The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-12-31
CYCLING GAME IS A
SALT LAKE FAVORITE
City Has Many Admirers of the Speed
Merchants of the Saucer.
YEARS RECORD CONTAINS MUCH
OF INTEREST.

In summing up cycling for the year
of 1905. it can truthfully be said that
as far as Salt Lake is concerned the
| sport was a success, and, on the other
hand, 1t has been complete failure in
! the rest of the country. Cycling, once
| one OF the most popular OF sports, has
practically became extinct in America
outside Of Salt Lake. Those who de-
| light to watch the bikers ride around
| the saucer track at the Salt Palace can
hardly realize this, but such is the
case.
/ Late in the season the Vailsburg
! track opened and, still later an indoor
track in Madison Square gardens con-
Quoted meets for short time. but even
the presence of liver Lawson and Frank
Kramer in a series of match races
would not draw public which seems
to have tired of this kind of amuse-
ment A few feeble attempts were
made to run races around Boston with
varied success.
This year an attempt was made &c
open the cycling game in Denver, but
In spite of the fact that Denver was
once a great cycling center. it resulted
in a miserable failure. IN behalf or
the sport II should be said, however,
that the blame lay entirely in the man
agement of the track. A poor track
was constructed in a bad locality and
then an attempt was made 10 please
the public with riders who would not
class with Salt Lakes messenger force
as speed merchants. When this failed
to enthuse the public several framed
up races were pulled off and these
were manipulated in such raw man
ner that even an uneducated cycling
public was quick to see what was do
ing. The outcome was a final shut
down of the game through lack or
proper management.
The Cycle Game In Utah.
ogden had it's whirl at the game this
year, but was forced 10 close down be-
fore the season was half over. There
has always been a question as TO
whether the Junction City is large
enough to support a cycling track, but
friends of the game do not think the
town had a fair trial this year and in
ali probability the game will be given
another trial when the season rolls
Salt Lake is. and has been for some
time the home of cycle racing in
America. This year was a successful
one. While the attendance was prob
ably not as great as a year ago, yet the
class of sport was good and the season
closed leaving a good taste In the
mouths of the cycling fans. When the
season opened and liver Lawson was
riding, and Salt Lake for a couple Of
weeks saw the greatest racing In its
cycling history. Then Lawson LETT for
the east and the sport appeared tame.
but interest again picked up as the
closing days came along.
Sport In Salt Lake Is Clean.
There is no reason why with proper
management the sport Of cycle racing
should not remain popular in Salt Lake
for years 10 come. It has been kept
remarkably clean in the past and crit
zeal fans VIII demand the same kind OF
sport in the future. At this writing
no plans have been made for next
years racing, but as the spring days
begin to arrive one can again expect
to see the busy bikers training at the
historic saucer track.
The annual six day race which was
held last month in New York was fully
up to races OF this class IN the past.
as far as attendance is concerned. but
Woefully weak In the class Of riders
entered. In the six days the riders fell
short OF the record by about 500 miles
or less than has ever been ridden In O.
race of this kind. The great scarcity
in material for races of this kind is
such that any person who can ride a
wheel is offered a bonus to attempt the
long grind. The slow pace from start
to finish makes 1T possible for these
riders to make a showing, when IN past
years they would not have been able
to keep within hailing distance after
the first hours ride. This year the
management made a small sized for
tune, but the riders were hardly paid
enough to warrant a course OF training
for the event AS the race is q big
money maker. from the promoters
tinued as long as the receipts flow into
the box office.