The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-07-15
BEER CITY LACKS BIKES
PORT OF MILWAUKEE, AND
WHEELING INTERESTS
CENTURY TRIALS PLANNED
Half a Dozen Professionals VIII Go
After the NOrthfieId Course
Figure Next sun
day.


cling events would have made a dual meet
that would have been eminently success
full had it not been for a number of cir
cumstances which tended to make com
plete success impossible AS it was, how
ever, the gathering was a very success
full one, excepting the professional races,
which were declared off on account of the
dangerous condition of the indoor board
tracks. Quite a number of prominent
Minnesota wheelmen attended. Among
the st. Paul contingent were James Nc
Ilrath, Arhcie Matheis and former Pres
dent A. L. Mace, of the Century Road
club. Mr.. Mace. in an interview with the
q e yesterday, gave a very interest
ing account of the gathering. He said;
"Wednesday, the second day of the
L. A. w meet at Milwaukee, the head
quarters at ST. Charles hotel was not
nearly so crowded as had been expected,
the arrivals of out-of-town visitors to
attend this convention being extremely
few. Wednesday afternoon but GA names
had been registered where 1900 had been
expected.
Several conditions served to cut down
the attendance. First, the bad weather
came along just in time to make a fizzle
of the big national century run from the
East and West. The party of cyclists
who left the Twin Cities Monday night
with the intention of making the run
from Madison to Milwaukee Travelled but
three miles on their wheels out Of Madi-
! son before being compelled to turn about,
owing to the impossible condition of the
! roads. They again took the train at
! Madison and arrived in Milwaukee Tues
day afternoon. A large party started out
on schedule time from Chicago, but the
! rO9 dc and tInV r.d To-
handicap for most of them, and but
twenty-five or thirty survived the ordeal
and qualified for survivors medals
THE second drawback to a full attend
ance was the failure of the Eastern con-
| tingent to secure SPECIAL rates on the
| railroads.
This failure is evidently owing to poor
management on the part of the L. A. w
committee having the matter of Transport
| tation in charge.
| 1.-THE third drawback, and the most Sc
| rious one of ALL was the partial failure Of
/ the race programme. Owing to the faulty
/ construction of the track in the EXPOSE
! ton building, several Of the most promi-
| nent riders in the country who were in
attendance and entered for the speed con-
| tests refused to risk life and limb on the
/ track. The claim was made that the
i turns were not properly banked and that
! the four big posts which support the
! building at this point were occupying posi-
/ tons positively dangerous to contestants
riding at high speed on the oval.
! Maj. Taylor after a short trial spin
! Tuesday afternoon, remarked that If he
! rode, he would have spring padding put
| on his back and shoulders in order to
| reduce the chance of fatal consequences
! in case of a fall. Later ne decided not
| to ride. This decision was also reached
! by Tom Cooper and several other star
| riders, and the one big attraction Of the
| meet was helple ~ crippled at the very
outset.
milwaukee is a fine city, but IS no
! place for such a convention of cyclists.
! 1t is a poor wheel town. One will see
| twice as many wheels on the streets of
the Twin Cities during business hours,
and l noticed but comparatively few d.
| to-date and high-grade models being rid
J den by the natives The visiting lady
cyclists from the East and West, mount
ed on their neat and light diamond frame
wheels, were a source Of wonder and
surprise to the average Milwaukeean
who gazed with awe at the strange and
unaccustomed sight of ladies on wheels
who looked as though they knew how
to ride and were enjoying the exercise.
Such thing as cycle path seems to
be unknown in Milwaukee. Lack Of
! local organization among the riders and
of this condition. This fine city, claim
ing 100000 inha bitants, is surrounded on
all sides, but the lake SIDE with miser
able dirt roads leading out into the coun-
try The only exception Is an ele-
! CANT macadam road to White Fish Bay
park (seven miles,, which constitutes the
only pleasure ride the big town can
boast.
Upon returning from a wheel ride
around Milwaukee, one feels a sense Of
! pride in the magnificent system of cycle
| paths which have been constructed dur
| ing the past three years around st. Paul
and Minneapolis through the unselfsh
! contributions of our resident cyclists,
who compose the most public spirited
| and progressive class Of Wheelmen in the
| United States.
1.-THE headquarters of the Century Road
! club, at the Plankinton hotel, was one
| of the most popular rendezvous during
the entire meet.
Among the Twin City cyclists In at
tendance were Mr.. and Mrs. James Nc
Ilrath, Mrs. M. c. Harrison, Will Pow
ers, Arch McCullum, Archie Matheis. Of
st. Paul, and A. B. Choate, Paul Gyls-
from and Mark L. Knowlton, Of Mime
apolis"
Three years ago a century record over
the Mortified course Of hours and 10
| minutes was established by Dan Carmi-
! chael, and since that has stood as the
low mark, despite repeated attempts to
! lower it. The record was established
Nov. Z, 1897, and even Carmichael him
self has failed to equal or better it,
! Next Sunday a half dozen Of the fastest
professionals in the Twin Cities will go
| after the record, If weather conditions
are at all favorable. Five riders have
already entered the competition, and the
| first half dozen place men will receive
| prizes, given under the auspices Of the
| Century Road club and donated by the
| local bicycle dealers. Tom Bird, A. A.
| Moe and ]. J. Schwartz will represent St
| Paul, and Al Calender and A. A. Han
/ son have entered from the Mill City. In
/ addition to the merchandise prizes, Jules
! Denegre, second vice president of the c.
R. c., will award a gold medal to the
first rider to break the record.
w. P Confar, secretary Of the Associ-
ated Wheelmen stated yesterday that the
efforts of the police department directed
against the scorcher and wheelmen who
persist in riding without lamps were
| thoroughly appreciated by the wheel
mems organizations. Chief O'Connor's re-
cent order has had the desired effect,
and it is hardly possible that more ar
rests will be necessary to convince fast
riders of the enforcement of the law The
lamp ordinance is also being we'll en-
forced.
OF the $1,000 collected from wheelmen
under the new Minneapolis tax ordinance,
| $1,000 has been expended in Building new
| paths, leaving balance of $1,000.
/ Press Of business having necessftated