The herald., 1897-01-25
THE WHEEL.

The people of San Francisco are deter
mined to carry the Sunday racing issue
in the big meeting to be held next Feb
ruary. A San Francisco correspondent
of the St. Louis Sporting Life gives his
view of the situation in the following in :
cisive style: Nothing proves the fact
that Sunday racing is the only loophoie
out of the racing difficulty in this state
better than the history of the Velodrome
in this city. The track is without q
doubt, the best track of it's size in the
world, and fully as good as the best
four-lap tracks in the country, and yet,
despite the fact that the racing has
been of the top-notch order the race
meets that have been held on the track
have been financial failures. And why !?
Simply because Saturday afternoon is
the busiest of the seven in this city, and
the middle classes from whom race pro-
moters derive their patronage, cannot
get off on that day to attend the meets.
1T is on Sunday that Californians take
rest and recreation. Church in the morn
ing Qor many) and pleasure in the after
noon (for the majority is the usual OBJ
servance of the Sabbath in this great
state. Baseball, cycling and other out
door sports attract the people.
"A baseball game in this city between
teams of little known ability have been
known to attract 10000 people on a Sun
Qdy dlleTHOOH. WHY SuOulu HOL u uTSL-
class race meet, with such cracks as the
Terrills, Wells, Foster, Jones, Downing
Zeigler and host of others almost equal
ly as we'll known advertised to appear
get some of this patronage?
IF the assembly grants this one wish
of California wheelmen, the L. A. w. will
not come in for any condemnation. Cy-
cling is clean sport, and under the
eagle eve of the racing board, will al
xxyory h ND la fe, Iro ox~k
above board the sport will be patron
lied by the best classes, and it is the
best classes that enjoy fine Sunday
afternoon in this state"
The years mileage record medal will,
no doubt, be awarded to e. N. Roth of
the Clarendon Wheelmen, Chicago, who
on New Years eve, in a driving rain
storm, completed one of the greatest
years rides of history. Roth rode "a, $50
miles in $40 days, an average of over 101
miles in each day. He Travelled over a
dozen states in making this ride. He
started January 25 and finished Decem-
ber 81 at midnight. In this time he rode
146 centuries all told, of which number
80 were double centuries, or 200 miles.
and one a triple century, 300 miles. in
twenty-five hours. His greatest months
mileage avs 1000 miles and over. He did
not know the exact distance.
His claims to the Century Road club
call for the following: The individual
mileage medal of America; the Illinois
state mileage medal; the century rec
ord of several states; the 200-miie recOTd
of IA hours and 35 minutes. the 30J-nilo
record of % hours fiat; the "a hour record
of 300 miles, with many others The
claims have to be sent on by express,
owing to their volume.
The nearest connection to Rflb Ia
O'Connor of the Chicago Cycling club,
who has 1925 miles to his credit. The
old record for the year was made by
Hansen, the "Rainmaker of Minneapo-
lis" who made 21 ,02S miles in 1894.
Roth has ridden one wheel the entire
season, with but one accident, q broken
rim. He has ridden two sets OF tires,
wearing one out on railroad tracks. His
wheel weighed rs pounds, the tires
weighing pounds He uses neither
tobacco nor liquors and gained 10 pounds
in the season.
The cyclists are having very lively
time of 1t in Paris. where the bicycle