LONG RIDE ON BIKES. - Women and Children Who Rode All the Way on Their Wheels to Santa Barbara. - The San Francisco Call, 03 Jul 1895

From Wooljersey

LONG RIDE ON BIKES.

Women and Children Who Rode All the Way on Their Wheels to Santa Barbara.

The longest cycle ride ever accomplished by women in this State was that in a run from this City to Santa Barbara. The distance traveled was 387 1/2 miles. Two weeks ago last Sunday a party consisting of Edwin Mohrig and wife, Arthur Mohrig, aged 10 years, Eddie Mohrig, aged 12 years, Mrs. R. Holmes and George A. Morrill left this City for the long ride. The ladies wore the rational cycling costume and the men wore the most comfortable of cycling dress. The trip was made by easy stages, the party resting every night at some city or town along the route. The places where they rested were: San Jose, Salinas, King City, Jolon, Paso Robles, Santa Margarita, San Luis Obispo, Santa Maria, Los Olivos, Santa Ynez, Cold Springs and Santa Barbara.

"We were not racing against time," said Mr. Morrill in speaking of the trip, "so we took our time. One thing I want to say is that no one who goes on a long trip should go without a cyclometer. It enables him to determine whether he can make the distances between towns in the time left before darkness sets in. In going from one place to another the cycle tells what distance one can make, and knowing the distance from one stopping-place to another, one can tell if that distance can be covered within a given time.

"The roads were in many places pretty steep, and on account of the ladies we were forced to dismount and walk. Then the dust and the heat both worked to make the trip at times tiresome. The ladies and the boys stood it well and were not particularly fatigued when we reached Santa Barbara. This ride has demonstrated to me the value of the rational bloomer costume for ladies who ride the wheel. If those who were with us had not had such costumes they could not have reached the journey's end. We traveled light all the way, taking no lunch along, but depending upon reaching places where we could find food and shelter.

"There is one thing about our long journey of which I feel proud, and that is that we did not puncture a tire nor have a breakdown, We returned to the City by rail."