The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-08-06
BIRD BROKE TIE RECORD
TOM SHAVED NINETEEN MINUTES
OFF THE TIME FOR THE
NORTHFIELD COURSE
CUT THE FIGURE TO 5:51
That Must Stand Until Some One
Lowers 1t, Which, Under the
Conditions, Is Extremely
Doubtful.

Thomas L. Bird yesterday established
a new record over the Mortified century
course, riding the distance, paced, in
5:51:00, shaving the former record, held
by Dan Carmichael, 10 minutes. Bird S
ride was made over a course that IS
little better than the average country
road, and skaters by good margin a
record that has stood for three years, al
though repeated attempts have been made
to better 1t.
Mr. Bird will, Sunday, Aug. 10, go after
the new record of Asa, recently establish
ed over the Minnetonka- Smelling course
by Larson, of Minneapolis. If he Is sue
cessful in this, he will then attempt to
lower the worlds 100-mile record, that Is
held by a New York man. at 4:36:0O.
AS the city hall clock announced 6
o'clock yesterday morning a tandem rid
den by McIlrath and Price shot up Fifth
street. past Rice park, followed by sin
gle rider. The same tandem and rider
were seen crossing the high bridge at six
minutes to O. The ride to Minneapolis ana
return having been made In "a minutes.
During the first hour Bird covered twen-
ty-tWo miles over good, bad and indif-
ferent roads. Pennington was reached
at S:24 a. M, and Mortified at 9:35. All
the way down a head wind retarded the
progress of the riders. A rest of five min
utes was taken at the end of the course,
and, coming back the wind was right at
the backs of the riders. A tandem rid
den by Powers and Hertzel brought Bird
from Farmington to Mortified, and
Henze and Kellogg set the pace as far as
Rosemount. Here Bird tackled on be-
hind McIlrath and Price, and aM the trip
home was made at three minute or bet
ter pace. Bird at all times crowded his
pacemakers for more pace. He took the
hills without any perceptible decrease in
speed, riding a ninety gear, which could
be changed to seventy-two whenever
hill was reached, and all the tandems had
the advantage of low gears.
Birds feat is notable because Of the
hazardous road over which he travelled
Stretches of the road were good. but at
best it was country road In particu-
larly billy district. Bird made a hot fin
ish in front of Rice park at exactly u:51
a. m.
About a hundred wheelmen gathered
to witness the end of the trial, and while
the rider was pretty we'll fatigued, he
had charge of the bicycle races at Lex
ington park in the afternoon and rode to
his home at White Bear lake in the even
ing.
A. L. Mace, former president Of tho
National C. R. C. organization. under
whose auspices the ride was made, pro-
nounced Mr. Birds ride one Of the best
road records ever made in the state, and
predicts that it will likely stand for some
time to come. Mr.. Mace Is high in his
praise of Minnesota road riders, and on
the books of the Century Road club Min
nesota records are well up to the front.
A. \. Hanson for a time held the
worlds 1,G00n1ile record and is going after
it again next Thursday. Calender, of
Minneapolis, came within a narrow mar
gin of breaking the worlds 10O-mile record
a year ago, and Rainmaker Hanson has
twice led the national mileage compett-
ton.