The San Francisco call., 1897-10-11
The OBSERVED OF ALL;
a SKIRT NO 8LooMeRS S.

mers of cvcledom yesterday morning as il
flashed across the tape at Haywar6s the
winner of the great annual ten-mile
handicap of the California Associated
Cycling Clubs There had been a gather
ing of all the stars in the cycle firma-
ment of the coast q short il half-hour before
at Fruitvale to contest in this big event.
Many were named as probable winners
but no one ventured a suggestion pointing
to the victor. The Bay City, I'm perial,
Olympic and Acme consultations at
tracted the m ost notice, but the one bright
star shining most plendent at the fin 81
was Fred G. Boeckmann OF the Bay City
Wheelmen, who crossed the line at the
finish with such a lead over all his COM
petitors as to make the victory most de-
cisve one.
Yesterdays roadrace, the annual fall
handicap, had been looked forward to by
four score and ten rid ers for six weeks
past Fall handicap" is no misnomer
for it. Every year this race (always run
in October) is the scene of more tum bles
compared to the mum Der of men entered
than any other event the association pro-
m otes, probably because it is such short,
dashing affair, and Yesterday was no ex-
ceptlon to the rule.
In many respects the finish was the
same as all previous events of this kind.
There was the usual surging crowd, the
ofhcIals Valnly trying to catch mum berS
and times and the riders in punches of as
many as a dozen sometimes dashing
madly toward the tape IN the endeavor to
win one of the prizes varying from gold
watch to a su bscrlption to a cycling paper
aIme st at the risk of their lives.
There was great excitement at the start
at FruitVale and in the hurry and srra n "a
some of the back mark men were sent
away before the time their handicap in
dicated. The lis and l minute men
got away together, the 40 second men
went on the l minute mark and the
scratch men went on the 45-second m en- s
time. This was not a serious error, how
ever, as the timers at the other end de-
Quoted the excess from tner finishing
time. 1t would have been bad had the
back markers ridden into any of the
positions for place prizes, but only four
did and they we're disqualified from re-
L. Davidson. T. H. White, J. E. Wing
and Tony Delmas.
But the great trouble was at the finish.
Previous arrangements had been made
with the electric road which skirts the
course to have a special car for the Off
clals OF the race at the start, which was to
take them right through to the finish
without stop as soon as the riders were
sent away. regular passenger-car got
ahead Of 1t, however, the superintendent
would not sldetrack II, and the result was
that all but a few officials who had FORM
nateiy gone on ahead were at the finish to
properly score and time the result. The
special car, No. IS, got in five minutes
after the race was over. The officers of
the association were very much dis
gruntled, and say that the company broke
faith with them and that it will have 10
look elsewhere than TO them for the sum-
port of the cvcle track they are now con-
structing at Z mhurst.
About the race itselff.there was not
much of in terest. The rough road caused
many tum bles, but none of serious conse-
quence. Lind of the Imperials fell, bring
ing down his proverbially unlucky club
mate Bozio, Kragness (Olympic) and
Squires (Acme). They escaped with a
few scratches. Menne and Gilman, Bay
City; O Brien OF San Jose. Swain (Acme5
Casey OF the cali ornia CIuo, Harry K en-
nedy (Acme), Cramer of Reliance L. H.
Smith, olympic, were all victims OF chuck
hoies or rocks and came in contact with
mother earth, N ore TO the damage of the
machines than themselves, though witch
hazel aTnica and cotton batting sold at
Klondike prices in Haywards shortly after
the finish.
w. II. Allen of the California Club took
the worst cropper of them ALL and hasty
examination by an embrvo doctor elected
the announcement OF a broken collar