BICYCLING. 



473 



BICYCLING. 



THE INDIANAPOLIS MEET. 



Every successive meeting of the League 

 of American Wheelmen is larger and more 

 important in every respect than the previous 

 one. The 19th annual meet, at Indianapolis, 

 August 9th to 13th, was no exception. For 

 a week that city took a holiday and devoted 

 its energies to entertaining the thousands of 

 visiting cyclists, who came in delegations 

 and clubs from all over the country. There 

 was the most generous hospitality on every 

 hand, and each official badge issued to a 

 League member, on registration at head- 

 quarters, was like a key to the city — it ad- 

 mitted him everywhere. Thomas Taggart, 

 the wheelmen's idol among mayors, said to 

 Eddie Bald as he grasped him by the hand, 

 " If that key doesn't open every door, let me 

 know and I'll have the lock changed." 

 Bald proved himself once more the season's 

 champion. 



The success of the meet is largely attrib- 

 uted to the keen interest and personal ac- 

 tivity of Indianapolis' cycling mayor, who 

 accepted the presidency of the '98 Meet Club 

 when it was tendered him and performed his 

 duties with a will, going out in his shirt 

 sleeves on a Sunday to direct the work of re- 

 paving the streets in order to have them 

 ready for the cyclists when they should ar- 

 rive, and later acting the part of host at the 

 social functions with hearty good-fellowship. 

 His example seemed to arouse the whole 

 city to a sense of its possibilities as host, and 

 the freedom and hospitality offered the vis- 

 iting cyclists was unprecedented. 



Previous to the time the '98 Meet Club 

 went to work to prepare the city for its 

 guests, Indianapolis had no bicycle track fit 

 for the running of the championships, and 

 the residents took but little interest in 

 cycling affairs; but in a few short months 

 one of the finest board tracks in the country 

 was constructed at an expense of $10,000, 

 streets were placed in good condition, enter- 

 tainments prepared, and the public stirred 

 up to a high state of enthusiasm with which 

 to welcome the Leaguers. 



There was excellent racing at the meet, 

 but it resulted in many surprises to the rac- 

 ing enthusiasts. Gardiner, who had headed 

 the percentage table all through the early 

 part of the season and was working with 

 might and main to gain the season's cham- 

 pionship, made no showing at all, while 

 Bald, champion of the past 3 seasons, who 

 had ridden on the National Circuit very lit- 

 tle this year and had apparently made no ef- 

 fort for the championship, gained the most 

 points in the championship events, and 

 placed himself at the head of the official 

 percentage table of the L. A. W. racing 

 board, with 129 points to his credit. Floyd 

 McFarland gained 2d place with 114, Owen 

 Kimble 3d with 99, and Tom Cooper 4th 

 with 85. Poor Gardiner, after his season's 



hard work, finished the big meet with only 

 73 points. McFarland, who rode remark- 

 ably well all season, won great distinction by 

 winning the one-mile professional cham- 

 pionship, in which Major Taylor, the col- 

 ored rider, ran 2d and Kimble was 3d, with 

 scarcely a foot between the three. The time 

 — 1.58 2-5 — is world's competition record for 

 the distance. 



The amateur one-mile championship fell 

 to F. L. Kraemer, of New York, who was 

 unheard of last year but leaped into sudden 

 prominence at the League meet. In the 

 mile championship he defeated E. W. Pea- 

 body, last year's champion, E. C. Hausman, 

 C. M. Ertz, and Geo. H. Collett, all amateur 

 riders of the first rank. Kraemer proved his 

 speed in the 2-mile handicap, in which he 

 lowered the record to 4.17, although he failed 

 to win a place. 



Two races at the meet which attracted 

 much attention were the pursuit race of the 

 East against the West and the 5-mile inter- 

 state team race. In the former the East was 

 represented by Bald, Martin, Eaton, Vernier, 

 and Hadfield; the West by Gardiner, Mc- 

 Farland, Cooper, Stevens, and Mertens. 

 Each contestant, when overtaken by an op- 

 ponent, had to drop out of the race, and the 

 team which had a man leading at the end of 

 the 5 miles won the race. The men changed 

 pace regularly, but at the end of 2^2 miles 

 Stevens and Eaton quit. Vernier quit in the 

 4th mile, and then Bald and Hadfield 

 dropped out, leaving only Martin to repre- 

 sent the East. Martin was in the lead and 

 plugged away as hard as he could, but by 

 changing pace the 4 Westerners overhauled 

 him and Mertens went up in the last lap and 

 took the race away from him. The time — 

 10.23 1-5 — shows that the race was run at the 

 rate of almost2 minutes tothemile; amost se- 

 vere strain on any rider and a tiresome race. 



Connecticut, New York, Indiana, and Illi- 

 nois were represented in the interstate pur- 

 suit race. There were 3 riders in each team, 

 and the teams were started at 4 equally dis- 

 tant points on the track. Connecticut was 

 first overtaken by Pease, representing Indi- 

 ana, and forced out of the contest at 2*4 

 miles. Bates then quit, leaving Indiana with 

 only 2 men. A long, hard grind ensued un- 

 til Illinois finally overtook the Indiana team 

 and forced them out. New York and Illi- 

 nois were left with their full quota of 3 men, 

 but Illinois, represented by Peabody, Lle- 

 wellyn, and De Stefani, slowly closed the gap 

 between them and won the race after going 

 6 3-16 miles in 13.34 3-5. 



That beautiful book, " Birds that Hunt 

 and are Hunted," sells at $2. Treats of all 

 the principal game birds and birds of prey. 

 The book and Recreation one year $2.50. 



" Bird Neighbors" sells at $2. With Rec- 

 reation $2. Both books and Recreation 

 $4. This applies to renewals as well as to 

 new subscriptions. 



