14 3Ir. C. Vernon Boys [Marcli 7, 



themselves and their machines against injury by accident in a company 

 of their own. 



The greatest, and by far the most important, growth is the Cyclists* 

 Touring Club, a gigantic club to which every right-minded rider in 

 the country belongs. This club has done more to make touring 

 practically enjoyable than could have been thought possible when it 

 began its labours. Railway companies have, with few exceptions, 

 consented to take cycles at a fixed and reasonable rate ; in almost 

 every town in the country an agreement has been made with the 

 leading or at any rate a first class hotel, in virtue of which the 

 touring member may be sure of meeting with courtesy and attention 

 for himself, and with clean quarters and an intelligent groom for his 

 horse, instead of finding himself, as hitherto, a strange being in a 

 strange place, at the mercy of some indifferent or exorbitant landlord. 

 In consequence of this, thousands now spend their holidays riding 

 over and admiring the beauties of our own country, instead of being 

 dragged with a party of tourists through the streets and buildings of a 

 foreign town. Of the delightful nature of a cycling tour I can speak 

 from grateful experience ; last autumn alone I travelled nearly 1500 

 miles, meeting on my way with almost every variety of beauty that 

 the scenery of this country affords. Wherever I went I felt the bene- 

 ficial influence of the C.T.C., as the touring club is called. At all the 

 hotels — our headquarters — at which I stopped I found the most 

 sanguine wishes of the club amply fulfilled, our wants understood and 

 provided for. 



The C.T.C. have done a great service in providing us wath a 

 uniform which has been proved to be as near perfection as possible. 

 They have also designed a lady's cycling dress, which can be seen in 

 the library. 



Though touring in the country is the perfection of our art, town 

 riding has its advantages. I, in common with a fair number, ride 

 daily to and from my work, no matter what the weather may be. 

 Eain, snow, wind or hail, cycling affords the pleasantest means of 

 crossing Loudon. Instead of waiting in draughty railway stations, 

 or catching cold outside or being stewed inside omnibuses, or of being 

 smoked in the underground railway, we, the regular cyclists, look 

 forward to our daily ride with pleasure ; for the healthy exercise, the 

 continuous necessity of watching the traffic and avoiding every 

 approaching danger form between them a relief from mental worry 

 or business anxiety which we alone can appreciate. 



Of the dangers of the streets I have little to say : the regulation of 

 the traffic by the police, and the consideration of drivers, though they 

 are not in general too fond of us, make danger in the quarter from 

 which it might be expected very remote. Our chief difficulty is due 

 to the irregular and utterly unaccountable movements of pedestrians, 

 whose carelessness keeps us in a continual state of anxiety. 



There remains one point of the utmost importance, on which I 

 would say a few words : I refer to the effect of cycling on our general 



