The San Francisco call., 1897-01-02
BECKER IS A
SPEEDY RIDER
Was Invincible Against a
Dozen Crack Profess
sional Cyclers.
He Won the Great Five.Mile
Event at the Velodrome
in Record Time.
Russ Maintains His Position as the
Champion Am ate ur-Mott's Fast
Exhib tion Rd,..

characterized the riding as was seen at
the meet on Christmas day. and the win
ners were heartily applauded by the spec
tators.
The Velodrome people furnish one de-
lightfuI adjunct to their meets, and that
is a very excellent band of music, which
discourses long and varied programme
of popular airs, tending TO make the after
Moons all the more enjoyable.
The meet was handled by the following
officials:
Referee, Henry F. wynne; judges-H. H.
White, E. B. Jerome, F. H. Kerrigan; timers
]. s. Cornwell George H. Stratton, a. P.
Swain, Z. E. Stoddard; scoIers-W. l. Pixley,
George Brouille,, H. D. Haydenfeldt; UNI
pires-T H. Meherin, ]. S. Egan, c. E.
Grifiths, R. s Duncan; clerk of course. A. w.
Wehe; assistants-Charles D. Petre, T. G..
Spillane; starter, Douglas White; announcer,
w. F. Knapp; assistant announcer, John C.
Hines; marshal C. W. Myrick; Handicapped,
r. A. Smythe; L. A. W. representative, R. NJ.
Welch.
The star event of the programme was
the five-mile scratch professional race. run
in three mile heats, the winners and two
fastest seconds in each to qualify for the
final.
Those who came out for the first heat
were Harry F. TeIrill and Horace Slater.
Bay City WheelmeD, Max Morris of Texas,
and Allan Jones, Olympic. Arthur Boy
den was put in to pace and made it very
fast. The finish was a beauty. Terrill
jumped to the lead on the last lap, with
Jones alonside. They rode this way for
half lap. and Terrill by little extra
shove barely won in 2:17 %
In the second heat were C. S. Wells, Bay
City, George Bovee of Texas, W. E. Becker
of Minneapolis and F. NJ. Byrne, Impe-
rial. Roma Dow was the pacemaker.
Wells caught first place behind the PAGER
at the start, but Becker gained the COW
eted position by clever play. On the
bell tap they all sprinted, Becker winning
handily from Bovee, Wells third. The time
was 2:15 3-5.
The starters in the third heat were w.
a. Terrill. Bay City; D. E. Whitman of
Los Angeles. and q. E. Dow of Seattle.
Ed Chapman of Napa set the pace and
Whitman was the first to catch him.
The finish was wildly exciting. Terrill,
who was last when the bell rang, and had
to ride way up on. the bank, clearly
showed his superiority over his compeii-
tors by winning after a hard struggle,
Whitman being close second. The time
was 2:16 3.5. This brought into the final
the Terrill brothers, Bovee. Whitman and
Becker. Dow and Boyden were put in to
pace the first two miles.
After a pretty fight for the tandem,
Becker got it, the order being Becker,
Bovee, Whitman, bob" Terrill and
Harry Terrill. The first mile was made
in The startling time of 2:07 3-5 record
time for the Velodrome.
In the second mile there was.another
fight for the tandem between Harry Ter
rill. Whitman and Becker. The latter got
made in 4:20. Bob Terrill dropped out
at this point.
On the third mile the positions were
Becker, Harry Terrill, Bovee, Whit
man. The second tandem, Chapman and
McCrea, here dropped in, making poor
pickup. The pace was Killing and Terrill
dropped back. Whitman and Bovee also
lost the tandem, and Becker vas alone be-
hind it. The time for three miles was 6:32
for Becker. The others were, half lap
behind.
The tandem kept making the pace faster
and faster for Becker, and still he hung
on. They gained lap on Bovee, Whit
man and Terrill. who kept doggedly at it
for second and third money. The four
miles were ridden in SAL 4-5
Terrill, Boyee and Whitman, lap be-
hind, caught on to the tandem as it
passed and hung there to the finish.
Becker jumped to the front and passed
the tandem on the last lap, ending most
remarkable race in the speedy time OF
11:20. Terrill, Bovee and Whitman had
to ride another lap to complete their five
miles, and Terrill was judged the winner.
Whitman third, Bovee fourth.
This was one of the greatest races ever
seen on California track, and the con-
testants and particularly the winner,
Becker, were cheered to the echo by the
highly excited audience.
The gallery crowd was dissatisfied with
the decision of The judges giving second
place to Terrill, and kept yelling 'Bovee." !"
The latter entered protest with the
racing board, which was allowed, giving
him second place and putting Terrill back
to third. The audience was greatly
pleased with this decision.
Becker, the winner, is the five-mile Ma
tional champion, an honor which he won
at the big League of American Wheel
mems meet at Louisville last August.
against all the crack riders of the United
States. He easily sustained his reputa-
ton by his great performance OF yester-
day.
The days sport commenced with one OF
series of three match races between two
amateurs from Marin County-H. E..
Grimmenstein of Sausalito and H. w.
Collins of San Rafael. The distance of
the first race was one mile, and the race
was paced by L. ]. Smith of the Acme
Club. 1t was an easy victory for Collins,
who made the distance in 2:29 2-5.
The second race. at two miles, was won
by Grimmenstein in 4:5S As. The pacing
was done by Smith and Joseph Catanich.
The third race was also at two miles,
paced by the same men, and was won by
Collins, Grimmenstein having fallen on
the west bank. The time was SOL. Col
Inns was then declared amateur champion
of Marin County.
The one amateur race on the programme
was mlle-post race, run in four heats to
reduce the field, with prizes for the win
ner of each lap in the final. Those who
qualified were e. F. Russ, Olympic; Nj.