Unfrequented Bicycle Roads in the Vicinity of San Francisco - The San Francisco Call, 18 Apr 1897, Sun, Page 28

Unfrequented Bicycle Roads in the Vicinity of San Francisco

You ride the bicycle? Of course, or at least you are thinking more or less seriously of learning to master it, with a view of holding a place in the procession now rapidly nearing the end of the century on wheels.

San Francisco Cycle Racing Association, Charles A. Wikidel

I found an auction on ebay for a 'scorer tag' from the San Francisco Bicycle Racing Association. It piqued my curiosity. It appears that the San Francisco Bicycle Racing Association was a one-year experiment by Charles A. Wikidel, a former chef and perhaps a bit of a shifty promoter, who developed, improved and enlarged the track at Central Park, promoted races, tried to introduce women's professional racing to San Francisco, put on races which got negative reviews, then left for the Alaska gold fields in the Yukon, I believe with a brother T. E. Wikidel, where he sold records, record players, opened a restaurant. I can find no record of him after about 1907. The scorer card apparently was granted to J. W. Coffroth. You can read more about him below. It's dated May 23rd, which was a Saturday in 1896, and you can read the article about that day's racing below, look for the article beginning with:"BICYCLING. Races at Central Park, San Francisco. SAN FRANCISCO, May 23"