Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-02-07
CEORGET WON NINE
BICYCLE RACES
Remarkable Achievement Of a
French Rider Recently in
Paris.

Winning 2i-hour tandcm-paccd hi
cycle race nine times running, rs feat
we'll worthy ot mention. Leon Gcorgct, a
wcll-known French rider, has recently
accomplished that feat IN Paris. The
event was staged on the indoor track at the
Nelodrome oliver In the - hours
C,coryet rode the remarkable distance of
57ai, miles, at an average speed OF nearly
"a miles per hour. Marcel Godivier
finished second, and Edward Leonard
took third place
These around-the-clock long distance
races and time trials have always been
more popular in Europe than IN our own
country, although American racing men
went IN for this form of endurance speed
riding To a considerable extent some years
ago. Tho standing American 2i-hour
record is credited To John lawson. who
covered 52S miles and 925 yards at Los
Angeles in June, 1900 lawson was paced
by motorcycles, while Georget WAS paced
by riders on tandem bicycles, which makes
his a much more creditable performance.
According 10 w. T. Farwcll, Jr, of the
Cycle Trades Of America. who has com
pletc track and road racing records dating
back 10 the very beginnings OF bicycle
racing in the late COS. the earliest at
tempt Of the 2i-hour record was made IN
England in 1870 by T. v Il Honeywell.
The machine ridden by Honeywell was Of
the ancient Boneshaker type, then m
vogue, and there were no pacc-makers.
This racer covered los miles on the road
within the "a hours.
The next attempt. made by w Brittrn
m 1873, Indicated a big advance IN bicycle
construction and speed riding. and re-
suited IN boosting the record 100 miles.
T. l. A l2ath md
return. 2i2 miles within "a hours. In
1881, W. J. Sutton hung up new "a
hour road record Of 230S4 miles, and IN
1887, A. H. McCmdy, an American.
covered sos miles on the roads about
Boston. Several other credltahle Ameri-
can 2fhour records closely approaching
the latter figure were hung up during the
late SOS, and there was considerable
interes. manifested in long distance rao-
ing and time trials
All Of the above records were made on
the road and on the now obsolete high
bicycl, shod with solid tires With the
introduction OF the modern type OF ma-
chine and the pneumatic tire. about 1890,
All records took blg jump. Late in 1891,
Montague Holhien, an Englishmsn, rode
Sol miles, i66 wards IN "a hours. This
record WAS made on track with pace
makers. In June, i>gl, holnien reccfd
WAS smashed by Frank Waller, q we'll
known American rider az that time, who
covered 363 miles, $50 yards on track
AZ Los Angeles. But these figures lasted !
only month, for on July $ Of the same |
year. I. Ed. Spencer rode 374 miles, |
] ,565 yards in the full day on the Park
tIdc track at Chicago.
Spooners record however, lasted even /
les than a month. On July ~, big (
24-hour rare took place on one Of the 4
London tracks and all existing records I
went by the hoard r. ". Shorthand, the Z
winner. covered distance Of 4l3 miles,
] ,ol5 yards From that time on the
figures were boosted year hv year by
American and European riders. Latterly
the frenchmen have held on 20 she ~ I
hour honors.