Paris-Roubaix 1885, Canadian style
carl...@comcast.net
***
The Big Four
[Four of the six racers finished.]
Racing One Hundred Miles over the Roads in Ontario
Kingston, Ontario, July 11 [1885]. --The stretch of road between
Coburg and Kingston is 100 miles long, and is the finest straightaway
road in the country.
[It was the "finest" dirt road back then. Map:
http://tinyurl.com/ydberbt
The race ran east from Coburg to Kingston, after a 2-mile jog out and
back at the start to make the full century distance.]
The managers of the bicycle tour decided to utilize this fact and
offered a gold medal as a prize to the rider of a regular crank style
bicycle, duly entered and running under the rules of the race, who
would reach the goal at Kingston first.
[In 1885, "regular crank style bicycle" meant an ordinary highwheeler,
as opposed to various dwarf safety highwheelers using treadles or
chain drives to reduce the front wheel, or reversed small-front-wheel
highwheelers.]
The day opened unfavorably, the roads were muddy and there were
showers at intervals.
[No, highwheelers don't handle well in mud--and you fall if you try to
put a foot down when you're riding on top of a 52-inch wheel.]
The following entered the race:
George Weber, Smithville, N.J.;
N.H. Van Sicklen, Chicago, Ill.;
F.N. Westervelt, Springfield, Mass.;
H.D. Corey, Boston, Mass.;
C.E. Stone, St. Louis, Miss.;
L.D. Munger, Detroit, Mich.;
The race began at 8 minutes past 10 A.M.
To make the full course, the racers doubled back to Coburg after
running two miles out.
[That's the starting out-and-back jog, added to make the distance a
full 100 miles.]
On the return, Stone led. He dashed through the mud, and, without
eating anything except eggs provided on the way, making Kingston at
6:36 o'clock, having made the run in 8h. 28m. The winner is 22 years
of age and of stout build.
[That's 11.8 mph for 100 miles in just under eight and a half hours.]
Munger was second at 7:08 & 1/2 [p.m.] and Webber third at 7:14 & 1/2
[p.m.], six minutes behind.
Van Sicklen and Corey retired.
Van Sicklen was on the road, but while passing a horse the animal
kicked his machine, breaking the backbone.
[The curved steel tube connecting the front and rear forks.]
Mr. Corey, owing to misplacement of the pedals, had to retire.
[A mysterious statement. Corey may traveled by train from Boston to
and found that his highwheeler arrived in Coburg without any
pedals--oops! The reporter seems to contrast Van Sicklen being "on the
road" with whatever happened to Corey. But Corey could have started
and quit because his pedals were installed short or long on the
cranks, which often had slots or several holes to accomodate different
leg lengths. Or the reporter was struggling to explain what he didn't
understand and Corey's crude ball-bearing pedals simply seized up and
made the bike unrideable.]
On the way down Stone took a header over a cow, Munger was run into by
a buggy and Webber was run into a fence by a balky horse and his
machine was damaged. Westervelt was distanced.
[That's two horse accidents, a cow collision, and a losing fight with
a buggy. "Distanced" means that Westervelt was so far behind that the
reporter tactfully omitted his finishing time. But Westervelt hit no
cows, horses, or buggies and suffered no equipment failures--going
slower may be safer.]
The tourists have left to camp on Round Island.
[Probably this Round Island, about 50 miles further east past
Kingston:
http://tinyurl.com/y9dx5ug
The day after the nearly 9-hour race, they rode off through more mud,
cows, and horses for a day-long jaunt to a summer resort.]
--"Sporting Life," July 15, 1885
http://la84foundation.org/SportsLibrary/SportingLife/1885/VOL_05_NO_14/SL0514001.pdf
Cheers,
Carl Fogel
Brian Huntley
> Thrills and spills in the mud on highwheelers, with notes . . .
>
> ***
>
> The Big Four
>
> [Four of the six racers finished.]
>
> Racing One Hundred Miles over the Roads in Ontario
>
> Kingston, Ontario, July 11 [1885]. --The stretch of road between
> Coburg and Kingston is 100 miles long, and is the finest straightaway
> road in the country.
>
> [It was the "finest" dirt road back then. Map:http://tinyurl.com/ydberbt
> The race ran east from Coburg to Kingston, after a 2-mile jog out and
> back at the start to make the full century distance.]
That was probably what is now Highway 2, which has been a series of
county roads again for the past 12 years or so, but was previously a
provincial highway, and was once the main route between Toronto and
Kingston (before the 401 was built.) I've ridden it several times,
although I usually swing south on 33 and go through Picton and over
Lake On The Mountain for the eastern end. The lakeside 33 is more
scenic and is still a lovely ride.
Andre Jute
> On Dec 27, 2:55 pm, carlfo...@comcast.net wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> > Thrills and spills in the mud on highwheelers, with notes . . .
>
> > ***
>
> > The Big Four
>
> > [Four of the six racers finished.]
>
> > Racing One Hundred Miles over the Roads in Ontario
>
> > Kingston, Ontario, July 11 [1885]. --The stretch of road between
> > Coburg and Kingston is 100 miles long, and is the finest straightaway
> > road in the country.
>
> > [It was the "finest" dirt road back then. Map:http://tinyurl.com/ydberbt
> > The race ran east from Coburg to Kingston, after a 2-mile jog out and
> > back at the start to make the full century distance.]
Men were men in those days... It took me nearly as many days to run a
half-Iditarod (c600 miles behind a dogsled, the full race is 1200m
plus of course in either case the return journey) as it took those
guys hours to ride a 100m. The Best of Everything, a handy book for
the poltically incorrect, describes the Iditarod as the last great
race in the world, but I think a hundred miles over muddy cart tracls
on high-wheelers should be in the Olympics. (You can't put sled dog
racing in the Olympics: too many bleeding hearts will see the mushers
kick the those unregenerate wolves -- locals call them huskies -- when
they try to snack on one.)
> That was probably what is now Highway 2, which has been a series of
> county roads again for the past 12 years or so, but was previously a
> provincial highway, and was once the main route between Toronto and
> Kingston (before the 401 was built.) I've ridden it several times,
> although I usually swing south on 33 and go through Picton and over
> Lake On The Mountain for the eastern end. The lakeside 33 is more
> scenic and is still a lovely ride.
The better travelled among those of us who were born in drier places
are laughing at the very idea that any Canadian scenery is
substandard. Not mocking, just pointing out that judgement on scenery
literally depends on where you're coming from.
Andre Jute
Reformed petrol head
Car-free since 1992
Greener than thou!
John Dacey
<fiul...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>> On Dec 27, 2:55�pm, carlfo...@comcast.net wrote:
>> > Thrills and spills in the mud on highwheelers, with notes . . .
>Men were men in those days... It took me nearly as many days to run a
>half-Iditarod (c600 miles behind a dogsled, the full race is 1200m
>plus of course in either case the return journey)
ta-pocketa-pocketa-pocketa-pocketa-pocketa . . .
-------------------------------
John Dacey
Business Cycles, Miami, Florida
Since 1983
Our catalog of track equipment: online since 1996
http://businesscycles.com
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