WITH THE WHEELMEN. - San Francisco Chronicle - 05 Jan 1895, Sat - Page 12

WITH THE WHEELMEN. Emblems Imperial Cycling Club emblem is the shape of a royal crown Sat, Jan 5, 1895 – Page 12 · San Francisco Chronicle (San Francisco, San Francisco, California) · Newspapers.com

WITH THE WHEELMEN.
First Road Race of the Year Scheduled.
Garden City Cyclers Issue a Challenge.
The Bay City Club's Crack Kindergarten - Gossip Around the Headquarters.
Next month the annual twenty-five mile road race of the California Associated Cycling Clubs is to be held, and already the racers are talking about what handicap they will receive. This will be the first attempt of Robert A. Smyth, the new Coast handicapper.

The Imperial Cycling Club has at last secured permanent clubrooms, located at 636 Golden Gate avenue, and is now fitting them up in a manner calculated to be in keeping with the club. The first meeting in the new rooms will be held next Monday evening, at which time arrangements will be completed whereby they will hold A "smoker" and house-warming to take place the latter part of this month.

The first and third Mondays in each month are meeting nights of the Imperial Cycling Club. There is some talk of having weekly meetings in the future.

S. H. Knapp, an old-time member of Bay City Wheelmen, is up from Fresno on a visit and will be entertained by his clubmates.

At the board of directors' meeting of the Bay City Wheelmen held last evening much important business was transacted. All the reports of the various officers showed an increase over the past year.

Captain Belloli of the San Jose Road Club is quietly preparing to launch into road racing as soon as the weather becomes more settled. He is confident that his club will make a good showing in the coming relay race.

The report that Otto Ziegler Jr. has deserted the San Jose Road Club is unfounded. The "Little Demon" will continue to wear the ivy leaf.

On Sunday, January 13th, the San Jose Road Club will hold a ten-mile handicap road race and, if possible, establish a new record. The present record for this distance is now held by W. J. Christ of The Olympic Club Wheelmen, his time being 27:15. The San Jose Road Ciub is proud of the fact that for the past two years it has been the first club to hold a road race and this year it is again to lead off. The clubrooms are being handsomely fitted up in a comfortable and homelike style.

Fred Cook and Will Toepke of the Bay City Wheelmen will launch their new yacht in about two weeks. For crew they have selected Messrs. Melrose, Plummer, Toepke, Hallett, Kerrigan and Sheldon, all members of the Bay City Wheelmen.

The election for officers to the Olympic Club Wheelmen will be held on the evening of January 8th, in the clubrooms. A. C. Thornton, the present captain, is slated for another term, he having proved to be a wideawake man.

Walter N. Brunt, ex-captain of the California Cycling Club, met with an accident last week in running for a car over slippery cobblestones. This resulted in a sprained limb. He expects to be around in riding form in a few days.

The next run of the California Cycling Club will be to Mount Tamalpais. Captain Burke expects a large attendance on this run. The boys have been cooped up so long by muddy roads that they will be glad of a chance to once more resume their favorite sport.

Captain H. H. Martin of the Bay City Wheelmen will not call a run for tomorrow.

The Olympic Club Wheelmen's team is desirous of bowling a team of five men composed of cyclers from any other club, for a trophy of any value. Bowling tournaments are at present being held in the East among the cycling clubs, and tend to keep up the interest during the months that the members are unable to ride their wheels. Acceptances should be addressed to George H. Stratton, care of the Olympic Club.

Messrs. Bunn, Ramsay and Ford, the three cyclists who were anxious to make the first Coast century, abandoned their proposed trip, owing to the muddy condition of the roads around the bay.

Unique invitations are out for the Olympic Club Wheelmen's first smoker, to be held in Union-square Hall on next Saturday evening. An imposing array of talent has been secured, and it promises to be an entertainment of high order.

H. F. Wynne, Secretary of the California Cycling Club, was presented with a new '95 mount on Christmas eve, by his club mates, in token of their appreciation of his work for the advancement of his club.

E. W.  S. Van Slvke of the Bay City Wheelmen is at present in the East, Upon his return he will bring his new '95 mount with him.

The Garden City Cyclers of San Jose propose formally opening their new club rooms next Saturday night.

Al Jarman of the Garden City Cyclers has commenced training and will be on the club's team of relay riders.

The Garden City Cyclers propose putting in a relay team this year, equal to if not better than the one of last year, to defend their rights to the trophy now in their possession.

Almost all the cycling clubs' members wear a button in their coat lapels, displaying the club emblem. The Imperial Cycling Club is the latest to branch out with a button in the shape of a royal crown. The Bay City Wheelmen's emblem is a maltese cross. The California Cycling Club has an arrow holding three "C's." The Olympic Club Wheelmen's button is in the shape of a wheel with a winged "O." The Reliance Wheelmen have a white star and in the center a maroon "R," while the Acme Wheelmen have a flying acorn in red and black. The Garden City Cyclers' button emblem is in the shape of a "fleur de lis." The San Jose Road Club is a green ivy leaf.

The races to take place next month at the Mechanics Pavilion are creating much interest in cycling circles. Many prominent members of the Bay City Wheelmen, Imperial Cycling Club and Olympic Club Wheelmen have signified their intention of participating. From reports of Eastern correspondents it is learned that Zimmerman has given up racing and will go into the bicycle manufacturing business. If this is true a good drawing card will be lost to the promoters of tbe indoor racing scheme.

The run of the Olympic Club Wheelmen on ordinaries last Sunday was postponed on account of the weather. If rain does not interiere it will take place to-morrow. The destination is the beach and Golden Gate Park. The run is to start promptly at 10 A. M. from the clubhouse.

THE KINDERGARTNERS OF THE BAY CITY WHEELMEN
T. S. Hall     E. S. Battles     G. P. Caldwell     F. L. Day
Bert Menne                          A. F. Lundberg

Recently the Garden City Cyclers' kindergarten issued a challenge to Menne, Lundberg, Day, Caldwell, Battles and Hall, constituting the kindergarten of the Bay City Wheelmen, which was promptly accepted. Had the rains not interfered the match race would have been run off immediately. The race is to be for one or ten miles, and the trophy is to be of good value,

The Bay City Wheelmen as a club has done much to improve racing. Almost all of the local cracks in the city have had their first lesson in racing given them by the Bay City Wheelmen.

[Below they talk about the relay. This was a huge competition every year, around the bay, 100 miles, from San Francisco to Oakland through San Jose. Each team had ten men who raced ten mile legs, taking a relay from the previous rider of their team and handing off to the next. It was club against club but also man against man. Here's a write-up form one of the runnings. It's mentioned a lot, during that era, you can find more, here. - MF]

Bert Menne is a lad of 19 years. He stands five feet nine and a half inches and weighs 150 pounds when in riding trim. He first came into prominence as a racing man in the Bay City Wheelmen's electric light race meet on August 22. 1893, winning second place in the maiden race. He represented the club on the ninth relay, and, although he lost a little time on Rose, the Acme's crackerjack rider, he gained considerable over Delmas of the Garden City Cyclers. On May 30th last he won the mile handicap, riding from the 100-yard mark in creditable time of 2:19. In the Associated Cycling Clubs ten-mile road race he went from the minute mark and finished second of forty-two starters, beating such good riders as Cushing and Sampson, who were on the same mark. Next year will see him in all class A track events, and his chances are exceedingly good.

[They are describing the handicap marks in scratch racing, which some running races like the Dipsea still use. These are distance markers, but you can also run a handicap with a time bonus. This is where "On your mark" comes from. A scratch racer would be the fastest, "starting from scratch," i.e. the line in the sand or dirt. - MF]

Arthur F. Lundberg has never participated in any races, but on club scorches he is always ahead in the bunch. He is 5 feet 6 1/2 inches high, and weighs 143 pounds.

Fred L Davis is 20 years old, weighs 146 pounds and stands 5 feet 7 1/2 inches high. He has done little racing on the track, but his clubmates declare that on a club scorch he is strictly at home.

George P. Caldwell, the smallest in the group, is 19 years of age, weighs 135 pounds and is 5 feet 5 1/4 inches in height At the Stockton races on July 4, 1893, he rode third to Bert Small in the novice

race and his time was 2:37. In the California associated Cycling Clubs' ten-mile race he finished eleventh from the two-minute mark.

E. S. Battles is a racing man of more prominence than the last three mentioned, and is 5 feet 8 inches tall, weighs 135 pounds in riding condition, and is only 18 years of age. He began racing in 1892 in the road races of the Pacific Road Club, being more or less successful taking second place in the novice race of the meet of the Bay City Wheelmen on July 3. 1893, which was won by Dick Alyward. On the eight relay of the great relay race Battles did exceedingly well for his club and succeeded in beating the time of all his opponents on this relay. From the two-minute mark in the Associated Cycling Club's ten-mile road race he won eighth place.

T. S. Hall is the only class B man of the aggregation and wears the yellow suit. He is 19 years of age, stands 5 feet 9 inches and weighs 150 pounds when in training. At the electric light meet of the Bay City Wheelmen in August, 1893, he won his novice race on the second night, and followed it up by winning the half-mile handicap the next night. On Labor day at Alameda, in the Olympic Club Wheelmen's meet, he won the half-mile open, defeating Delmas of the Garden City Cyclers' kindergarten. His best performances were at Sacramento, where Wells and himself acted as pacemakers for Ziegler for the first three-eighths of a mile, when the Little Demon negotiated the mile in 1:50 flat.