Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1904-06-04
FAST MILES MADE
ON BICYCLES.
Many Old Time Champions Are
Still in the Racing
Game.
THE PROSPECTS ON THIS YEAR.
The Records and Names Of Riders
Who Made the Sport Famous
Few Seasons Ago.

This Is certainly an age Of speed In all
branches Of the racing game. Records
have been broken recently In horse races.
foot racing, automobile racing and In the
bike game In view Of the fast miles
made IN the latter sport, behind pace,
something of past performances Is Of par
tcular interest at this time In u years
the record for a mile has come down from
i $50 y-j to 1901.
" Back In 1892 Johnnie johnson made the
first mile in less than TWO minutes, but
the announcement that he had made the
record was secuted all over the country.
AT that time Johnson was under the man
usCmont vi Tom ECk, ana II was general
IN beneNcd that Eek WAS Simply SPRING
Ing one of the sensations he was noted
ivr but those from Missouri were
SHOWN at DUBUQUE, Ia, Wnen Johnson,
.sVd by u running horse hltohed 10 II
sIiky With a generous wind shield, ana In
the presence VI AZ least ~ timers, covered
The distance IN 1886 3-5
Something Of the records made from
that time ~ the present follows
HE following year was one Tor records,
and the time Was brought u0wn to l!02
and every year Afterwards -four OF hve
SECONDS were Topped on. In 1891 VIII
StinsJn rOde nl,lei paced by a motor
cycle In va. lie only ned this a snort
time as In the TALL ul That year MAJOR
Taylor the culored rider paced by u
steam motorcycle, which was simply a
big steam boiler mounted ON tandem,
at Garfield Park IN Chicago, rode the
mile In 1921 10. This mark stood ali
through the year of 1902 until fall when
the uders began TO ride miles I'm compete
tion In l:l9, and as low as llS
Ii was then thought That the limit Of
snocd had been reached, but the year
1893 came along and In April Harry Fixes
IN his rrst race. rode niles In l,li AZ
Charles River track, on May 80, 1913,
Harry Fixes, as u to Jet himself out ON
his last fatal ride, covered mile after
mile up to The sixteenth, when he was
killed at III to l.li and some parts OF
miles he rode as low az 1903. After this
event there was a let up In fast speed
as the death Of Fixes caused a scare
among the riders, In July little Nelson
began to lower records, but his hold on
them was for only a few days, when
Nat Butler took lift at them.
The most sensational ride Of the year
was that on July 70, In the race between
Wnlthuur ana Ieandcr when Walthour
rode fifteen miles at an average Of 100
riding four of the miles at LOS pace,
ana finishing up the last in l:Ji, the fast-
est track mile ever ridden on q bicycle.
Both riders were In the very pink Of
shape, and the condition Of the weather
was Just ri"ht for records. Walthour was
calling for more speed In every mile and
thour could have gone faster
Then came The hour standing start rec
ord made by Bennle Munroo Of forty-nine
miles, S64 yards In the hour. A Jew days
later Harry Caldwell rode nifty miles aud
thirty yards IN the hour. Dangla, the
French rider, followed this with a flying
start OF hfty-two miles in the hour, but
the French records are not recognized In
thia country as they are made behind
wide protection motorcycles, with shields
ranging from twenty-.ix inches up TO
forty-eight, Contenet followed Dangla
with riding hfty-foui miles In the hour,
which record stands for Europe. while
Caldwell's flying start and Munroes
standing start are the best IN this coun-
try.
Last years records are expected TO fan
this season when Walt nour returns 10
America. II can safely be said that
miles Will be ridden In competition as
low as one minute, and that the hour
record will go to ffty-slx miles. Tracks
viii be built to stand the clip OF a mile
a minute. The year 1904 will doubted.
ly be a great year, not only I'm the racing
game but In the general cycle riding, for
men who are leaders In the game are
making preparations TO bring the results
that way. These are the same men who
mace cycling the success Il was In the
banner year 1897 and the several years
afterwards.