Al Barker
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Alfred Barker 1869 – 9 July 1939
Clubs
Joe Desimone of the Garden City Cyclers paced Osen to San Jose. After a quick breakfast at his home there Osen started on, paced by Al Barker, J. B. Carey and Al Jarman. At Gilroy Barker turned back.
The following well-known wheelmon were present: J. B. Lamkin, J. A. Desimone, J. A. Chase, Al Barker, J. B. Carey, W. T. Hobson, John Eicher, R. A. Summers, H. A. Alexander, George W. Pollard, Charles P. Jarman, C. N. Ravlin, Captain R. J. Butler, J. E. Alexander, Al H. Jarman, A. C. Mckinney, all of San Jose; G. A. Badger of Denver; George P. Wetmore, George A. Morrill and George Webb Alexander of San Francisco, and Wilbur J. Edwards, the guest of the evening. A number of pleasing speeches were made and Champion Edwards was much affected by the great tribute paid him.
WHEN SAN JOSE'S BUSINESSMEN WERE CYCLISTS
Fifth Number in Series of Sketches, Accompanied by Photographs Resurrected From Musty Garret of Local Business House, Presented This Morning.
V.
THE above cut represents the popular Deputy County Assessor, Al Barker, in the days of the "cheesecutter," as the style of bicycle illustrated here was termed about 1890.
However, Al was an enthusiastic cycle rider and member of the Garden City Wheelmen long before the cycle had reached this stage in its development, having participated in many racing events on the old clumsy "ordinary” when it first made its appearance. He rode on the old dirt track on West Julian street and also on the track which was formerly located an South First street at the junction of Second.
Al was fast in those days and captured many prizes. This was before the days of Edwards and Otto Ziegler and other well-known cycle-track stars who developed later.
Al was one of the members of the Garden City Wheelmen's relay team which won the first 100-mile relay race around the San Francisco Bay. He retired from the track about '94 and is perhaps one of the best known men around town today.
The bicycle represented in the photograph above was similar to that shown in the Mercury yesterday together with a photograph of Joseph Delmas. The tires were of solid rubber and accordingly the frame of the wheel was well equipped with springs to eliminate the terrible jolting to which the first models of this kind of machine subjected the rider.
