Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1899-05-22
RECORDS OF SPEED AND ENDUR-
ANCE ON THE BICYCLE.


hour, and have neither the inclina-
ton nor the ability to ride faster for
any length Of time, the great crowds
that witness the trials of speed and
endurance, week by week during the
racing season, testify to the fact that
the riding public is deeply interested
in the possibilities of speed and en-
durance on the bicycle as shown by
the racing cyclist. The racing en-
thusiast is well versed in the standing
of the re cords for the various distan-
ces and times, and carries them, in
deed, at his fingers ends; but there
are many riders to whom statement
of what has actually been achieved
would come with shock of surprise.
We are all aware that some phenom-
email speeds have been recorded, but
there are probably few who appre-
ciate the fact that mile has been
ridden on the track at the rate of be-
tween 80 and 40 miles an hour, or that
a rider has covered 81 4 miles in
single hour, or that yet another has
rolled off GIG miles in a single day, or
that-perhaps most wonderful of all
"a fourth rider has ridden over 21OO
miles in the space of six days, while
fifth has travelled $50 consecutive
centuries on as many consecutive
days, thus covering 900 miles in
little over eight months of the year.
The full meaning of these figures
can best be realized by comparison.
A mile in minute 81 40 seconds, as
made by Taylor at Philadelphia, is
just under 40 miles an hour, which is
as fast as or faster than the scheduled
running time, including stops, of
many of the crack expresses between
New York and Chicago. Compare
Eike's feat of riding "a IA miles in n
hour at Philadelphia with the speed
of the so-called local express trains
out of this city. 1t means that, if
suitable track were laid down to some
outlying town 80 or 40 miles from New
York, the rider in question could start
hour as the train and reach his desti-
nation several minutes earlier than he
could on the cars. On September Is,
1897, Cordang rode for "a hours at an
average of 25.7 miles an hour, cover
ing total distance of over GIG miles.
One extraordinary feature of this
performance was the fact that the
pace was faster during the twenty
fourth than during the first hour, and
that after the rider had covered 600
ute and 56 seconds and 1 minute and
81 seconds, or at the rate of 81 miles
an hour. Applying these figures to
actual railroad travelling, we find that
there are even today continuous 600
mile journeys which the traveller will
take over "a hours to complete. If
special track could be laid for the pur-
pose, the same speed would carry the
rider from New York to Richmond
and back in single day. Perhaps the
most wonderful feat of long distance
travelling on record is the ride of Mil
Ter made during the winter at San
Francisco, when he covered over 2100
miles in six days of continuous racing.
This would be equivalent to riding
from San Francisco to Chicago, or
over two thirds of the distance across
the continent in a week, and having
one day of the seven for rest at the
journeys end. Finally, we have the
$4,000 mile ride OF Edwards, who,
starting on the first day of January,
1898, rode century every day Of the
year up to the 7Gh of September, thus
covering total distance greater than
the circumference Of the globe in only
about 80 per cent more actual riding
time than that allowed by Jules Verno
for record trip around the world.
The mile record was made on
chainless wheel Of the Sager type
geared to IA. The hour, the "a hour
and the 6 day records were made on
chain wheels with gears varying from
96 to 112. The $4,000 mile ride was
made on a chainless wheel of the
bevel gear type, the same wheel be-
ing used throughout and in every
kind of weather. The fact that the
gears, though worn, were in good
working order, testifies to the dura
bility of this type of driving mechan-
ism.
These are the records as they stand
today. 1t must be understood, of
course, that the mile, hour, and all
day records were made behind pacing
machines. The present season is like
~ to see the introduction of motor
pacing, and we may look for an ex
tensive reduction of these records,