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Salt Lake Telegram | 1930-12-11 | Page 4 | Downing Holds Bike Championships Competed in Australia with Lawson

Type issue
Date 1930-12-11
Paper Salt Lake Telegram
Language eng
City Salt Lake City
County Salt Lake
Rights No Copyright - United States (NoC-US)
Publisher Digitized by J. Willard Marriott Library, University of Utah
ARK ark:/87278/s60k3hg0
Reference URL https://newspapers.lib.utah.edu/ark:/87278/s60k3hg0

Page Metadata

Article Title Downing Holds Bike Championships Competed in Australia with Lawson
Type article
Date 1930-12-11
Paper Salt Lake Telegram
Language eng
City Salt Lake City
County Salt Lake
Page 4
OCR Text r 1 JD Do O. O You You Rei Rem Remember ember when veteran Har Salt ly I take D wn I promoter r was a cycling I champion That WAI was way Way back hack 1 in inthe the 1900 He is ii shown hoWn here her on OD his hi bicycle wh which is b. b is being held Id by Steve ye S n O 1 another r ace e in the old d days V. V q c 2 t f- f F v 44 S SS S 7 1 iI i I l d f s I A S. t r E 4 Mt L Downing Dorning Holds Bike Championships Cham Hardy Among Worlds World s 's Best in A Competed in Australia With Lawson By ByLin Lin Crone Its It's September 7 1 1894 L a gala occasion occasion oc oc- oc- oc casion caslon in Oakland Cal Cat for tho the annu annual annual an an- nu nual l Pacific coast bicycle cham championships champ champ- are to be decided Thousands Thousands Thousands ands of ot spectators rs have o crowded cro Into tho grandstands surrounding th the dirt horse racing track at the Oakland Jockey club The Thc track rolled roiled hard and firm for tor the cycling events holds dozens of the tho greatest great great- est edt st amateur and semi professional racers rs of ot th the west Among them are Wilbur Edwards EdWArds Edwards Ed Ed- wards tho the class B s semi pro II champion of tho the coast and dozens of ot his chief rivals And among them also is n a green 1 kid ld from down San Jose way waY waY-J way just Just st past 16 years of ot o. o age c. c and trembling at t the e prospects pros pros- p ds of or his first competition in class cass ss A. A A. A his first chance even cven to pedal a Q real racIn bike STEALS STEAL WHOLE SHOW The amateurs urs break the tho tape pedal forward viciously viciously and and dash ons onward ard in tho the one mile mUo novice event Tho The s spectators gasp as an unknown cyclist t rushes forward in inthe inthe the lead holding tenaciously to hi his margin marCin and crosses tho the lino a win win- nor ncr They rhe openly admire as the I country kid comes back in the tho one mile open and docs does it again and again and they are loud in their praise as he climaxes a brilliant day with another triumph in tho two-mile two handicap event Names Downing From down country First race Great kid of ot Edwards' Edwards That's the story of or Hardy I IC Downings Downing's first bicycle race Hardy K IC Downing Just a green country kid from San Jose who ho rose to supremacy among among Pacific coast bicyclists in a day and later latet ranked with tho the greatest riders of ot the world Hardy K Downing known to Salt Lakers ers for tor hi his riding his fight promoting his great interest in sports of ot nil all kinds TREATED AS HERO Wilbur Edwards Edwarda was a a. great friend of ot Hardys When Edwards Edward saw Hardy Tardy in practice the best that San Jose Joso and vicinity could ot offer r he be realized that the tho kid had something om So Wilbur red Downing to J Jake Jako ke Travis bike handler extraordinary and Joke Jake fixed up the lad with a n. racing bike th the dream of or all youngsters In those days and days and Wilbur took the San J Jose se marvel to Oakland where h he demonstrated his stuff Today 36 y years ats' ats later Hardy eez ez t lOr was Just a a. good second rater Laugh Following his Oakland victories victories vic vic vic- tories Hardy an and ana a Edwards went homo home to San T J Jose st s stA A brass band bicycle rIders riders and hundreds of or enthusiastic citizens ens awaited the thc r returning heroes Tho The greatest thrill of or his life H Hardy says The Th next year yeav 1895 1895 h ho he cleaned up everything in tho the way of ot competition tion in California and the west coast among the amateurs SO amateurs so the high moguls ot of made mado Hardy go semi pro where ho could find Zinc some competition In 1899 Hardy went cast He lIe was right up in there winning more moro than his share sharo of or tho the lac races s During tho the winter of or Downing went to Australia In company company com corn pany wIth Floyd McFarlane one an and Ivor Lawson the world champion champlon where the trio made a n. great reat record CAME HERE IN 1908 Hardy finally finaly camo came to Utah Utah Utah-in in 1908 Ho Hc had ridden his la last t day 6 event In ill December of ot that year The Thc bike king fooled around a 3 lit lit- tb with c cycling cUng in Utah but never seriously He turned his attention to fight light promoting and ond maintains today a a. keen interest in all aU sporting sportIng sport port In ing events Riders may come and riders may go but go-but but wo we got ot a n hunch that u good second raters dont don't clean up on their thell first day nor bow before brass bands and admiring throngs At aD any rate Hardys Hardy's got oot a lot to remember
Reference URL https://newspapers.lib.utah.edu/ark:/87278/s60k3hg0/15698864