The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-08-28
INCIDENTS OF wHEELDOM.
REMARKABLE ENDURANCE or A COW
T1HUOUs RIDER.

Repair Tires-Bad Spots 20 Avoid To-Day
Exploits OF Man ON an Abnormal Gear.
II is said that Teddy Edwards Of continuous
entury-every-day-in -the-yoar ambition il be-
ginning to wear on his face a worried express
sion. and that his features are growing haRgard.
Other reports from interested persons deny
this. Probably the truth Is that the first state
| ment is correct in n degree somewhat less
than implied by the language In which Il was
made. Provided Edwards finishes his ride to-
day, he will have accomplished a feat for which
the word phenomenal seems small. He
started at midnight on Dec. 81 last with the
purpose of riding 100 miles in less than four
! teen hours on every day OF twenty-four hours
until Dec. 81 OF this year. Tonight he will
have completed his two hundred and fortieth
consecutive century. Since the beginning OF
his ride. the National Racing Board has dis
| covered that Edwards has been subsidized by a
bicycle manufacturer who makes the chainless
wheel on which he Is performing his self-ap-
pointed task. and. therefore. has declared him
to be q professional. Notwithstanding this,
the feat OF the hardy road plueGer. who began
his career of lonR-distauce road riding under
the auspices OF the Century Wheelmen OF this
city. has made n record for pluck and endur-
ance that puts the performance OF six-day
riders in the shadow. and IL being universally
commented upon as wonderful.
When. in 1894. the late John C. Knowles OF
the Kings County wheelmen travelled over
level Long Island roads 100 miles n day for
sixty consecutive DAYS. IL was considered that
he had done something which was not likely
TO be ever eoualled or surpassed. TIL strain
OF that performance undoubtedly told upon
Knowles. although he had n MAGNIFICENT phy-
sique. and had been a trained athlete for twenty
years. The death OF Knowles was attributed
In part TO hypertrophy of the heart. caused
chiefly by the tremendous strain of his consec-
utive century performance. It was thought
that no one ever would undertake a similar
task. and when Edvards started. in the snow
storm that attended the birth of 1898. to ride a
century every day during the year, many
persons regarded II as a bluff made
for the purpose Of notoriety. Every one
scofed at the idea. and no one believed
that he would last three months. He has now
completed nearly two thirds of the task for
which he declared himself. Whether he con-
tinues and succeeds in accomplishing what he
set about TO do or not. he has already done
something so far in excess of any previous per-
ormanco on a bicycle that the fame OF the
achievement is certain to find nm honored place
among cycling annals. In time. and a short
time. the commercial circumstances in connec-
tion with his prodirioue feat will be buried be-
meath the prominence of the fact. 1t may be
that in later years some other cyclist OF excep-
tional endurance and nerve will seek to eclipse
the continuous riding record OF Edwards, but
this is n possibility that is much TO be doubted.
It is said by some who have studied the man
and are acquainted with what trials he has un-
derRone that the nervous energy of Edwards
is a larger factor in keeping him strictly to his
task than IL his physical proyess. That there
"a como tr,tb in +his ootim a+a 10 anrarant
Some time ago it was vaguely limited that he
was more apt to break down mentally and be-
come insane becauso Of the strain Of mental
So"o o oe0o"s0 LAG e,"in VI oHVn
concentration than to collapse bodily because
OF the physical exertion. Edwards himself has
said that the hardest rub comes when he has
to get up IN the morning ana go out ana rloe
when he does not feel IKE IL At SUCH mes
tIaAes 'meh'S 'hi'S mhoS0i S'e@u' pug
ging for him to overcome his feeling OF re-
- nsnoSaiaaioar .+rdv rdu,r,, Z. ,,.orn,
Asa psyehoioslcal STUDY Eowarus is interest,
ing. he Is an educated man. possessing GOOD
that enables him to obtain relief from the men,
tai strain in ways that would be impossible for
men Of different temperament. He has a keen
sense of humor and an appreciation of the
picturesque that helm him to find along the
paths of his daily journeys new scenes and
subjects for reflection. He smokes OCCASION
any ana also inauiges now ana then In a glass
OF lQuOr, chiefly as an appetite awakener. He
Is a thouentiui man capable Oh making a GOOD
animal OF himself. filling his stomach after his
DAYS ride and then reading himself to sleep.
q ~ "Hu "'H ~
Considering the leisure time he has. he is an
extensive reader. Several times. owing TO the
changes OF water and climate. incident to
his moving from CITY to CITY. he has had
- tno,hra ard onoa of,ar haino taron m
stomach trouDle ana once altSL DeinR taken III
at Detroit, as toid recently IN THE BUN. ne dlS-
played remarkable nerve by arising. from O sick
bed and starting on his daily ride OF 100 miles:
In his riding Edwards studies himself and
MS he does In eating. sleeping and divertinR his
mind He has i~ourteen hours every day IN
nhioI, 80 i'd AND he yoaa SIow or fosf oocord-
MI, ~ Nv nc 1tneIs ~ IN The morpinc he 49, |
lhs !" ~" " 1879 ~ ~ nnJ LUZ 1850
go at DreaKtSck speeH anu Keep u upi as
many, imagine. he taxes ~ as easy as possible.
His chief OBJECT Is not 20 let anything worry
He rides fast when, he feels like IL, He
tries to enjoy himself. He averages eleven
an hour. A Chicago rider who went out
windy Civ fold 81 HIS experiences in the CvcIe |
Ace from which the FOLLOWING facts and incl |
1lNy ~ . = "rtrsnted. o" W
uehts w eA'kecteu. |
In ~ mi aaH nWnEA n q a rln vnWnAd I