“My father said, his father used to ride a bike with a tree attached to it,” said my dad, "to stop it from going too fast". In the 1890s bicycle riding and races were a common occurrence. Bikes were categorised as ‘machines’. They could be hired or bought new and second-hand at the local cycle agent. Cash or terms could be negotiated. Old ones could be traded in as partial payment for another. Some brands included: Red Bird, Beeston Humber, Singer, Swift, Raleigh, Coventry Cross, Dunlop, Popular Star, James, Dux, Massey Harris, and Rudge Whitworth. My great-grandfather, William Arthur Empey, was a contender in bicycle races. A fine day prevailed on 17 th March 1898 at the St. Patrick’s Day Sports. They were held at the show grounds in Heathcote, Victoria. ‘Bookies’ and ‘Spielers’ were not welcome. Trees supplied shade. Stalls had fruit. Competitors were allocated up to 250 yards in the one mile and 300 yards in the two-mile races. In the one-mile, my great-grandf...
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