Bicycle Club Race Meet.

For the last two or three years the Bicyle club has been growing in numbers and prosperity. Two years ago the club was hardly heard of and existed almost entirely as a social club. but since then it has become an athletic organization of some importance. Considering the general popularity of cycling in this country it is rather surprising that the club is not more thought of than it is. Up to this time bicycle races have been rather unimportant events in the Mott Have games, but the bicycle club of this college bids fair to become strong enough to withdraw from the H. A. A. altogether and flourish independently as an athletic organization.

Seven or eight years ago the Bicycle club held a race meet which was largely attended, but was considered objectionable on account of the presence of professionals Last year they held another meet, so successful from an athletic point of view that it will be repeated this year. The meet last year did not draw a very large crowd of lookers-on but it made good sport. One race which was considered especially successful was the inter-scholastic race, intended to rouse interest in cycling at preparatory schools.

This year the club intends to hold a meeting about May 17. It will be strictly an invitation meet, to which riders from all the great athletic clubs and especially from the colleges will be invited. There may be difficulty about getting college men to ride so soon before the Mott Haven contests on account of unwillingness to show their form. Exactly what influence this may have it is not possible to say, but the officers of the club hope that it will not interfere seriously with the success of the meeting. They will try especially to make the interscholastic race a success. The members of the club are confident that when the college men find out what good sport bicycle races are they will support them more liberally.

It is intended this year to give medals instead of the miscellaneous articles given last year for prizes. The die for these medals will cost money and the meet will be expensive in one or two other respects. The club intends if possible to have the corners of the track on Holmes field raised. This will not hurt the track for running and will make it one of the fastest bicycle tracks in America. To meet these and other expenses the club is busy raising subscriptions. They hope to be able to raise enough to make the meet thoroughly successful.

Everyone knows that the club has challenged Yale to a road race, which Yale is making an effort to accept. If the New Haven men are able to get up a team, and have a race, the sport will no doubt become much more popular. Last year a race was held with the Institute of Technology which was fairly successful and did much to put our riders in condition for the Mott Haven games.