Bicycle racing tracks in California, The Bearings, December 16, 1892

[From The Bearings, December 16, 1892]

California. The past year has been one of great prosperity for cycling in California, and the riders of the Golden State are more than satisfied with the progress made, and from a position outside the first ten Divisions in point of numbers, the California Division has jumped into a prominent place and now there are over 1,000 names on thé L. A. W. register from this state. The causes for this are numerous, but chief among them is the indefatigable energy of the Division officers whose term of office expired on March I. Every legitimate expedient has been employed and many of the hustlers met with flattering success. Road improvements have not been pushed as fast as some Division members might have wished, but this is not the fault of the officers, but more that of the state legislature, which has thus far failed to take cognizance of the efforts of Pacific Coast wheelmen to legislate for better highways. At the next meeting of the legislature renewed and vigorous efforts will be made to put through bills to at least improve roads leading out of San Francisco and its populous suburbs. Some of these highways are at present in a deplorable state and will need much work on them to place them in anything like serviceable condition.

The first club to build a track, worthy of the name, was the Alameda · Bicycle and Athletic Club, which, at a large expense, put in a fine four lap record breaker and gave several successful meets at which many of the coast records were broken. Then Stockton fell into line and at Goodwater Grove the Oak Leaf Wheelmen put in a splendid track, acknowledged to be the fastest in the state and here D. L. Burke broke the quarter and half mile records with apparent ease. Riverside and Los Angeles came along a little later with good tracks and last, but not least, San Jose with a park and track second to none, and next year the California Division will have a regular circuit and with new men and first-class tracks it is hoped that some of the world's records may journey across the continent. Among the new lights of the track who have come into prominence during 1892 and eclipsed the stars of former years are D. L. Burke, of Los Angeles; W. Edwards, of Stanford University and E. S. Wells, of Sacramento.