The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-02-27
NrKs OF 1nr rHkrnMEN.
A Big Crowd of Early Morning Riders
Driven Homo by the Rain.

There are hundreds OF bicycles which to-day
are slowed In all kinds Of places besides the
homes of their owners. When the clouds began
TO empty their Walls OF hail and rain yesterday
wheels were left "all along the line" at hotels
and cycle stores on the ridable and FREE
quented roads about the city. and those who
had started out early in high spirits returned
fiome crestfallen. bedraGgled and resentful.
How pent up has been the desire to get out on
the roads during this month OF snow and
slush was evidenced when cyclists began
TO appear at sunrise. In spite OF the threaten
ing skies there were thousands out before 10
o'clock in tho morning. The asphalted streets
uptown. the Grand Boulevard, Eighth avenue,
Central Park West. and Riverside Drive were
all patronized. while in Brooklyn there was a
string of riders from Broadway ferry up Bed
ford avenue. Town Eastern Parkway. and tho
Coney Island cycle path. 1t had just begun to
look as II IL was to be n genuine opening day,
30 far as crowds are concerned. when the
hail began to fall. Before that riders were as
tonished to find that some OF the macadam and
asphalt roads were so dry as to be actually
dusty, but the rain was cold. and 1t quickly
made the highways so muddy that hundreds
were glad to End some place where they could
leave their cycles, to be called for later. and
proceed home by trolley. cable or steam
road. Even the hardy riders OF the
hluRs NOunty NneelInen were lncluOeu
in this class. The triplet. followed by a
number Of the club riders. made the trip
to Coney Island. but returning the three-seater
was left at a Flatbush establishment. All
classes Of riders were out. elderly men.
Youngsters and those to whom ex-Mayer
Schieren OF Brooklyn once alluded as Katzen-
bucket" The word In German means a cat
with her back up and this is what the ex- Mayor
was reminded OF when he saw a scorcher.
The decision OF the intercollegiate Bicycle
Saturday. to pursue the independent policy OF
the intercollegiate A. A. OF which IL Is an off,
shoot. and not recognize either the L. A.. ". or
any, other organization pretending to govern
complications during the season. The dele
gates from Georgetown University stated that
the only track on which the, men in that
locality gould train was ,9utlawed BY the
the M. "c. 'I A.. u and injured SaS doni # men %,
who trained on that track could compete In the
Intercollegiate, CHAMPIONSHIPS. 1t was decided
ference whether they were suspended by the
/. A. W.. or any other organization. OF course,
the men who train and race on N c. A. tracks
hand al IL tS Sosss who r "a 'h IN m meets Z, si sS 1n tsS edh by
the L. A. W. will be suspended by the n. c. A.
In, this way some OF the likeliest men in the
colleges are apt before the season Is over to be
and when this happens open meets will be
minus some OF the star amateur attractions.
II is thought, by some that this is exactly what
the Intercollegiate Association desires. 1t
siNe. and would gladly get rid of some OF the
men who compete in open meets, whose ANA
teur standing, has more than once been open
to question. College riders. the coming sum
mer, will be forced TO make a choice in many
cases whether they will go in for the associa- |
ton CHAMPIONSHIPS or for prizes at open meets.