THE NATIONAL CIRCUIT RACES. - The San Francisco Examiner, 09 Nov 1895
THE NATIONAL CIRCUIT RACES
Widespread Interest Manifested in the Contests on the Garden City Track
TOUR IN PICTURESQUE LAKE COUNTY.
Among the Ladies' Cycling Clubs - The League Roadbook - Dimensions of the Famous Louisville Track.
The National Circuit meet at San Jose has been the absorbing topic of conversation in all cycledom during the past month. The merits of the riders have been discussed in all their moods and tenses, the chief interest centering about E. C. Bald and his riding.
Most of the club men of this city are now in San Jose, having gone down yesterday, while more will go down this morning to witness the contest for the five-mile championship, the first time on this Coast when class A and B riders have competed together.
Of the former Frank Byrne, the Imperial crack, should make the best showing, as the distance is just to his liking, especially it the pace be a cracker. There are so many entries for this race that the club will probably run trial heats at a mile and then the five miles for the final. The race will be tandem paced.
Owing to the absorbing interest taken in the races all the local clubs have omitted to schedule runs on other events, consequently there are no counter attractions to divide interest with San Jose.
The Louisville bicycle track is considered the fastest three-lap track in the world by the men who have trained and raced on it. The two stretches are 409 feet in length. The turns, from beginning to end, are 471 feet each. The homestretch and turn are thirty-five feet wide and the back stretch twenty-five. The track is banked all the way around. At the center of the home stretch it is one foot nine inches. At the first turn it increases to three feet, and at the center of the turn is five feet ten inches.
The highest point the banking reaches is at the corner turning into the homestretch, where it is seven feet. The grand stand is a well-built structure, seating 3,000 people.
It is built eight feet from the track and the first row of seats is ten feet from the ground.
The training quarters are connected with the track by electric bells and all possible conveniences have been provided for the comfort of the racing men.
The members of the League of American Wheelmen are soon to reap one of the benefits conferred by that organization on its supporters in the form of a carefully compiled road book, corrected to date.
Its maps show all the roads, their condition, character, and all matters relating to them which would be of interest to wheelmen.
Cyclers desiring to join the League of American Wheelmen can obtain printed information and membership blanks by sending name and address to the cycling editor of "The Examiner."
A Dealers' Association on lines similar to the one in this city has been organized in San Jose, and "Cycling," the San Jose journal, is endeavoring to organize such associations in every city in the State. The benefits of organization are familiar to all dealers, much good resulting where they are now in operation.
Over in Oakland a company has been formed which for a consideration will keep your bicycle cleaned, oiled, adjusted and insured. If your wheel be stolen the concern will loan you another and if it fails to recover the missing bicycle in thirty days will replace it with one conforming in every detail to the one lost.
The Ladies Annex of the Liberty Cycling Club elected officers for the ensuing term at its last meeting. The ladies who will preside over its destinies are Miss Lucy M. Munson, President; Miss Nita Broderick, Secretary-Treasurer, and Mrs. N. A. Robinson, Captain. The Annex has been quite active during the present season, the members having taken many long and enjoyable rides.
The club members, under Mrs. Robinson the Captain, will ride out to-morrow through Oakland, past Piedmont and down the picturesque road through the Jack Hayes canyon into Brooklyn. For a short ride this has no equal in the vicinity of the metropolis, as it embraces all kinds of riding and a variety of scenery seldom found in such distance.
The annual entertainment of the Bay City Wheelmen at Odd Fellow's Hall on Monday evening gives promise of an overflowing crowd, as many of the clubs have secured blocks of seats for their members and will attend in a body. The entertainment has been carefully arranged and a high-class vaudeville programme is promised.
The Garden City Cyclers and the Olympic Club Wheelmen are to have a joint run to Woodside as soon as the details can be arranged. Captains Carey and Thornton have the matter in charge and will announce the date shortly.
The run of the Alpha Cycling Club tomorrow will be through Golden Gate Park.
The members of the California Cycling Club are proud of the banner presented them on Wednesday evening by the Alpha Cycling Club of ladies. The presentation was a complete surprise, so much so that the President was unable to find words to express the feelings of himself and his clubmates. The banner is pronounced more handsome than any other in the possession of any cycling club on the Coast.
George C. and W. R. Turner have recently returned from an enjoyable trip in Lake county. Starting from Petaluma they found fairly good roads to Cloverdale. The trip from Cloverdale was through picturesque country, the road following the windings of Russian river in a deep canyon. A climb up the Pieta grade - an excellent road, shaded by the red woods - brought them to the toll-house, from which the descent to Highland Springs was gradual. A few miles further on to Kelseyville completed the second-days' trip.
The next day was spent at Soda Bay, on the shores of Cedar Lake, enjoying beautiful scenery and exhilarating atmosphere. From Lakeport to Saratoga Springs, Laurel Dell and the Blue lakes and over to Ukiah took the next day, allowing ample stops at the springs and Blue lakes. After an hour's boating the start was made for Ukiah. On the road to Ukiah the dust averaged six inches in depth.
From Mendocino's county seat an early start was made for Cloverdale, traveling through a fine country and over good roads. From Cloverdale to the Geysers was a climb up a steep grade and both wheelmen were glad when the trip was over. From the Geysers a short climb brought them to the summit, where drags of brushwood were attached to the wheels and the descent made at a rapid pace.
After reaching level country a feeling of relief was experienced after the excitement of whirling around mountain gorges of precipitous inclines.
A short spin over good roads to Calistoga brought them to their next stopping-place. A few hours' travel via the Petrified forest and Santa Rosa completed the trip, which was thoroughly enjoyed by both. The weather was excellent, cool, clear mornings for riding and fine starlight evenings. The whole distance traveled was 265 miles, taken in easy stages. Any one desiring a week's outing on the wheel for health and pleasure and having an eye for the beautiful they advise to go to Lake county, away from the fogs and winds of the Coast and into as balmy and bracing air as can be found in the State.
