The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-11-12
WHEEL S'TILLPOPULAR
REPRESENTATIVE CYCLISTS LOOK
ON THE LAST SEASON WITH
SATISFACTION
BIKES HOLD THEIR FRIENDS

Said More Wheels Were Sold in st.
Paul in 1899 Than Any Previous
summer-Absence of Friction Be
tween BicycItsts and the Author
ities-Need for Large Central
Club House Down Town.
The bicycle season is practically over
and Retrospective view of the events
that have taken place in the wheeling
world since last spring is of special sat-
1sfaction to the enthusiastic wheelman.
The cycle path, system has been i'm
proved, extended and made more valua-
bic in more ways than one to the riders;
several of the best state road records
have been replaced with new ones, the
state professional mile record being re-
duced over. three seconds. More wheels
have been sold during 1899 than any year
since the wheel 'bedan1ei popular, and the
little prejudice against the wheel is fast
disappearing. Short talks with a dozen
or more we'll known local wheelmen give
evidence of the general satisfaction that
the devotees of the wheel feel over the
season of 1899.
FenWick E. Low, president of the Lau-
rel Cycle club said: -.
There is more deep seated enthusiasm
among wheelmen this year than ever.
The bicycle is no longer a fad, and as a
vehicle OF facility it is just as popular
as, with those who first espoused the
wheel as a. means of recreation. In "a
general sense the season of 1893 has been
unusually successful. More people are
riding this year than heretofore ands we
have had some excellent weather.
- f. Ii. Hoxie, acting chief consul Of the
l.. A. w. in Minnesota, has expressed.
himself as" being decidedly opposed to.
L. A. w. control of professional racing
He feels, like many others, that the
quicker the L.. "A. w. begins with a clear
sheet the more effectuat the organiZa-
ton will be in advocating those priHci-
pies upon which the organization has-r
cefved it, greatest impetus.
1t IS believed by some who keep In
touch with EsTA. W.. affairs that profess
sional racing will Ebe handed over to the
NJ GA. at Thea annual gathering in Feb
'ruaFyE 3There is no disputing the fact
that the racing Question has alienated
as shown by the membership figures for
One prominent L. A.-W. man expressed
himself to the G o b e as follows:
professional racing has been an eye
sore to the League of American Wheel
men, and the quicker the league hands
active contrc! over to some other organi-
azation the better for good roads, good
laws and the other principles which the
organization stands for"
J. E. Meyers. chairman of the Asso-
ciated Wheelmen, said when seen by the
o e: II don't think there has been a
year in the history of wheeling in st.
Paul that there has been so little friction
between the wheelmen and the local au-
thorities. The public at large appreciates
the utility of the wheel: the opposition
Of the past has not been apparent this
year to any marked degree. We have
more cycle paths and better regulations,
and those who ride wheels have never en-
joyed themselves better than during the
past year"
c. B. Gedney, president of the CONNER
cial Cyclers, calls attention to the need>of
a club house in the central part of the
city. Such a building should, he believes,
be put up or rented by the various clubs,
and each club have a stated evening and
some sort of entertainment provided.
1.-The great trouble" said Mr.. Gedney,
has been to get the people to come
down town in the evening. They go
home and stay at home. If all the wheel
ing forces of the city could get together
and secure good downtown club house,
where some entertainment besides wheel
ing could be provided on rainy evenings
it would fill long felt want, besides be-
ing a powerful organization. We have
had building at Como for two years,
but 1t is too far out. We need something
more central
President A L. Mace, of the Century
Road club, is not least enthusiastic of
the st. Paul wheelmen, and there is 4
good reason for this. AS president of
the National c. r. c. organization he
has witnessed the breaking of the state
century record, the national 100-mtle rec
ord and several other records, which
places Minnesota road riders at the front
rank He says:
For the first time since road riding be-
came popular with Minnesota cyclists, the
Mortified course century is held by a
st. Paul rider. On Sunday. Nov. 5, John
Korlath. of this city, made the trip in
hours, IS minutes and IL seconds, clip
ping Is minutes and 49 seconds from the
record established in October, 1898, by
Louis Neiderhoffer, of Minneapolis, whose
time of hours and 80 minutes captured
the record held less than month by c.
H. Vanderhoof, of that city. who was the
first cyclist to reduce the old Hansen
record of 7 hours minutes, which had
stood for nearly four years, a bugbear to
road-riding cyclists.
THE Northfield course record has for
years been eagerly sought after by local
riders. 1t is generally conceded that the
holder of this record is the champion
rider of the state, for the Mortified
course is a typical country road through
out, the hills are frequent and steep and
the surface just ordinary dirt road, with
a generous supply Of ruts, dust and sand.
A ride over this course at high speed is
the severest test possible of riders abil-
ity and endurance. The c. r. G. has
for several years recognized the import
ance Of the record and has awarded each
year heavy gold medal to the member
of the club who first succeeded In reduc-
ing the established record of the year
previous. The result is that the record