Flying Merkels Endurance Run - 1909

This image is of the riders on the orange-colored bikes of the Flying Merkels team who took part in a 388-mile Cleveland-to-Indianapolis endurance run that supported the first motorized competition at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway originally scheduled for August 13 and 14, 1909. The endurance run took place August 10 and this photo appeared in the August 12 Indianapolis News. The leader of the Merkel team was star rider Stanley Kellogg.