TROUBLE OVER A ROAD RACE. - San Francisco Chronicle, 20 Jun 1896

TROUBLE OVER A ROAD RACE.

The Track Association Fails to Organise - Dodd Takes Wynne's Place.

There is trouble in the ranks of the Alameda cyclers, and all due to the tandem pacemaking in the five-mile race of that club last Sunday. George Nissen, the crack rider of Oakland, has resigned his membership, the road race has been declared void and another ordered for the near future to settle the difficulty.

For some time there has existed a bitter rivalry between Nissen and Hurley, dating from the time the latter lowered the world's five-mile record. But up to last Sunday the two had never had an opportunity of deciding who was the better man. Upon that occasion Hurley, assisted by two tandems, succeeded in beating Nissen's time by 8 seconds. The latter was assisted by only a single rider, Goddard of the Bay City Wheelmen. He immediately raised a rumpus, believing that the tandem pacing was with the permission of the club, whereas the club knew nothing of it until the tandems hove in sight at the finish.

At the start of the race Nissen appeared wearing the colors and emblem of the Acme Club Wheelmen, and when requested to wear the emblem of the club in whose race he was about to compete seemed very averse to doing so, but finally compromised by wearing the sash of the Alameda Cyclers. Owing to the trouble the race has been ordered run over again. The next time it will be a ten mile altair, and all the contestants will be obliged to start on scratch.

Tandem pacemaking is strictly prohibited in to-morrow's race of the Imperial Cycling Club, and any rider discovered accepting such assistance will be disqualified from the race and expelled from the club.

Chairman Stratton has appointed Vincent A. Dodd of the Alameda Cyclers to the vacancy on the road racing board caused by the resignation of Henry F. Wynne.

The meeting for the permanent organization of the San Francisco Track Association, called for last night at the clubhouse of the Bay City Wheelmen, failed to take place, owing to the fact that the organization has no apparent reason for existence. The track is now being run by its owners and the clubs have no jurisdiction over it whatever.

W. A. Walker, a prominent wheelman of Honolulu, is visiting in this city.

"Sprocket" Bernhard of the Olympic Club Wheelmen will shortly leave for the Yosemite valley, where he has accepted a position for the season. Last year Bernhard was the star century rider of the Coast.