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iNotwithstanding all that may be said in favour of cycling, I confess I 

 am personally prejudiced against it. Probably it is because I don't like 

 to see an infringement on the prerogative of the horse, or it maybe from 

 the fact that one of the worst falls I ever got in my life was from a 

 bicycle, when learning the art of straddling it years ago. Be that as it 

 may, personally I do hate the sight of a cycle, whether it be a " bi " or 

 a "tri. " I think a man looks more to disadvantage riding one, no 

 matter how artistic he may be with the pedals, than he could do at any 

 other work he might engage in, bar, perhaps, running after his hat. 

 The position is ridiculous and the motion is truly absurd. 



Why can't the pedal ists adopt a better and more upright seat 1 That 

 contracted chests and round shoulders will be the results of their 

 crooked position I have not the least doubt, and what is worse, they 

 may transmit to their offspring the horrid deformities. 



Nevertheless, the records made by bicyclists are wonderful. The 

 twenty-five miles champion race in July, 1890, was won by Mr- 

 F. J. Osmond in less than one hour and fifteea minutes. Out of the 

 eighteen who started in the race, thirteen did the twenty-five miles 

 within the standard time, which was Ihr. 19mins. 50secs. Since then 

 probcibly that record has been beaten, marvellous as it was. 



To return to coaching, but as an example of hardihood, I will relate, 

 upon the authority of the Licensed Victuallers Gazette of May 6, 1890, 

 what occurred as far back as 1809. A match similar to Jim Selby's was 

 made by Mr. Wedderburn Webster, of the 10th Dragoons, who backed 

 himself for 1,000 guineas to drive a curricle and four from Brighton to 

 London in four hours, and for a similar amouat that he would ride the 

 same distance in three hours. Neither match, however, came off, owing 

 to the heavy losses Mr. Webster sustained to Captain Barclay over the 

 latter's celebrated walk of 1,000 miles in 1,0U0 hours at Newmarket. 

 Now, although these matches were never decided, it is clear that there 

 were men eighty years ago who were considered to be able to 

 accomplish these prodigious feats. 



This same Mr. Webster in 1809, at a moment's notice and without any 

 special training whatever, set off to walk from Ipswich to London, a 

 distance of seventy miles, which he backed himself for 500 guineas to do 

 in twenty-four hours. He accomplished sixty-five miles in nineteen 

 hours. He then rested, having five hours to complete the remaining five 

 miles. A week or two later he covered the same distance on his favourite 

 mare Buzzard in four hours and fifty minutes, winning another 500 

 guineas. Again, on May 25 of same year he rode one of his leaders from 

 Brighton to Westminster (fifty-two miles) in three hours and twenty- 

 two minutes, the wager being 1,000 guineas that he would not do it 

 in three hours and a half. He stopped twice, two minutes on each 

 occasion, during each of which he drank two glasses of port and gave 

 the remainder of the bottle to his horse. 



"There were giants in those days." If the young athletes of the 

 present day will but read Sportascrapiana, they will find many such 



