READY FOR THE RELAY RACE. - San Francisco Examiner - March 31, 1894
READY FOR THE RELAY RACE.
Over Two Hundred Wheelmen to Take Part in the Big Affair.
SEVEN CLUBS INTERESTED.
Riders Who Will Compete in the Long Distance Journey Around the Bay - The Cycling Cracks Who Are Relied Upon to Uphold the Honor of the Olympic Club-Course to Be Followed.
Most of the clubs have chosen their teams for the 100-mile relay race around the bay. This race will require at least 250 wheelmen to run it and will be the greatest event of its kind ever carried out. The plan of the race is to show, first, how quick a message can be taken around the bay to Oakland; and secondly, which club can carry the message quickest. In case of war, with the way to Oakland closed by water, bicycles would be of great consequence in carrying messages inland.
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Last year a relay race was conducted by the EXAMINER over the course that will be taken on April 8th next. In that race only two clubs took part, and they were the Acmes of Oakland and the Bay City Wheelmen of San Francisco, the former club winning. This year the California Associated Cycling Clubs are conducting the relay and there will be six or seven clubs in the race, which will complicate matters some and at the same time make the race more interesting. The clubs that will surely start are Acme Club Wheelmen and Reliance Club Wheelmen of Oakland, California Cycling Club, Bay City Wheelmen and Olympic Club Wheelmen of this city and Garden City Cyclers of San Jose. The San Jose Road Club men have also decided to take part.
Every one of the seven clubs will have ten contestants, ten trailers, ten judges, five timers and several helpers, so that each club will need forty men to take part, thus requiring in the approximate about 300 men.
The race will start at 9 A. M. and will last about five hours. Much speculation is rife as to the time that will be made.
The Bay City man on the first relay will probably be Bob Tirrell, who was not considered fast enough to take part in last year's relay. Nevertheless, soon after that race he rode over the first two relays in quicker time than the winners. Grant Bell, who rode out to Sierra Point last year for the Acmes, will probably have the same relay this time. John Leavitt, one of the Olympics' new members, will take this relay for them and is likely to surprise a lot of people. Joe Desimone is slated to take the first ten miles for the Garden City Cyclers, but he may be transferred to another relay. The other clubs have not decided on this first relay yet.
Walter Foster is the star in the Olympic Club Wheelmen team and is too well known to need an introduction. The next best man seems to be John W. Leavitt, who began riding in Cleveland in 1887. He is a native of Boston and twenty-six years old. He won his first race at Niagara Falls in 1890, it being the novice race at the National L. A. W. meet. He has ridden in a few local races at Cleveland, but does not claim to be a flyer.
William H. H. Haley is another good man who the Olympics expect much from. He is only nineteen years old and began riding only three years ago. Haley won first in the club tryout last Sunday and has just begun as a racer. He rides a Rambler and will go into the Midwinter Fair races.
Bert W. Bernhard is also but nineteen years old and has been riding about the same number of seasons as Haley; he also rides a Rambler and like Haley is a native of this city. On August 14, 1892, he won the San Leandro to Haywards' road race of the San Francisco Bicycle Club. He has ridden a mile in practice in 2:33 and will train for the track races after the relay.
John Beckett of the Olympic team is a native of Paterson, N. J., and twenty-one years old. He won fourth place and made third best time in the club race last October. He rides a Columbia and began racing when he won the twelve-mile road race of the San Francisco Bicycle Club in good time for that season. He has done but little track work.
Stewart Hight was so unfortunate as to win a good position in the Olympic tryout last Sunday, and so, being a strong road rider, will take part in the relay race. He has no desire to pose as a racing man, and probably will never start in a track race. He is a native of this city and began riding in 1891.
Everybody knows Jack Fagothy. He is one of the Olympics' best-known riders, and a jolly good fellow to ride on the road with. He qualified in the club tryout and will have a relay down the road some where, and everybody hopes he will win it, as he ought to, for he is a good road rider, though a little too heavy for fast track work.
Bob Long of Haywards is the handsomest member of the Olympic team, and quite well known, for he has been seen on the track considerably. Next to Foster he is the fastest rider in the club.
Thomas and Johnson, the remaining members, are promising riders, and Johnson, who much resembles his famous name sake, shows great speed.
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