Page:The Strand Magazine (Volume 3).djvu/525

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528
THE STRAND MAGAZINE.

some of his own records—the twelve hours, 50 miles, and 100 miles tricycle. 1889 was a quieter year, in which Mr. Mills returned for a little to the path, and won a few prizes. In 1890 he did not race at all, but devoted himself, with some success, to rifle shooting. His two great feats of 1891 are fresh in everybody's remembrance. A great international race from Bordeaux to Paris resulted in the competing Englishmen completely outclassing the Continental riders, and in Mr. Mills almost equally out-classing the other Englishmen, riding the whole distance of 360 miles in 26 hours 34 minutes, and beating Mr. Holbein, the second man, by an hour and a quarter. It is noticeable that Mr. Mills had never ridden a safety bicycle at all for twenty-four hours since October, 1886, until this race, while the fact that he was run into early in the ride, and his machine disabled, so that he was obliged to ride various unsuitable borrowed machines for the rest of the distance, makes the feat all the more wonderful. Mr. Mills' second feat of last year was his great ride from Land's End to John o' Groat's, beating his former record by fourteen hours. Virtually the record was beaten by twenty-one hours, but four miles from the finish a fit of sleep knocked the record-breaker over for the other seven hours, so that the actual journey took 4 days 111/4 hours, with drenching rain most of the way and soddened roads.

Mr. Mills is 5 feet 101/2 inches high, and weighs 11 stone 4 lbs. Our portrait shows him in the uniform of the 3rd Volunteer Battalion Bedfordshire Regiment, in which he is the Lieutenant Commanding the Cyclist Section.


Guy Nickalls.


Guy Nickalls.
From a Photo. by Hills & Saunders.

The original of this portrait is fine specimen of English athleticism. Born in 1866, Mr. Guy Nickalls was educated at Eton and at Magdalen College, Oxford, taking his degree in December, 1890. Always to the fore in active sports, he swam and ran with the best at school and college. At the present time he makes a good straight line across country after the fox, and is fond of shooting. It is, however, as an oar and a sculler that Mr. Nickalls has chiefly shone. Beginning in 1880, at Eton (where, if a boy has it in him to row at all, he will demonstrate the fact sooner or later), he made a great mark in the school boats until in 1886 he went to Oxford, and was one of the winning University four and one of the losing trial eight. Next year saw Mr. Nickalls rowing in the Oxford eight against Cambridge, Cambridge winning. After winning the University sculls, he rowed in the (losing) Magdalen four and in the winning trial eight. At Henley he rowed with the Oxford Etonians for the Grand Challenge Cup, but his crew were not successful. At this Henley meeting began the series of manful tussles between Mr. Guy Nickalls and Mr. J. C. Gardner, of Cambridge University. Mr. Gardner won the Diamond Sculls, but Mr. Nickalls afterwards equalised matters by winning the Wingfield Sculls—carrying the Amateur Championship. In 1888, again, Mr. Nickalls was one of the losing Oxford eight against Cambridge. After, with Mr. W. F. D. Smith, he won the University pairs. His college boat (of course, with himself in it) this year attained the head of the river, and soon after this Mr. Nickalls became secretary to the University Boating Club. He rowed at Henley eights for the Leander, and this year won both the Diamond Sculls and the Amateur Championship. Once more—in 1889—Mr. Nickalls experienced the disappointment of the defeat of Oxford by Cambridge. He repeated his last year's performance winning the pairs—this time in company with Lord Ampthill—and soon after became pre-