The Washington times., 1902-04-20
WHAT THE CYCLE
RIDERS ARE DOING

Archie McEachern is reported to have
been signed as the star at this course and
will have his headquarters there.
Savannah's new eight-lap track will be
opened on April 20. with paced race. in
which Jimmy Moran will be the star Tho
track will be located right on the edge
of the city instead of at Thunderboit
Speed Then and Now.
Speed requirements arc such today as
to require the constant attention Of a
| cycle rider to the work in hand. and no
rider can really afford to give up his bold
upon the game for even few months OF
rest. The speed Of one season becomes
as nothing when another season opens.
and the rider who holds TO his work stead
lily finds little dificulty in attaining his
mark. Five years age the mile record.
for which every maker sought, and for
] which thousands of dollars were paid in
salaries Of pacemakcrs, and in all winter
training camps, was 1:40. and then
1:39 1-5. Today a novice rider must go
faster than that for every mile Of an
hour ride to gain any honors at all. Young
Joe Nielsen was compelled to traio and
train until able to go at 1:sS gait for
the hotc easily before he was even con-
sidered possibility. Before turning pro-
fessional in June, Joe. who has ridden but
five races. must be able to carry an hours
ride at 1870 gait without much trouble
and must be able to go the mile in lbs.
all OF which he promises to do in June.
Here Is lac who, although rider but
one year, must travel faster for every
mile OF an hou- than the speed limit OF
| the year 's6. The outlook for new riders
| becomes. therefore. more and more dis
| couraging, for 1t Is necessary for young
| ster TO nave year or more of hard train
| ing Defore he may aspire to amateur hon.
ors. Spooner and Wells, Of Newark ap-
preciated this fact when they started
| young Nelson in his work. and the good
| Judgment of his managers enables Joe to
enter upon his seasons work with the
| very brightest promise
Winners of Last Year.
Those pace followers who remain for
the season of 1902 who appeared in the
winnings table of last season rank in this
order: Walthour, Elkes, Stinson. Moran,
McEachern. Champion, Caldwell. McFar.
land. Munroe. CALDWELL, Mclean, Nat But.
Ter. Rutz, Freeman, and Hunter. To these
will be added these prominent s-rinters:
Willie Fem, Lester Wilson, Otto Maya.
Johnnie Lake and George Leaader. From
the foreign field Tommie Hall. the Eng
lish midget; Caesar Sinner, and several
others will be here. Amateurs to the num-
ber of a half dozen will take a fiier into
the professional field. including Joe Nell
son. the present amateur champion: Joo
Fulton, who won the championship at
Buffalo last year; Louis Melting and
/ Charlie Mcconnell. good Boston riders.
and Osgood, OF Lynn There will be fewer
pace followers to start the season this
year than last. The field will not sift
down. however. as rapidly. as the number
Of stars will be greater, the material be-
ing of the highest grade.
Large Front Wheels.
Pace following cyclists are returning to
twenty-s -six-inch front wheels, having de-
cided in numerous instances that with
the twenty-four- inch front wheel their
ability to follow steady left them. Mana
ger Coleman last week placed Jimmy
Moran on a twenty-six-inch front wheel
machine and Moran steadied down at once
and stopped switching. Johnnie Nelson al
ways held that the twenty-four inch wheel
was noHsensical. and used twenty-six
inch. Joe Nelson refuses to get upon the
small front wheel at any time, and has
had his new racing wheels especially bull.
for him with the larger wheels. No rider
in the land follows steadier than young
Nelson. to whose support in the contention
many are now rallying. So general had
become the use of the smaller wheel that
makers gave up making pace followerI
with the large front wheel.
After Bobby Walthour.
There Is a cry at Atlanta for a man to
beat Walthour, but thus far they have
failed to find one, and Walthour continues
to win race after race with ridiculous
regularity. Walthour is going faster now
than ever before in his life.-
Bobbie walthour's inability to race at
Boston yesterday, owing to the Illness OF
his little daughter. yeva was disap-
pointment to Manager How. who had ad-
vertised Walthour Little Veya suffered
from scarlet fever and a complication of
diseases.
Terrific Riding.
Although beaten by walthour, Willie
Fem fought his race against WaIthour
gamely to the last, and in beth heats he
gave an excellent accounting of himself
Walthour is king on the indoor track.
his time of 7:44 for five miles being an
average of only a fraction over 1882 to
the mile. Walthour rode like a fend. and
for several miles. ranging around 1888
and as low as 1:31, Fem held him of, lack
Of experience being the main drawback of
the Nutmegger. Walthour said that Fem
was the toughest competitor he had met.
and in statement to the press, said that
within month Fem would be among the
top notchers of the year
Howard Freeman has taken up his train
ing quarters at Atlanta, and is hard at
work preparing for an early meeting with
Bobbie Walthour. Freeman is now under
the management of C. Ross Klosterman Of
Baltimore and Philadelphia The Oregon
man has signed to follow pace exclu.
sively this season.
Bennie Munroe, Pace Follower.
Tom Eek believes that his old charge.
Bennie Munroe, now Spooner and Wells
colt. will rank at the head of the pace fol-
lowers this season. Mr.. Eek. being in
charge of cycle whirl on which Judge
and Stone ride motor bicycles, could not
look after Munroe this season. Mr.. Eck
lately called upon Munroe at his training
stand in Newark and gave him a lot OF
good advice. He will not ride until May
80, although sought at Atlanta to ride
against Walthour for the championship Of
Dixie. He is training with Joe Nelson at
Vailsburg, under the eagle eye of Charlie
Wells. who last week placed both men
back of single pace. After a week or so
of this. they will go back of the motor