten seconds
to his credit. His final victory in Eng
land was the winning of the 5O-miIe
championship. His best season was in
1898, during which he won 1O1 races out
of III in which he started. defeating
Walter Sanger. John S. johnson. Harry
Tyler and others of their class in this
country. No other man has ever APP
preached this brilliant record
At the worlds championships, held
in Chicago during the worlds fair. he
won every event in which he competed.
Again in the following year he went
abroad, with Harry Wheeler as a team
mate. and became the sensation in
France. Germany. Italy and other coun-
tries in which he rode. only one man in
all Europe defea ting him. Having re-
turned TO America, he went to Aus
tralia in 1895. and met with very little
success, owing to poor management and
inability to get into proper form. Re-
turning to his own country. he became
associated with others in the manu-
faeture of bicycles, and has not ridden
in competition since.
Zimmerman's talk of returning to the
track has had its influence on other
oid-timers, and there are rumors that
Harry Tyler. w. F.. Murphy. George
Banker and others intend to race once
more. They will be welcome indeed.
and few will begrudge them success
should they be so fortunate as to oe
victorious. 1t is doubtful, however, if
they still have the speed requisite to
win, and even if they. should retain
their sprinting abilities they will find
that speed alone is not sufficient. Great
changes have taken place in racing
methods during the last two or three
years and headwork and team work
play important parts in the winning Of
races to-day. In former days the bunch
always divided without question to let
through contestant coming up be-
hind in sprint. He was never pockSsed
as he is to-day. In 'e3, when thinner
man had worked his way to the center
of bunch in a handicap race he SIM