Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-04-09
BOB SPEARS MAY
PROVE SURPRISE
Lanky Cyclist Is Dark Horse in
the Stanley Handicap, Vel
OdrOme Feature.
HANDICAPPED WARY OF HIM

nANDlCAPPEK WAKY VI HIN
Long Bob Spears is the dark horse
in the Stanley handicap, which is to
be the feature of the card of races
to be staged at the Newark Velo-
drome Sunday. Just what this lad,
who showed such surprising speed at
times last season, will do is the big
gest kind of a guess. That Handi-
capper r. f. Kelsey is wary of the
young Australian is shown by the
fact that he has placed Bob on the
twenty-yard mark There are no less
than six first-class riders on the
back marks in this big handicap, and
Kelsey would, without doubt, have
placed Spears out farther had he not
been afraid that Bob would make
runaway race of it, Joe Fogler is
or the same mark with Spears.
Some Riders Pick Spears to Win.
Spears is being touted as winner
by some of the riders who will bat
tie against him On the form he
showed last season, combined with
the fact that he is hardly out of his
teens, it is reasonable to expect that
he will be a rider this year that will
have to be reckoned with. In train
ing he is displaying great speed, and
also that same jump that marked his
riding last year. He is the making
of a great rider, but whether he will
arrive this year is a question. What
ne lacked last year was class. He
was a marvel at times, and other
times he would ride Ikea third-rater.
He was not consistent, and consist
ency and class are synonymous. The
H. s,,1-
ming placed all the time, while the
riders who lack class are periodical
winners, with long lapses between
victories. That was the case with
Spears last year.
Championship Bubble Exploded.
When Spears romped away from
Frank Kramer one day at the Velo- /
drome when the champion was lead |
ing at the twelfth pole it was thought /!
Spears was the coming man and pos [
sibly the successor of Kramer, but I
at the very next meet Long Bob !
was lost in the shuttle and his cham |
pionship bubble exploded with an I
awful bang. If there was real class ,
to Spears at that time he would have |
come back with a creditable showing /
ut least at the following meet. Later /
he showed another great flash Of +
speed and licked Kramer once more, /,
only to fall in the ruck again. Then |
there was a Kramer-Spears match, /
and the Yankee made the Australian I
look bad. After another lapse of I
form Spears put up a wonderful ride /
in q. team match, and showed kra- /
fner the way home in two heats.
Spears Has Future.
While all of Spears's victories were |
creditable there were not enough of |
e EN- to lead the students of the /
/ ime to believe that he will be a
cry dangerous man in the near flu 7
tore. However, "Lanky" Bob has a /
great future before him and some day |
he may be wearing the championship |
crown. In Europe last winter Spears /
learned whole lot about the game, /
and his judgment, which was very /
poor last year, is said to be greatly /
improved. Under the impression that T
he could not sprint from the front T
and win Spears would ride his races /
only from behind. He was advised
to race from the front, but he said +
ne could not win that way and would /
no::sa9Y.
Van Bever Fools Him.
In a match with Joe Van Bever, |
the champion of Belgium, at the |
opening of the new winter track in I
Brussels, Spears learned for the first |
win from the front and he has de- I
clared his intention of giving up the F
s'sleigh ride method in the future. I
In the first heat of the match with {
Van Bever, Spears actually ran 4
away from the Belgian. His victory T
was so easily won he thought he [
could trim the Belgian from any posi- T
ton, so In the second heat he let |
Van Bever take the lead and trailed I
III. l.. ~ H. l. aIy- ,taI,
When he tried to come out for his |
final effort, Spears found that he did |
not have the speed to do the trick /
and he finished behind the foreigner. /
lie was not convinced, however, that /
he could not beat Van BeVer from |
behind and in the third heat he laid |
back until the final stretch, figuring |
that he had tried to go too far in
the second heat. Again he was beaten
and the Belgian took the match.
That was the race that made Spears
finally come to a realization of the
fact that he was not riding his races
the way he should to win, and when
he returned to America he vowed |
that he would be a front rider no
matter where he finished.
Was Sensation at Motordrome.
At the Motordrome last season
Spears was a sensation and won the
majority of the open races. And he
came from behind in every instance. |
1t was these sensational final stretch
finishes that made him popular and /
he has a host of admirers who thought I
that he was going to beat Kramer
after the consolidation of the Velo-
drome and Motordrome interests and
many of these admirers still believe T
that he is some day going to he
the big fellow in French style races.
Alf Spears should get off TO a flying
start by winning the big race Sun
hay, 1t win give him considerable
~qnfidenc~ and make him much
A.'1 ssIroE eysdeto beat
fHFR YANKEE VICTORY