THE COURIER
ON TH5 WHEEL
THE STATE MEET.
"Five miles."
(By Our Special Representative.)
The fifth annual State meet of the
Nebraska Division of the League of
American Wheelman is a thing of the
past, and with the exception of railroad
and hotel accomodations was a success
in every way.
Kearney has a fair track and enter
prising citizens, but the league officials
should see that the town is much too
small to, accomodate even the enthusi
astic wheelmen, t j say nothing of the
visitors this meet would bring if the
location was central and tho railroad
service good.
On the evening of July 3rd tho hotels
were filled with four in a room, and on
the fourth, wheelmen were fortunate if
they could find citizens who would take
them in.
Owing to the local rains tho Lincoln
riders were compelled to go to the meet
on July first or second to get a track o
train on. Reaching Kearney they found
a steady rain falling and could not put
a wheel on tho track until the races
were called. This accounts largely for
their not making a better showing."
About twenty members of tho C. 0.
C. C. arrived on tho evening of July 3rd
in time for supper. Later in tho even
ing the U. P. brought in about one hun
dred and fifty from Omaha. They had
a special train with tho privilege of re
turning July Gth. Lincoln people were
refused a special train and those wish
ing to 6ee the second day's racing were
compelled to pay full fare each way.
About 11 p. m., Joe Sullivan, re
sembling a letter S, crawled into town
closely followed by Ory Ward. Of tho
crowd who went through on their
wheels, they were the only ones to reach
Kearney the first day. They rode the
tandem and their cyclometer registered
161 miles. They struck mud eighteen
miles from Kearnoy and walked the last
five owing to a broken chain.
Milmine, Howe, Miller, Allen and
Bebeo, who were going to "eat supper
tonight in Kearney" stopped to talk to
a hotel man about 'JO miles out and
neglected to start again until next morn
ing. The state was well represented, while
from outside there were riders from
Denver, Toledo and Chicago.
A mammoth parade on the morning
of the fourth was followed by trial heats
at 10 o'clock.
Lincoln's misfortune commenced with
the novice race, in which there were
eighteen starters. This was run in two
heats with four to qualify in each heat.
A. M. Dickey broke his handle bar on
the start and lined up in tho next heat.
Denton Painter was in this heat also.
Both boys were well up in front with
Painter in the lead, when he became
possessed of a wild desire to see how it
would go to fall on a track away from
home. He immediately put the plan
into action and they spent the next half
hour picking gravel out of their hides.
Painter ought to abolish this trick. Be
sides being hard to ride over, he spoils
some one's chance of winning and breaks
the wheels.
The half mile open with twenty-six
starters was run in three heats, with
four to qualify. O. W. McBride and C.
M. Carter won first place in both their
heats. A. E. Yule was over confident
and dropped into last place. The field
strung out and in the finish be got fifth
place, shutting him out.
Early in the afternoon the grandstands
were filled. The attendance was esti
mated at 2,500, many of these arriving
at noon to get good seats and waiting
patiently for the start at 3 p. m.
The novice race is always pure cream
from the spectators standpoint, and the
final heat in the mile novice was excite
ment itself. Even the entries in this
' race are worthy of mention.
We were lounging around headquar
ters, when a couple entered who looked
as though they were out for information.
They introduced themselves
'Ihis is Steve Boles of McCook and
I am his father, and I want to seo the
man who' runs these bicycle races. Steve
hit the striking machine harder than
any man in Red Willow county on the
fair grounds last year, and I want"
"Right here, sir, I am in a hurry.'
"Are you tho man? '
"Yes sir.''
"Well, I want to match Steve against
anything you have for 5, 10, 15, 20 or 25
miles."
"Can't do it; but we can enter him in
the novice."
"Who is he?"
"That's a mile race."
"Won't have it. I want 5, 10, 15, 20
or 25 miles."
"But we' can't run match races. He
can enter the five-mile handicap."
"How far is that?"
"Most too short. Steve's holt Ib 25
miles and ho don't get started short of
la miles, do you Steve?''
Steve corroborated tho statement, and
becretary Harter looked worried. After
some timo Stovo was finally entered in
the novice and the 5 mile handicap,
although his pa remarked that they
were "agin Stevo's distances."
This entry had been noised about, and
when the men lined up all eyes were on
Steve Boles, tho fearful farmer from
McCook, as they dubbed him. At tho
pistol the field was well bunched with
Steve in the rear. Angell of Omaha, set
a lively paco for three quarters, and it
looked as though Steve couldn't get
started, as tho field was slowly losing
him. We were mistaken, however.
Steve had a wonderful sprint concealed
in thoso blue 6ocks with white tops, and
waking up, ho rounded into the stretch
like a Comanche Indian, cut down man
after man and won amio thundering ap
plause. King Denman of Omaha beat Lincoln
out of first placo in the quarter mile
open Class A. At the pistol shot he
threw Pixley a good fifteen feet in front
of the bunch. Jimmy Bailey was right
after him and although ho cut down
the lead, ho was a wheel length to tho
bad on the finish with the field thirty
feet behind.
Tho half mile open Class A brought
out 12 starters. This was a hotly con
tested race, a victory, and a state'record
for Lincoln. On tho last turn the field
was well bunched. Rounding into the
stretch Carter made a pretty sprint
from fourth place and won by a narrow
margin, lowering Hayman's state record
1-5 of a second. llaymen of Grand
Island and Nelson of Chicago tied for
second, beating McBride by inches.
We banked on Bailey winning in tho
mile. championship but just before tho
final spurt Jimmy was crowded out and
couldn't get through the bunch. Tho
race was won by I layman of Grand Is
land, a member of tho Capital City Cy
cling Club.
Tho half mile open Class B was won
by Kigby of Toledo. Ohio, with Mocket
a close second in 1.18 1-5. Those who
saw Mocket's unpaced halt in 1.07 on a
muddy track Decoration day will readily
see that he was out of form to get no
better than second place in the above
time.
The two mile handicap Class A with
.'J3 starters was a pretty race, marred
only by another of those justly celebrat
ed falls by Painter. This was a race
from start to finish and was won by
Sabin of Beatrice from the 100 yard
mark. Pixley of Omaha, scratch, second
and Edwood" of Omaha, with 50 yards
third. Time 4.55. The only thing that
got Pixley to the front was Holloway's
pacing.
The five mile open Class B was an
easy grind, devoid of interest until tho
fourteenth lap. Coming off the turn
Park of Denver went down, throwing
Kenshaw, of Denver, who was following,
and leaving three on the track. Ren
shaw remounted and got third place.
The last half was anybody's race, be
tween Mills of Kearney and Rigby of
Toledo. On the last quarter Mills took
a long lead, but swung wide on the last
turn, Rigby cutting in and winning by
30 feet in 14.41.
Roberts of Gothenburg, a ono legged
rider went an exhibition half in 1.32 and
the exhibition half, standing start, un
paced, by Edghill, the "Western Union
Kid" of Omaha, in 1.17 1-5 concluded
the first days racing.
The morning of July 5th was perfect
for racing, and it was nearly 11 o'clock
when the six starters lined up in the
first trial heat of the mile champion
ship. , ,
This finish was a fight from the back
stretch clear to the tape, the riders
finishing in a bunch in tho following
order: Frederickson, Pixley, Edwood
aud Carter in 1:10 2 5.
There was a lively discussion between
Lincoln and Omaha as to whether Car
ter or Gadhe had fourth place. It was
compromised by both starting in the
final.
The second heat was won easily by
Collins; Tessier, Bailey and Ilayman fol
lowing in the order named, time 1:11
flat.
Lincoln's hoodoo was on the ground
early, for McBride made a fatal blunder
in the first heat of the mile open Class
A. It was a mile heat with six starters;
four to qualify. They started with the
pistol at a merry clip, and Mc, taking
the lead on the second quarter, spurted
to the tape and 6at up. Ho had mis
taken the distance and had to spurt to
catch tho field which by this time had a
long lead. He caught them but his race
had been run. Frederickson took first,
with Pixley, Nelson and Gadke right
after him, "time 2:27 2-5.
The second heat was called and eight
starters lined up. Carter was next to
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the pole in this heat, and although we
rubbed him with a rabbit's foot, our
confidence was shaken. We had been
so unfortunate we were looking for the
worst of it and were not surprised when
we saw the field bunch on the turn,
handle bars rub together, and our only
hope take a tumble that rivaled the
best of Painter's ground and lofties.
The Lincoln contingent tarried to see
Edwood, Collins, Nichol, Mack and
Ilayman finish in 2:47, then journeyed
to the city and partook of the stalled ox
in silence.
The afternoon opened with quarter
mile open Class B, Kigby again had
things his own way winning in 32 4-5
seconds.
There was talent represented in the
line of ten starters in the final of tho
half mile championship. Pierce and
Early were up on a tandem for pace
making, and we expected to see some
thing hot. We saw it. At the pistol
Pixley got the tandem and we heard
him say "all right; pull out." They
understood him for they pulled out at a
clip that made the boys awful sick. At
the quarter the field was strung out.
with the tandem pulling away from
them. Pix was never headed and finish
ed in the same place he started in
1:06 4-5, twenty-five feet in front of the
second man.
The start of the one mile open Class
B with a 8G00 piano for first prize,
caused a flutter of excitement, but the
event was tame compared with the
championships.
A. E. Yule and McCulIayh of Omaha
up on the tandem bad instructions to
takt them a half. Rigby, of Toledo,
Park and Renshaw of Denver, Mills of
Kearney and Mockett lined up and were
cautioned to get under the time limit of
2:20. At the pistol Mills got tho tan
dem, the rest following in one-two-three-four
order. The first quarter was made
in 35 4 5, tho half in 1:07. Tho tandem
pulled out and the three-quarters was
made in 1:47 2-5. Everybody rode in
the last quarter, and the mile was made
in 219 1-5. 4-5 of a second under limit.
Rigby first, Renshaw second. Mills third
and Mockett fourth.
The two mile state championship was
the best race of the meet. The grand
stands wanted more tandem and it was
brought out agcin. They were turueb
loose and it was the toss of a coin be
tween Pixley, Ilayman and Frederick
son, who had the tandem. Pixley got
it, Frederickson next with Ilayman be
hind, while the less fortunate ones were
thirty feet to the back. The tandem
set a frightful pace and the field with
Collins in the lead were riding like
demons but slowly losing ground. At
the end of a mile Frederickson was
baked and dropped out. The tandem at
a mile and a half had dropped back
leaving Pixley and Ilayman to go it
alone with Pix setting the pace.
The tandem team started to pull
Collins to the leaders but was ordered
off the track. Pixley set all the pace
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