Walter F. Foster
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Clubs
Alameda Bicycle and Athletic Club
W. (Walter) F. Foster and Thomas H. B. Varney were part of the local cycling scene. They went hunting together. Thomas H. B. Varney had a bicycle shop (a "biclorama") and an outdoor advertising business. Walter Foster meets George Kleiser, go into outdoor advertising and 129 years later we have ClearChannel.
The two-mile safety race for the Pacific Coast championship, held by G. H. Osen, of the Garden City Cyclers, was won by W. F. Foster of the Alameda Bicycle and Athletic Club, Osen coming in a good second. B. C. Lund of the Acmes had very little trouble in winning the one-mile ordinary handicap in 2:51 3-5, the second man being H. C. Smith of the Garden Citys.
Then came what was really the event of the day, the one-mile safety handicap, In this all the best riders were entered, and the record was badly knocked out in the second round by Walter Foster on his racquet-frame Victor. Grant Bell, who rode the fine Swift which he won in the May races, took the first heat in 2:45 2-5, G. A. Falkner being second. Foster almost had a walkover in the next heat, his lime being 2:36 2-5, with Van Wyck a poor second. This cut the coast record down nearly six seconds, and a still greater reduction would doubtless have been made had the Alameda youth been pushed.
...
The final heat of this race was extremely exciting. Bell, Foster, Osen and Edwards started from scratch, their first object being to overtake Van Wyck, who had a 75-yard handicap. This they soon succeeded in doing, and then the battle of the giants began in earnest. Each led by turns until the last lap, when Osen got to the front and on the lower turn led Foster. who seemed to be in a pocket, by 20 feet. Then the Alameda champion let out a link and showed how he could ride when he felt that way. It was only a short distance to the lane, but the way he overhauled Osen was a caution. He gained with every push of the pedal and In a moment was lapping the San Jose giant's hind wheel. Ten yardmore and Osen would not have been in it, but there was not that distance to go, and the pride of the Garden Citys crossed the line two feet ahead of the Alameda boy. Edwards was third and Bell fourth. Van Wyck dropped out of sight somewhere near the clubhouse. The time was 2:37 3-5.
... Nevertheless, Walter Foster is happy, for he still holds the time championship for the Pacific Coast.
San Francisco Call, Volume 72, Number 35, 5 July 1892 - Bicycle Races in Various Parts of the State
C. S. WELLS. R. AYLWARD (Trainer). W. A. TERRILL.
R. L. LONG. W. F. FOSTER. A. L. ATKINS (Manager). OTTO ZEIGLER. W. H. HALEY.
HIS RACING CAREER
Walter Foster Gets Favorable Mention.
He Has Long Been Pre-eminent in the Cycle Circles - A Paper's Comments on Him.
Walter F. Foster, who has been making some new records at Napa, receives a column of very favorable mention in to-day's Examiner. The article is accompanied by two portraits of the young record-breaker. The article says in part:
"The man of the year in California cycling racing has unquestionably been Walter F. Foster of the Olympic Club Wheelmen.
"Foster began his racing career in a modest way, winning both the time and first prize in a meet of the Alameda Bicycle Club around the triangle at San Leandro, about eight miles, in the spring of 1891. There were no spectators present, no announcement having been made of the contest, the members riding down quietly in the early morning, and the majority of them being contestants. This race proved so satisfactory that, on May 30th, the club promoted an open twenty-five-mile race, which Foster won, Frank Waller, the long-distance champion, securing the time prize in 1:24:57.
When the first modern track on the Coast was built at Alameda Foster settled down to steady training, and was uniformly successful, since which time he has been a consistent winner.
No one man has been pre-eminent in cycle racing here as long as Foster. Going down the line of Coast champions, we find Woodman, Eggers, Finkler, Cook, Elwell, Adcock, Davis, Fonda, Shockley, D. L. Burke, Ives, Edwards and Ziegler as men who have held championship honors for a length of time, vary from a day to a couple of years; but the cares of the busy world have interfered and the champion becomes the ex-champion even while yet in his prime.
Foster's riding has always been distinguished for the desperate chances he takes and the indomitable courage be displays in competition, having won many races purely on his pluck, coming again when he was all but beaten, and finishing ahead of possibly faster riders, but ones lacking in gameness.
"Foster was born in Vallejo, is twenty-four years of age, stand 5 feet 10 inches in height and weighs 155 pounds."
HIS RACING CAREER - Walter Foster Gets Favorable Mention. - Alameda Daily Argus, 19 Oct 1895
