Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 22, Number 60, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 April 1901 — CYCLE TOUR CLUBS. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

CYCLE TOUR CLUBS.

FORMED TO WHEEL TO THE PANAME'RICAN EXPOSITION. Valuable Information For Those ,j Who Contemplate a Trip to Buffalo and the Great Show Which Will Be There Next Sommer. The chief pleasure which a bicycle affords is to be found by touring in J congenial company, over good roads, j through an unfamiliar country abounding in line scenery of interesting historical associations. a The central location of Buffalo brings it within easy touring distance of the principal cities of the Eastern and Middle states and the Dominion of Canada. \ "Within a radius of 500 miles are the j cities of Quebec, Montreal, Toronto, Ot- i tawa, Portland. Boston; New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, 1 Richmond, Fittsburg. Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus, Indianapolis, Toledo, Detroit, Chicago and Milwaukee j and many other thriving and populous towns. -Over one-hall - of the population 1 of the United States' and over twothirds of the population of Canada reside within this radius. The reputation ; which Buffalo lias for being the coolest city in tflio country in summer time, its many miles of smoothly paved and heavily shaded streets and avenues, the fine buildings, magnificent electrical effects, beautiful landscapes and the multitudinous attractions displayed by the exhibitors of the Pan-American Exposition will make Buffalo the cyclists’ Mecca next summer. Cyclists living within this distance of 500 miles from Buffalo nre not living up to their possibilities if they fail to visit the Pan-American Exposition. v . Valuable information on the; most important subjects of human interest will be freely disseminated to all visitors. Knowledge of great interest and of unsurpassed value may be had for the price of admission. It will be a vast school of learning, where expensively illustrated Information may be had for the asking. Concentrated experience of a lifetime, from which all the froth and foam of experimental failure has been skimmed, will be freely offered to the public. It is easy to make a mistake, and life offers plenty of opportunity for regrets, but it will be easy to attend the Exposition and avoid this unfortunate cousequence. It will be impossible to visit the Ex-; position grounds even for a day with-i ont deriving both pleasure and profit.' It will be Impossible to conceive , through a neighbor's description an ad- ; equate idea of the Exposition’s won- ; derful beauty, its rare plants and flow-, ers, its numerous patios, its elegant ; proportions, its odd scenes represent- j ing distant lands, its sparkling fountains and more than all its general comprehensive utility. Cyclists who contemplate visiting the Exposition should begin making their : preparations this winter in order to 1 fully enjoy an enterprise of such im- ; portance. Histories of the different Fan-Ameriean countries should be read | and descriptions of exhibits collected and studied in order to select those pertaining to subjects of the greatest Interest to individuals. It will be impossible to see everything without staying all summer, but by systematically laying out an intelligent plan much may be accomplished in a given time. These winter evenings may be profitably employed by forming a club with a view to carrying out this idea. This club should be planned to Include the financial arrangements for a tour awheel to Buffalo, iu which case it might be officered by a treasurer and secretary. Tlie duty of the secretary would Include all necessary correspondence in regard to information for the ben. :'n of the club as well as arrangements f •• hotel and other accommodations while the party is en route and during its stay In Buffalo. • If each club member should pay into the treasury a stated amount each week, a sufficient sum would soon be realized to meet the necessary expenses of the trip. The treasurer of the club should pay all bills while touring, while to another should be delegated the care of the baggage. To make the tour thoroughly enjoyable the organizer of the club must before starting out carefully plan the routes \.j be followed, choose his companions for the trip and so arrange matters that he and bis fellow tourists ehnll enjoy the maximum of pleasure without appreciable fatigue and at the smallest possible expense. Bicycle touring cannot be enjoyed without the personal comfort of each member of the party being largely considered and the more experienced riders regulating their speed to the pace set by the novices. As soon as riding becomes hard labor one might Jast as well dig a trench or break 1

stones on the roadside and call it sport. If this little maxim was borne iu mind by old riders wheel out with those of less experience, we should see fewer weary and mud bespattered men and women toiling homeward late in the evenings and averring that holidays spent awheel make the so-called pleasure more disagreeable than a day spent in the office or factory. The strongest and most experienced rider in the party should bring up the rear to assist the more inexperienced in case of accident and to encourage the weak or tiring rider. A trip of eight or, ,ten days will satisfy most riders, and if there is a spare day sandwiched in the middle ou which rest is taken the enjoyment of the tour will gain zest. Tlie object of a tour is not the mileage covered, but the amount seen and the enjoyment derived from it. Much will depend on the nature of the country and the condition of the roads. Fifty to 75 miles a day should be the maximum distance even over tlie very best roads, and if. the tourists are to get the-most satisfaction from their outing -and mount every morning full of ardor for the day’s ride they will content themselves with from 40 to 50 miles a day. Early starts in the morning are a feature rather of speculative than actual touring. People who have really tried one speak enthusiastically cf tlie joys of a daybreak ride, but <s■ is- to be hoped that no tenderfoot, will be beguiled by these siren voices into getting off without his breakfast. The advisability of a rest in the middle of the day of at Feast two hours is admitted by most if not all tourists. The first essential toward a successful tour is to.start in proper condition. The neglect of tills consideration spoils more holidays than any other cause, making the work a toil instead of a pleasure and too often doing harm instead of good to the health of the rider. The intending tourist should practice steadily for at least a fortnight before the start, beginning at . very short stages and increasing; the work daily till he ctrnd.o with ease -the maximum! distance which he proposes to cover. During the earlier stages of his training he will probably find himself at the close of the day very stiff and sore and at night fevprisli and unable to sleep. It is a good rule for the tourist to use nothing absolutely new. Each article should have been tested by experience and should have had full time to accommodate itself to the idiosyncrasies of the rider or vice versa. A '■new saddle in particular is a fertile source of discomfort. However perfect in itself, it is sure to feel more or less a “misfit” for the first few days, and the same may be said of almost every part of the riding outfit. Each garment worn should have had time to adapt itself to the figure of the rider and should have become as easy ,as the proverbial “old shoe” before tlie eyelist trusts himself to its tender mercies for a lengthened absence from home, i If not found desirable or convenient to make a bicycle tour to Buffalo, all cyclists are advised to take their wheels with them. Transportation by ! rail or water will be so cheap and i efficient that a very, small outlay Jn j time and money will enable even those living at a distance to make the trip. From any section of the city the Pan- . American Exposition can easily be ! reached by wheel over smooth asphalt i pavements or parkway cycle paths, S while the magnificent scenery of the Niagara frontier is also within easy | cycling distance of Buffalo. Arrangements will be hiade for the | comfort and convenience of cyclists at- | tendiug the Exposition. Alty additional or special Information j will be furnished on application to tlie ! Bureau of Publicity, Pan-American Ex- | position, Buffalo, N. Y. W. Sheldon Bull.

CASINO AND BOATHOUSE—PAN AMERICAN EXPOSITION.