Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1899-07-30

CYCLERS.
Bicycle records Of all sorts are ex-
tremely likely to go by the board
wholesale before the season is very
much older Both in England and on
. this side of the water organized raids
! will be made upon Father Time ere
long. Some time ago 1t was announced
that the effort would be made by Brit
ish riders TO recapture the many
records which American riders Lave
! taken from them during the past two
years.
No sooner had the Englishmen male
this announcement than the fastest
pedalers on this side determined to
keep the figures from crossing the pond
if possible by lowering them still fur
Their themselves. OF course the
greatest ambition of all cyclists is to
hold the one mile record.
In past years when an effort 10 low
er certain records was determined upon
it was the usual plan to wait until the
fall and then select some well known
track and establish what was called
record breaking camp The rider or
riders selected for the work were put
through a more or less severe prellm-
mary training and then a day was
awaited which was considered suitable
for the ride.
This was very expensive arrange
ment for during the whole time YER
liable army of pacemakers. trainers,
rubbers and other men had to be paid.
OF late years, since the profit on
manufacturers have not found il TO pay
to maintain large racing teams, and
consequently the riders generally break
the records nowadays right along
whenever they have an opportunity
during the regular season.
The introduction of motor cycles, or
internal machines as they have apt
ly been dubbed, has once again made
it profitable to establi record break
ing camps, and 1T is very probable that
they will be seen this fall With the
motor cycles instead of human beings
as pacemakers the expense is reduced
to less than a tenth of the original cost,
not only in record breaking work, but
also in paced races Of all descriptions.
Jimmy Michael, the Welsh Rarebit,"
when at the height of his career as
middle distance rider had 40 of the best
pacemakers in the country on his sal
airy list. And yet it was not at all un-
usual to hear the midget call to the
men who were cutting the wind fer
him and urge them to increase their
speed. Nowadays one of the new
squad" motor cycles, such as were
first used in this country to pace Harry
hi
thur Gardiner, will carry along a rider
at any speed he can follow. Henri
Fournier, the French cyclist, knows
more about these machines than any
body now in America, for the best me
tor cycles are those of French model,
though made in America. t'ournler
could regulate the pace Of the machine
to such a nicely that if he found MS
man falling off even a foot or so ne
would lessen the speed of the machine
Just enough to pick him up again or
increase ii to the riders full capacity.
Fournier said that these machines are
now in their very infancy, but that the
racers are so unanimous as to their
merits that before the end of this sea-
son there will be hundreds OF them IN
use. Although in some of the races
that have already been held the motor
machines have not always proved a
success, before long they will have
been SO much improved that break
downs will be raBe.
In the past, paced match races have
in many instances been inconclusiye
tests of the ability of the riders, for
very often one man has had such SUI
perior pacing team that his opponent
really had no chance. This very fact
was one of the reasons of Jimmy MI
chael's great success two years ago.
Motor machines will do away with all
this uncertainty. for they will be able
to give the riders all the speed they
want and thus prove without shad-
ow of doubt which really is the faster
man.
This state of affairs will make small
matters that have not been appreciated
as yet at their proper worth assume
great Importance. The fabrication and