Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-10-09
so M E CYCLE CHAT

There appears to be more or less discus
sion regarding the distance between this
city and Frederick and return All admit
tnat II is 100 miles, but many claim that
the trip Is much longer. The road book
OF the local division Of the League of
American Wheelmen, which was recently
published, placed the distance to Frederick
anu return at an even 100 miles, with the
starting point at the new post Office build
ing. If that be true then the big trim re-
Gently made to Frederick could not have
been century run by mile or So as the
start and finish were made at 18th and K
streets, and not at the new CITY post office
However, the road book is not infallible
The old century to Frederick, if the writer
remembers correctly, was started at 18th
street and Boundary, and on the return
trip wound up at Sligo, which is placed by
the road book as being eight miles from
the city post Office. This would make the
total distance, If the old century run was
correct, to be something like los miles
There are many riders in the city who are
willing to stake their all that the distance
from the post office to Frederick is more
than fifty miles by the route taken
IN MitchelIs Travellers Guide Through
the United States, published in 1885 and
giving list of distances of all of the old
stage routes, the distance from Washing
ton to Frederick is placed at forty-three
miles. This Is, however. by way of George
town and Rockville, and over the Fred
erick turnpike, route that can hardly be
called good for a bicycle just at present
The trip by this route is fully ten miles
shorter than the route described in the
road book, If not more
Several local riders have secured a place
In the table Of points kept of the national
circuit races. which determine the leading
riders Of the country at the end of the
year. and at the same time give the head
man the title of champion. On September
- Bald stood 10s points. having won
thirds. Arthur Gardiner was next best
man, with o" points. the result of eight
firsts ten seconds and seven thirds. Tom
Cooper was third, with eight frsts, three
points.
George s. Ball and seven others are tie
Tor the thirty-third place, having won one
race. This gives him four points. 1t was
py coming In first in the two-mile handi-
cap won at the circuit races in this civ.
W. +. Sims and twenty other riders are
Tie Tor forty-seventh place, each having one
SECOND sech 10 their credit. scoring two points
each. botn OF these races were run off in
this city on September "a,
To the minds of / good many the same
rules which apply to, sitting in the saddle
on bicycle saddle. Tits is a mistake.
While 1t may not be gold form in horse
pack riding to permit daylight to be seen
between the rider and the saddle, there
cycle riding. Indeed, there are times when
l. is advisable to permit daylight to show
when riding bicycle. To begin with, there
is wide difference between the horse
and the bicycle. The only similarity lies
IN the fact that both are, used as a means
of locomotion. A bicycle is much more
delicate than horse; andlit lightness pre-
eiudes the possibility of standing as much
OF strain as horse. When riding across
rough places on wheekdf the rider sits
perfectly rigid in the saddle he not only
feels the vibrations more severely but at
the same time the strain on the machine
is increased several fold by the rather
eccentric motion of the wheel in going
over the ground II the rider would rise
up in the saddle sufficiently to make the
weight bear almost entirely upon the pedals
and the front handle bar. the strain On the
wheel would be diminished slightly, and
what extra strain there is would be more
evenly divided over the whole bicycle A
horse can pick his way over almost any
road but the bicycle has to roll over the
road, and is subject to feel all slight de-
pressions and inclines,