Best Article on 388-Mile Endurance Run

This content was originally published in the August 12, 1909 Indianapolis Star. The longer of the two articles is the absolute best summary of the 388-mile motorcycle endurance run from Cleveland-to-Indianapolis that preceded the first motorized competition at the Indianapols Motor Speedway on August 14. The event started with more than 90 riders and 64 bikes survived. Some of the color includes the dusty, oil splattered riders and the rutted paths they traveled. Also, the gracious cooperation of farmers, who granted right-of-way along the trail. Still, in at least one instance, a rider was hurled from his bike when he attempted to pass a horse-drawn wagon in the road. Ironically, Erwin George Baker, the rider who later earned the nickname "Cannon Ball" for his coast-to-coast runs had the frame of his bike split in two. He shipped it home via an Interurban rail car.
 
Note: in reading this article, go through the first four pages and then return to the second page to finish. The first four pages take you through an entire column of newsprint and the second column begins on the second PDF page of this package.
 
Finally, there is a shorter article that discusses the Federation of American Motorcyclists (FAM) convention and the primary issue of creating a new "class" of rider beyond professional and amateur. Eventually approved, the propsal created a "trade rider" category.