78 THE BRIGHTON ROAD 



In this year W. Franks, a professional pedestrian in 

 his forty-fifth year, beat all earlier walks to Brighton, 

 eclipsing Mcintosh's walk of 1886 by 18 mins. 18 sees. 

 But, far above all other considerations, 1896 was 

 notable for the legalising of motor-cars. On Motor- 

 Day, November 14th, a great number of automobiles 

 were to go in procession — not a race — from West- 

 minster to Brighton. Most of them broke down, 

 but a 6 h.-p. Bollee car (a three-wheeled variety now 

 obsolete) made a record journey in 2 hrs. 55 mins. 



The year 1897 opened on April 10th with the open 

 London to Brighton walk of the Polytechnic Harriers. 

 The start was made from Regent Street, but time was 

 taken separately, from that point and from Westminster 

 Clock Tower. There were thirty-seven starters. E. 

 Knott, of the Hairdressers' A.C. — a quaint touch — 

 finished in 8 hrs. 56 mins. 44 sees. Thirty-one of the 

 competitors finished well within twelve hours. 



On Mav 4th W. J. Neason. cycling to Brighton and 

 back, made the distance in 5 hrs. 19 mins. 39 sees., 

 and on July 12th Miss M. Foster beat Miss White's 

 1894 record by 20 mins. 37 sees., while on the following 

 day Richard Palmer made a better run than Neason's 

 by 9 mins. 45 sees. Neason. however, got his own 

 again in the following September, by 3 mins. 3 sees., 

 and on October 27th P. Wheelock and G. J. Fulford 

 improved the tandem record of 1896 by 25 mins. 

 41 sees. 



By this time the thoroughly artificial character of 

 most of these later cycling records had become 

 glaringly apparent. It was not only seen in the fact 

 that their heavy cost was largely borne by cycle and 

 tyre-makers, who found advertisement in them, but 

 it was obvious also in the arbitrary selection of the 

 starting-points, by which a record run to Brighton 

 and back might be begun at Purley, run "to Brighton, 

 then back to Purley, and thence to London and back 

 again, with any variation that might suit the day and 

 the rider. It was evident, too, that the growing 

 elaboration of pace-making, first by relays of riders 



