Farmers Cheer Riders From Roadside

This content was originally published in the August 11, 1909 Indianapolis Star. There are two items, one is an image of Indianapolis rider John McCarber, who was entered in the Cleveland-to-Indianapolis endurance run on his Excelsior motorcycle. This was the eighth edition of this annual event, which is pretty impressive when you consider that puts its origin back to 1901.
 
The other item is an article describing the events of the first day of the endurance run where 76 of 96 riders completed the segment to Columbus. The descriptions are great. Riders got off their bikes in some bad stretches of roads and pushed them through sand or rugged terrain. That was the reality of roads in an era far removed from interstate highways. On the sidelines, farmers and villagers lined the streets cheering and encouraging the riders. Some of the farmers came to the roadside with wagons packed with people. Childrern ran alongside the riders with American flags.
 
The spectators were so accommodating they sometimes hastily drove their wagons into roadside ditches to clear they way for the motorcyclists. Grateful organizers had the Morgan-Wright Glidden tour car hang back to pull those stuck out of their predicaments.
 
There are two smaller articles, one on a close call by 17-year-old rider Ray Seymour, who nearly lost control of his bike while practicing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The other item remarks on the success the scheduled motorcycle parade through the city was having in attracting entries.