Evening star., 1897-07-31
FOREIGN CYCLE NOTES

To avert disaster in the mountainous por-
tions of France. the Tourist Club has caused
to he constructed safety nets. which are
suspended in dangerous places. Four days
after one of these nets was swung a cy-
clist's ife was saved, he falling into II IN
stead CT into a gorge below. Something OF
this sort sh Duld be provided by IN, town
shig Of Gutenberg. cyclists riding Up
ana down the Gutenberg hill from the
ferry are in constant Peril of l.cinE man
gled by falling on the rocks below.
The first bicycle ever seen in Morocco Is
now astonishing the natives. The pioneer
cyclist is AN Englishman. who is obliged to
use specially strong machine. as the roads
in Morocco are very bad.
An English cycle paper commenting on
the cyclists thirst says thai. notwith-
standing the enormous percentage of cy-
clists among the poi ulation OF England,
his thiis st, II he he :. a.. -ahst Amer is
essentially temperate thirst. \ statlsti-
cal summary of a thousand cyclists drinks
shows that nearly thrcc-fourths were nom
alcoholic beverages.
NJ. Bourrillon recently won the champion
ship of France on the Seine bicyclr track
in Paris. There were thirteen heats run
to reduce the field and pick the starters IN
the final. The successful ones who met At
the tape for the hnal struggle Were Piette.
Ncssman and Bourrillon. Bovrriilon had
the lace well in hand for all four laps.
Bourrillon's riding is said 10 recall in the
minds OF the Frenchmtn the wondcri nj
work of A. \. Zimmerman when the Amcr1-
can raced abroad.
The French have an effective way OF
making their leather saddles comfortable.
which is well worth copying. They soak
the leather thoroughly in water until IL Is
perfectly nliable- then they ride on IL tau
ii is dry. protecting their clothing by
temporary covering of some waterproof ma
terial. When the process is completed the
leather is exactly fitted to the rider, and
correspondingiy comfortable.
new cycle tax for the benefit of cyclists
who live in Milan came into torCe in June.
1t amounts to about 81 per year. The mu-
nicipal viseacres have hit upon this method
OF Keeping down the cycling craze in the
town.
The first duel on wheels occurred not long
since in Spain. between M-ssrs. Moreno
and Perez. who both were members of the
Granada Cycling Club. and il ended fatally
Tor the latter. Accompanied by their sec
onds, they wheeled out some distance on
the road to Malaga, to a secluded spot.
There. posted 400 feet apart. at a sign,
they wheeled toward each other each di-
recting his machine with his left hand and
brandishing i'm his right that terrible knife
of Spain-the navajo. At the first lash
Perez pierced the left arm of Moreno. but
at the third encounter Moreno thrust his
knife into the breast of Perez. who in "A
few minutes died from internal hemor-
rnage.
The cyclst who does Europe awheel can
ship his luggage from point to point at
small cost. The postal systems abroad. un-
like ours, do an express business. so tar
as the size of the mail carried is concerned.
Nalses are carried we'll letters. AN
one is sure to ind the luggage ahead OF
one at the destination. As a matter OF
fact, little luggage need be carried. for the
bicycle costume IL seen all over Europe
now, and attracts no attention at the hotels.
galleries other public places.
Romford. England. claims the champion
fat mems bicycle club. pa pounds be'ng the
minimum admission weight.
In New nd bicycle. designed great
ly to increase the driving power the cranks
are much she otter than usual, and. Instead
of terminating in a pedal, has at the end
a small roller fitted into a slot in A long
lever. which has for a fulcrum a stud at
tached TO the back fork. The pedal at
tached to the lever, the short crank Deing
carried around by pressure on the pedals
The up-stroke is very quick. AMI the down
stroke slower but very powerful.