RECORDS 71 



captain of the Surrey, being the first into Brighton. 

 Riding a 50-inch ' Keen ' bicycle he reeled off the 

 fifty miles in 4 hrs. 51 mins. The new machine 

 was something to be reckoned with. 



On February 9th, 1874, a certain John Revel, junr., 

 backed himself in heavy sums to ride a bicycle the 

 whole distance from Brighton to London quicker than 

 a Mr. Gregory could walk the 22 J miles from Reigate 

 to London. Revel was to leave Brighton at the 

 junction of the London and Montpellier roads at the 

 same time as Gregory started from a point between 

 the twenty-second and twenty-third milestones. The 

 pedestrian won, finishing in 3 hrs. 27 mins. 47 sees., 

 Revel taking 5 hrs. 57 mins. for the whole journey. 



The bicycle had by this time firmly established 

 itself. It grew more and more of an athletic exercise 

 to mount the steadily growing machines, but once 

 seated on them the going was easier. April 27th, 1874, 

 found Alfred Howard cycling from Brighton to 

 London in 4 hrs. 25 mins., a speed which works out 

 at eleven miles an hour. 



In 1875 the Brighton Road seems to have been left 

 severely alone, and 1876 was signalised only by two 

 of the fantastic wagers that have been numerously 

 decided on this half-century of miles. In that year, 

 we are told, a Mr. Frederick Thompson staked one 

 thousand guineas that Sir John Lynton would not 

 wheel a barrow from Westminster Abbev to the " Old 

 Ship ' at Brighton in fifteen hours ; and the knight, 

 accepting the bet, made his appearance airily clothed 

 in the " shorts ' of the recognised running costume 

 and wheeling a barrow made of bamboo, and provided 

 with handles six feet long. He won easily, but 

 whether the loser paid the thousand guineas, or lodged 

 a protest with referees, does not appear. He should 

 have specified the make of barrow, for the kinds range 

 through quite a number of varieties, from the coster's 

 barrow to the navvy's and the gardener's. But the 

 wager did not contemplate the fancy article with 

 which Sir John Lvnton made his iournev. At any 



