The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-05-17
CLUB men MAD.
They Will Not Com
pete For the News
paper Curio.
THAT TEN MILE RACE
Bicyclists Claim They Have
Been Thimble-
rugged.

IlOH DIZZY Cle OiuD anu the Newport d.
cycle Club The other bicycle clubs
of this city and county have washed
their hands of the entire affair, and
will not compete against riders import
ed from any old place and brought to
this city to win a mug.
The seven clubs which have refused
to ride in the ten-mile race because of
the arbitrary action of the manage
ment, are the Worcester Cycle Club,
Krafve Cycle Club, Century Cycle Club,
the Viking Cycle Club, the Greenwood
Association, and the Gardner Cycle
Club and the Douglas Cycle Club
The representative. of those were hot
under the collar as a result of the rul-
ing of the newspaper that riders who
do not reside in Worcester county will
be allowed to compete
The troubles of the management of
the race eliminated on Monday even
ing, when representatives of nine clubs
met in the office of the newspaper
which offered the prize, and by a vote
of seven to two, decided that riders who
resided outside of Worcester county
were ineligible to compete in the ten
paper and decides against the expressed
wishes of the majority Of the clubs, and
says that all members of the Worcester
county clubs entered in the race are
eligible to compete. The paper only
reserved to itself the right to name the
day and date for the race, and the
clubs were to have jurisdiction over
everything else. After once establish
ing the precedent of allowing the clubs
to vote on the matter of allowing out
of-county riders to compete at the
meeting two years ago, it takes the
matter out of their hands and decides
against the majority of the clubs
At the meeting two years ago, it al
lowed the clubs to decide as to whether
the out of-County riders were eligible
to compete. Owing to a tie vote, the
matter was referred to the newspaper,
which decided to admit any old rider
as long as his amateur record could
stand inspection.
The seven clubs which have endeav-
ored to put the race on a clean sport
ing basis are thoroughly Disguised with
the high handed manner in which the
question has been settled and will not
enter the race. Their representatives
had an informal run together yesterday
noon and talked the matter over. 1t
was decided to call meeting of the re-
representatives. of the clubs for next Fri
day evening at the rooms of the Wor-
cester Cycle Club on Beacon street,
when action will be taken toward es-
tablishing a ten mile road race that
will be a yearly event and win be re-
stricted to Worcester county riders.
The object of such race will be to pro-
mote the sport in the county and to
develop local riders by having them
race their equals and not the cracks of
the country
The local clubs do not like the way
the race has been run in years past,
and only endeavored to improve the
present conditions of things as they
now exist. They have had their trou-
bic for their pains. They are satisfied
to let the matter drop and to allow the
Vernons and Newports to battle for the
empty honor of winning a trophy, the
proper place for which is in a museum
of curios.
James Wilson, vice-president and
member of the racing board
of the Worcester Cycle Club,
and the representative of the
club at the meeting, was seen by Spy
reporter yesterday, and expressed him
self very forcrbly, He said; mo
honor accrues to the club which wins
the trophy as it is now competed for.
The proper spirit of sport is entirely
eliminated and it is only a question of
the club with the latest treasury win
ming. The club that is satisfied with
securing so-called amateur riders to
compete for them and succeeds in buy
ing enough of them will win every
time. The race was first started for
Worcester county riders and was re-
stricted to them the first year. Since
then out of town riders have always
been Instrumental in winning the prize
for the club they represented. If the
Worcesters desired to win the trophy
and wanted it badly they could have
gone into the market and purchased
team that would have made them all
hustle for the initial place. But the
policy of the club is opposed to such
doings, and as late as the last March
meeting We voted not to have our or
ganization represented by any but
bona fide members who pay dues and
reside in the county. Another stipula-
ton that the paper disregarded was the
statement that it only de-
sired to name the day and the clubs
could do the rest. 1t seems extremely
DESTROYS of keeping the trophy on the
market forever and therefore DECIDES
that the clubs will not do the rest but
must abide by its decisions. 1t wants
all the great riders OF the country to
for the prize. They can if they
want to, and / say, speaking with the
authority of the Worcester Cycle Club
If every other club in Worcester and all
the riders from all over the country
the Worcester Cycle Club
shall not ride a team in that race I'M
less the decision made is changed
The club had an offer from the local
agent of the Redding wheel to the ef-
feet that if we should pay r. NJ. Alex
ander's expenses he would ride under
our cOlors. We have also been offered
the services of other riders of note who
are supposed to be amateurs. We do
not want the prize offered so badly that
we must descend to such means of
winning"
C. A. MaIm of the Greenwood cycle
squad said: THE Greenwoods will not
ride team of Worcester county riders
against the pick of the country, and
will not ride in the coming road race.
We would not consider it an honor to
win the trophy offered if we had to buy
riders. The other seven clubs will not
ride. and | guess the Vernons and the
Newports will have a joyful time riding
their match race.
J. w Grady said he was surprised
at the action taken by the paper. after
saying so often that the race was to be
run by the clubs, and everything but
the selection of the date would go by
vote of the clubs. He said his club
would stand by any action taken by
the other six clubs.
c. w. Higginbotham. who represented
the Douglass Club, said his club voted
Monday evening to stand BY any ac-
ton taken by the other six clubs. He
said the paper should not have made
that decision if IL expecfed the other