CYCLING Velocipedique of France. These bodies are also bound together by the International Cyclists’ Association, which is devoted mainly to the promotion of racing and legislation connected with it all over the world. The National Cyclists’ Union, originally the Bicycle Union, which was the parent body of all, formed in February 1878, was the first to put up danger-boards, and also was early instrumental, alone and with the C.T.C., in framing or suggesting laws for the proper government and regulation of cycle traffic, notably in establishing its position as a vehicle in securing universal rights, in endeavouring, again in conjunction with the C.T.C., but unfortunately with little success, to increase facilities for the carriage of cycles on the railways, in securing the opening of parks, and in promoting many other equally praiseworthy objects. For a number of years, however, it has been more prominent as the ruling race-governing body. But cycle racing has fallen upon
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racing machines, has been carried so far that in 1899 a board track was laid down on the Long Island railway for about two miles between the metals, and a cyclist named Murphy, following a train, and protected by enormous windshields, succeeded in covering a mile in less than a minute in the autumn of 1900. W. Stinson covered forty miles in an hour on a safety, thus doubling Cortis’s record on the tall machine. Other cyclists have devoted themselves, at the instigation of makers, to the riding of a hundred miles a day every day for a year. It would be difficult to say what advantage there is in these trials and contests. They are not convincing records, and only prove that some people are willing to take great personal risks for the benefit of their employers. E. Hale during 1899-1900 covered 32,496 miles in 313 days. For many years also long-distance races, mostly of six days’ duration, have been promoted on covered tracks. Though condemned by all cycling organizations, they find a great deal of pecuniary support. Racing is probably at the present day in the most flourishing condition in France, where more money is offered in prizes on the track, the city of Paris granting funds for the purpose, and where also, on certain occasions, as in the race from Bordeaux to Paris, held annually in May, the high roads are given up unreservedly for twenty-four hours to a carnival of recklessness. The cycle has also been taken up as a war machine. For this idea the army is indebted to Colonel A. R. Savile, who in 1887 organized the first series of cycle manoeuvres in England. Since then military cycling has been continued and somewhat encouraged by the organization of cycling sections among volunteers and a special corps, the 26th Middlesex, and to a less extent in the regular army. On the Continent cyclists are attached to many army corps, if not to every regiment, as scouts, messengers, and despatchbearers, in which capacity they may at times be of great use. Cycling has produced a literature of its own, both of the pastime and of the trade. Owing to the enormous profits which, for several years, were obtained by cycle makers, a trade press appeared which simply lived by, and out of, its advertisers; and though each country has one or more genuine trade journals;, the large proportion of these sheets have been wTorth, in a business aspect, as little practically, as from a literary standpoint. On the
the same evil days as cycle making. As in all other forms of sport, racing apparently occupies a great deal of public attention, and at one time a cycle race drew a large number of spectators, but now it has lost the public favour, or rather it is ignored by the public. The reason is that cycle racing has been mainly an advertisement for cycle makers. The presence of the man, directly or indirectly, in the employ of, or aided by a maker, and the consequent mixing up of trade and sport, have lowered racing not only in the public estimation, but in that of all genuine amateurs. There have always been a few amateurs who have raced for the love of the sport, but the greater number of prominent racing men have raced for £he benefit of a firm, so much so that, a few years ago, an entire section of racing men were classed as “ makers’ amateurs.” They did not confine themselves to the race track, but appropriated the public roads until they became a danger and a nuisance, and road-racing finally was abolished, though record rides, as they are called, are still indulged in, being winked at by the police and by the cycling authorities. The makers’ amateurs at least rode to win and to make the best time possible. But the scandal was so great that a system of licensing riders was adopted by the N.C.U., and if this did not effectively kill the sport, the introduction of waiting races did. There probably is considerable skill in riding two-thirds of a race as slowly as possible, and only hurrying the last part of the last lap, but it does not amuse the public, who want to see a fast race as well as a close finish. This also accounts for the fact that some of the early records have not yet been beaten. The introduction of pacing by multicycles and motors next took Fig. 14.—Budge Bacing Ordinary, 1887. from cycle racing what interest was left. A motor race, in which the machines are run at top speed, is more exciting other hand a vast mass of practical and unpractical, than the spectacle of a motor being driven at a rate which scientific and medical, historical and touring treatises and the cyclist can follow with the protection of a wind-shield. records have appeared, but even this literature is mostly In America this system of proving what cyclists can do with of a rather ephemeral character.
