The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-07-08
EARLY EXPERIENCES
IN BIKE GAME
Mcfarland Tells How He First
Broke Into Cycle
Racing.
SAN JOSE BOY HAD
HIS "ALS0 RAN" DAYS
Has Been Riding and Winning
Continuously for Last
Fifteen Years.

The other day Mcfarland the elon-
gated son of San Jose. while in a rem
iniscent mood, detailed to little circle
OF friends some experiences of his early
riding career. 1t was his first expert
ences that interested most, those which
went back and told the story of grind
and plug and of the striyings and
yearnings that were his while yet a
would-be pedal pusher. The story OF
success In any line OF work always car
ries with 1t more or less interest, and
the harder the climb and the greater
the number OF obstacles overcome. pro-
portionately the greater charm In the
tale.
Started Riding in '9S."
Conf1dentially, Mac has been riding
continually since 1895. and during most
of the time has always been there for
his share of the long green. When he
first broke into the game he never tired
of training, but time has converted this
like into hatred And who knows but
for the best? Macs chief reason for
not training continually is that he pre-
fers the cushioned chair. He pays little
attention to the prescribed diet, the
sermons on how an athlete should
sleep, live and diet. He just makes 1t
a rule to live and see that he enjoys
life and eats three square meals every
day. The consequence is that Mac in
his long career has never suffered any
nervous break-downs or had to call In
the doctor for breaking training too
SOON When one stops TO consider. 1t
is remarkable that Mac has so con-
sistently maintained his good form of
riding. During his time good men have
come TO the front by the scores. made
their squirt and died. but Mac still
| lives on.
Poked Fun at Mac.
AS a raw -boned younsster Mcfarland
was a member OF the Garden City
| Wheelmen's association, club still In
existence I'm San Jose. At that time
people smiled at the idea OF a fellow,
whose muscles seemed almost too weak
to bold together his frail skeleton. but
ting into the racing game. The top
notchers took little notice of Mac eN-
| cept to crack a joke at his expense.
He never cut into the money, and so
they didn't particularly bother him.
! Mac got a Gilroy paper route about
| this time. and every morning had 10
ride a distance of fifteen odd miles
| with a heavy bag slung across his
| back After carrying his route Mac
generally paid visit to the gymnasium
| and began figuring out a system of
: athletic training OF his own. The re-
suit was that In the next club road
|
had to be counted in when road races
were on the card. Shortly he began
winning on the San Jose track. end be-
| fore long Mac was the bicycle marvel
| OF San Jose He was the pride OF the
| town and the way his long legs. with
| piston-rod-like regularity worked the
pedals awed the spectators Among
| themselves the riders frequently re-
marked while Mac was training: That
| long connected cuss Is learning to ride
| a bicycle" Not long after that Mac
won the coast championship and es-
tablished himself the peer of California
| cyclists.
Inyades New Fields.
In both amateur and professional
| ranks he was king. And so Mac, Ike
the great Alexander, decided to Invade
new fields. About this time the Palmer
| team, headed by Spooner. made short
visit to San Jose to do some exhibition
| riding. Mac asked Spooner about the
chance for going East as member of
the team. Spooner smiled like Mac
sometimes does now and asked the
| lanky boy 10 go get rep. When
asked who he had beaten Mac an
| sWered: II can beat anything on your
| team" In race that afternoon Mac
lnbde from thirty yards In the one mile
and won the event, never
| allowing the scratch men to even TACK
| on his rear wheel Alter inc race
Spooner agreed to take Mac East, con-
| siderlng that he would pay back his
expense money as fast as he earned II
Mac went along and proved to be the
only winner on the team /
Upset by Dog on Sprint.
At the close OF the season Mac re-
| turned TO San Jose for the winter .
While there Ziegler, that little fellow
| who toegcd in yellow suit and seemed
like a ball of fire when riding, hap
pened TO pass through on his way home
| from Paris via the Orient. A match 7
race was arranged. ziegler led until
| the bell lap. On the stretch just as \
Mac was sprinting around him dog
ran across the dirt track and spilled
Mcfarland. Although Zlegler won the
race, he confessed Mac his superior, \
hut Dreferred not to sign up for an
other contest
Is Headicst Rider Living.
Since then Mac has been riding con-
sinually on American, European ana
Australian tracks always getting some
of the money hung up. For the last ten
wears he has been factor in the cham
nIonsbip races and although he has
never won the title himself he has
determined more than on one occasion
who should wear the blue RIBBON. IN
the course of his riding he has de-
ycloped fast sprint, which. oombiheu
with the wlsest head that tooay az
rects a wheel, makes him FACTOR IN
eyery race he enters Mac Is one OF
the best all-round riders living. HeI
holds a slx-day record that has stooG
for. wears. and from present appear
lnnccs IL bids fair TO stand forever