The morning times., 1897-01-24
Awheel at Night
AN INDIAN CYCLISTS STRANGE
AND FASCINATING 10000
MILE DIVERSION

Ten thousand and sixty miles. ridden
in the darkness OF night, is the remarkable
record which Ross Manly, Of Summitvine.
Ind. has just made. During the course
of his nocturnal runs his experiences were
many and often exciting Hardly "a glimpse
OF daylight did this strange cycIist catch.
He made sixty-five centuries at night,
which is in itself an astonishing perform
ance. but il becomes all the more so when
the fact is taken into consideration that
fourteen OF the $500 mile runs were dou-
BILE centuries.
Mr.. Manly has captured the century
and mileage medals offered by the In
diana officers of the Century Riding Club
While the other several hundred con
testants for these hOnors We're sleeping
and dreaming of them this .'owl nder'
was pedaling away and industrOGsly piling
up the miles and centuries TO his credit
What makes his achievement all the more
interesting is tile fact that he was EN-
ployed in business during ten hours OF
tile day and therefore had no chance to
ride by day. As for sleeping, that was
quite a secondary matter What few
winks lie did eaten were after or before
his nightly runs. And here as a strange
says. Not as one ordinarily sleeps with
closed eyes and in a, state of complete IN
consciousness, but more in semi-con-
scious condition, when the eyes were
open, yet saw practically nothing, and the
feet mechanically pushing the pedals
around. His own story is as follows:
1T certainly was novel ia many respects,
ana it has been my experience that dark
=
which one is any way familiar and with
ever so little moonlight, l can Iice as fast
as 1 can during the day, and on several
occasions l have during my experience as
a night rider made a century in seven
hours, which would as a rule be COnsid-
cred excellent work by day
"One very peculiar thing in connection
With night riding is that Cne experiences
certain optical Illusions which sometimes
have unique results The most common Of
these illusions is the impression that one
is constantly riding down hill. have ex-
perienced it so often that know 1t well.
and yet often found myself applying the
brake TO NV machine when speeding along
road knew, if l had thought about the
matter, to be perfectly level.
AT other times when on an unfamiliar
road have heen thinking Of something,
s1d on coming TO a steep incline the ma
viine would get away from me and get
Laif way down the hill before / could get
control Of it. This would he due to the
fact that although / saw the incline L
gave IL no second thought bat set IL down
as the customary illusion until / found
myself going down an actual hill much
too fast for safety or Comfort At other
times l would find myself pedaliag along
mechanically, being practically asleep on
my wheel, and vet having my eyes open
and keeping my balance on thr wheel.
For some reason which I could never
understand, the night seems 10 exercise
a particularly hilarious effect upon the
farmers who have occasion to drive about
the Country after nightfan. Whenever
one Of these buchohc individuals happened
to see me ahead OF them in the roadway,
they would at once whip up the horse and
try 10 run ne down.
''On another occasion had a chase
which was more exciting while it lasted
and for a time did not know Just how it
was going to end IU was a fairly light
night, and / was riding conteutedIy along
and congratuIating myself upon being on
such a good road when l heard q great
outCry behind me- 1 looked back, but
could see nothing in the darkness, but
the noise was getting nearer, and l con-
Guided To get out OF the shadow of the
grove through which l was riding so
that could see what was going on.
1T was well did so, for hardly had I