THE CYCLISTS 75 



to be the first of a series of single-handed breakers of 

 the coaching time. Hfe accomplished the feat in 

 June, 1890. upon a pneumatic-tyred " Geared Facile ' 

 safety, and reduced the time to 7 hrs. 19 mins., being 

 himself beaten on July 23rd by S. F. Edge, riding 

 a cushion-tyred safety. Edge put the time at 7 hrs. 

 2 mins. 50 sees., and, in addition, first beat Selby's 

 outward journey, the times being — coach, 3 hrs. 

 36 mins. ; cycle, 3 hrs. 18 mins. 25 sees. Then came 

 yet another stalwart, C. A. Smith, who on September 

 3rd of the same year beat Edge by 10 mins. 40 sees. 

 Even a tricvclist — E. P. Moorhouse — essaved the 

 feat on September 30th, but failed, his time being 

 8 hrs. 9 mins. 24 sees. 



To the adventitious aid of pacemakers, fresh and 

 fresh again, to stir the record-breaker's flagging 

 energies, much of this success was at first due ; but 

 at the present day those times have been exceeded on 

 many unpaced rides. 



Selby's drive had the effect, of creating a new and 

 arbitrary point of departure for record-making, and 

 " Hatchett's " has thus somewhat confused the issues 

 with the times and distances associated with West- 

 minster Bridge. 



The year 1891 was a blank, so far as cycling was 

 concerned, but on March 20th an early Stock Exchange 

 pedestrian to walk to Brighton set out to cover the 

 distance between Hatchett's and the " Old Ship ' in 

 11 hrs. 15 mins. This was E. H. Cuthbertson, who 

 backed himself to equal the Chinnerys' performance of 

 1869. Out of this undertaking arose the additional 

 and subsidiary match between Cuthbertson and 

 another Stock Exchange member, H. K. Paxton, as to 

 which should quickest walk between Hatchett's and 

 the " Greyhound," Croydon. Paxton, a figure of 

 Brobdingnagian proportions, 6 ft. 4 in. in height, and 

 scaling 17 stone, received a time allowance of 23 

 minutes. Both aspirants went into three weeks' 

 severe training, and elaborate arrangements Avere 

 made for attendance, timing, and refreshment on the 



