The Washington times., 1902-04-27
Professionals and Anna
teurs in Training at
the Coliseum.
TOMMY HALL WILL BE READY
Fierce Competition Everywhere This
Year-Expert Pace Followers Signing
for Decoration Day - Moran After
Walthour-Wells and Freeman.

The management of the big Coliseum
at Fourteenth and East Capitol Streets
is almost prepared to say that 1t will
open the doors to the public for the open
ing program of cycle and motor events on
May q, the date originally set for the
occasion.
As yet a program has not been arranged,
but Manager Osgood is preparing card
which will include many Of the crack
riders OF the circuit including Tommy
| Hail. Floyd Mcfarland, Champion, prob
ably Walthour. Munroe. Tom Eck's old
charge, and Howard Freeman. one Of
Klosterman's numerous cracks. and one of
| the best and nerviest pace followers on
the circuit.
Amateurs at Practice.
Amateur events open to local and out
of-town riders will alternate until the pro-
fessional numbers. In these the local
clubs arc taking more than ordinary in
terest. and realizing that 1t takes fast
men nowadays to win races, they promise
to show some of the swiftest sprinters
and middle-distance riders that ever
faced local starter. About twenty OF
these aspirants for track honors are daily
hard at practice on the bowl. and large
numbers of followers of the sport watch
their practice
Ray CoggswelI is riding unusually well
this season, and promises to be a leader
among the local squad.
Manager osgood reports that the new
yrtI ba fn;g
and that while the work on these is pro-
crossing the carpenters and painters are
at work freshening up the rest Of the big
circle Of seats and the approaches The
new lighting plant is being installed and
will be ready for the season long before
the big doors are opened
The opening event will be made a gala
affair, with music and good al;-around
program of contests.
Competition Will Be Fierce.
Fierce beyond comparison will be the
racing Of the season about to open
Records made last season and many made
the season previous. and which stood the ]
wear and tear of last year. will be as no
where this year. improvements in the
motors and improvements in the track.
together with the natural Improvement In
the men who have started training months
earlier this year and with greater vim,
will make record work possible.
With the return of the American riders !
from abroad will come an invasion by the |
foreign racing army for the summer |
months, and in the fall the prominent |
Americans will retaliate by going to |
France in great numbers to wrest the |
honors of the world from the European |
stars. The international feature of cycling /
lends interest to the sport, always placing |
the American championships within the |
category OF world championships as well |
and giving winner in America the right /
and title to the premier position in his 4
chosen line Of sport.
Sprint racing and middle distance rae |
ing will this year divide attention. as was {
the case last season. and the sprinters /
will enjoy fully as profitable a year IN /
1902 as in 1901.
Coliseums the Thing.
Just as did the coliseum track put the
old style track to rout for modern speed
requirements so will the latter day colise-
ums put the earlier tracks to rout The
mile a minute track is to be constructed
in every instance where a new track is
to be erected this year. Motor bicycles
and motor tandems have made Il neces-
sary to give the people such terrible speed
and the riders themselves have improved
so steadily as to lead to the prediction by
one of their number that within a few
years a rider will be required to attain
a speed OF 10 to the mile or be without
the gates altogether This is probably
exaggerated. but 1:23 has already been
made in race, and 1t may be that 1920
will be touched this year. That speed is
not impossible of attainment. as Jimmy
Michael reached lis 3-5 In France last
season.
Expert Pace Following. \
pace follower to be successful nova
days must be an artist at his work. He
must train himself to perfect command
of his wheel, for at the speed maintained