The sun. (Wilmington, Del.) 1897-19??, 1898-05-23
CYCLING.


city, will open his summer season with
the Newburgh Wheelmen's race meet at
Newburgh, N. Y, May 80. While there
he will also try to break his half mile
record of l.2O made in this city IN 81.
He now claims the championship of the
world and will defend it against any
rider of his age.
w. +. Becker is anxious to meet
Frank Starbuck in a tive-mile pursuit
race some time in June.
Tom Linton, who is training at Boston,
expects to figure prominently with the
middle-distance riders this season.
Tom Butler, the New England pro-
fessional has decided to follow the ma
tional circuit this year.
Jay Eaton has shown good turn Of
speed this spring and promises to rank
with the leaders on the circuit.
Rain prevented Jimmy Michael from
giving a paced exhibition Saturday after
noon in Rochester. He will ride there
today.
Charley Church is doing good work be-
hind the pacing machines, and is more
than likely to be great factor in the
middle.d distance. racing game.
There is quite demand for pace.
makers just now, but in little while
the supply will be greater than the de-
mand, and some of the teams who are
asking extravagant prices for their SER
vices are sure to be left out in the cold
later on.
The National Track Team Association
will have their entire tandem brigade
fitted out within the next few days
for the seasons work. They will have
ten teams to enter in all races where
the stars of this association may ap-
pear.
The Ramsey swinging pedal has proved
one OF the most novel and useful inven-
tions that has been yet introduced in the
line of cycling accessories. 1t is one of
the few inventions that has real merit,
which can be demonstrated by mo-
ment's trial.
Jimmy Michael had the whole middle
distance field to himself last season, and
cut quite wide swath, but, with some
fifteen or twenty men in the business
| this wear, the little Welshman won't
have such a soft snap holding the cham
pionship.
The season is well on now, and yet
the chainless wheel does not seem to
have cut very wide swath. There are
several makes on the market, and, while
they have all made friends, yet they
seem to have hurt the chain-geared ma
chine but little.
Notwithstanding all the talk last fall
and winter about the necessity of brakes,
the dealers claim they are equipping
but very few machines with them this
season. The greatest advantage OF a
quick. acting brake is for an emergency
stop; if hill is too steep to back-pedal,
or a rider does not care to wear out his
shoes by foot breaking, the man without
brake can always walk.
Last years wheel if sound and true
ought to satisfy its possessor, but there
is one man in this city who is positively
ashamed of his, although he purchased
it brand new in the middle of last sea-
son. His friends have bought this years
models, and he naturally feels little bit
behind them. He cannot be induced to
90 out with the rest, simply because he
thinks his wheel is not as good as the
others.
The pacing crew of the National Track
Team Association, under the guidance OF
Charles r. Culver, who has brought so
many good men to the front, is now the
best team in the world. Competent
critics who witnessed their first appear
ance when they drew Eddie McDuffee Is
miles under all records and mile ahead
of Fred Titus, freely stated that such
work had never been seen on any bicy-
Gle track before.
What is said to be the fastest quad
team in the world is composed of the two
crack tandem teams, Sager-Swanbrough
and Casey-Eckberg, OF the National
Track Team Association. Sager occupies
the first seat with Casey, Eckberg and
Scarborough in the order named, and
they make the fastest team ever seen on
an American track. Their work in the
first big match race was peerless. The
National Track Team Association will
match the two teams on tandems and
double them on quad against any teams
in the world.
In the ten mile bicycle pursuit race at
Waltham, Saturday, between Fixes and
Porter the former won easily, riding a
great race. Porter was not in it after the
first five miles. The question has not
been whether Porter could win, but
whether he would be caught in five
miles. He has not recovered from his
recent fall The other races on the card
were fine contests, Long mark men won
the tandem handicap, one heat going in
] SO 2-5.
The advance iu the sale of bicycles is
best shown by figures. 1t is known that
England is far and away behind America
in the production of the bicycle, yet she
has made rapid strides to the front in
this particular during the last dozen
years Fifteen years ago Great Britain's
annual production Of bicycles could be
fixed at 5000. Last year the total pro-
duction was calculated as being in the
neighborhood OF 100000. 1t would be
hard to estimate last years production