Montreal Bicycle Club
  • About
    • TV Series Montreal's Cycling Ghosts >
      • S1 E1 Pilot
      • S1 E2 Ghostly Commands
      • S1 E3 Running with the Bulls
      • S2 E1 Lessons from the Pandemic
    • MBC Historical Bike Tour >
      • Tour Starting Point Shaika Cafe
      • Stop #1 MAAA Grounds
      • Stop #2 Founding of Club at 33 Chomedey
      • Stop #3 Bertie Lane's CDN Hill Climb
      • Stop #4 Lacrosse Grounds
      • Stop #10 Queens park Velodrome Verdun
      • Tour Lunch Break: Lachine Rapids
      • Stop # 11 Fleming Windmill
    • How to join
    • Contact us
    • Issues >
      • Sherbrooke Street Bike Path
  • Minute Book
    • Fixtures Calendar >
      • Instructions on Adding Fixtures to personal Google Calendar
    • MBC Blog
    • Falaise Birder's Blog
    • 2023 Annual Report >
      • January 2023
      • February 2023
      • March 2023
    • 2022 Annual Report >
      • January 2022
      • February 2022
      • March 2022
      • May 2022
      • June 2022
      • July 2022
      • August 2022
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      • October 2022
      • November 2022 >
        • November 2022 (Google Slide)
      • December 2022
    • 2021 Annual Report >
      • January 2021
      • February 2021
      • March 2021
      • April 2021
      • May 2021
      • June 2021
      • July 2021
      • August 2021
      • September 2021
      • October 2021
      • November 2021
      • December 2021
    • 2020 Annual Report >
      • 2020 Composite Photo
      • January 2020
      • February 2020
      • March 2020
      • April 2020
      • May 2020
      • June 2020
      • July 2020
      • August 2020
      • September 2020
      • October 2020
      • November 2020 >
        • Rev Dreams
      • December 2020
    • 2019 Annual Report >
      • January 2019
      • February 2019
      • March 2019
      • April 2019
      • May 2019
      • June 2019
      • July 2019 >
        • 2-3 July 2019 Prince Edward County / Kingston
        • 18-23 July 2019 Saguenay & Charlevoix Tour
      • August 2019 >
        • 2-4 August 2019 Tout Le P'tit Train du Nord
      • September 2019 >
        • 1-2 September 2019 Simcoe County Loop (Wendat Trail)
        • 11-13 September 2019 Rivière-à-Pierre to Quebec City
      • October 2019
      • November 2019
      • December 2019
    • 2018 Annual Report >
      • March 2018
      • April 2018 >
        • Pittsburgh to Washington DC Excursion
      • May 2018
      • June 2018
      • July 2018
      • August 2018
      • September 2018 >
        • Park(ing) Day in Westmount 2018
      • October 2018
      • November 2018
    • 2017 Annual Report >
      • 4 March 2017, Nuit Blanche
      • 21 March 2017, Re-Founders Meeting
      • 25 March - Earth Hour / Turcot Bicycle Overpass
      • 02 April - Fixture Ride highligthing Issues
      • 18 May Atwater Library Lunchtime Series
      • June - Fixture rides
      • July - Fixture rides
      • August - Fixture rides
      • September - Fixture rides
      • October - Fixture rides
      • November - Fixture Rides
      • December - Fixture Rides
    • Club Minute Book 1878-1904
    • 2 Dec 1878 Meeting
  • Poppies
    • Sobriquets A-D >
      • F.E. Adams
      • Susan B. Anthony
      • Louise Armaindo
      • E.W. Barlow
      • A.G. Batchelder
      • Daisy Bell
      • Ernestine Bernard
      • G. T. Bishop
      • Amelia Bloomer
      • Elsa von Blumen
      • Claud Butler
      • Dorothy Coles
      • Phylis Cole & Joan Cole
      • Disreali
      • Dr. Parry E. Doolittle
      • Joseph Drury
    • Sobriquets E-L >
      • Miss M.J. Frothingham
      • Arhur Edward George
      • Forest Gnome
      • Daisy Greville
      • Arthur Harris
      • G. Harries
      • Alice Hawkins
      • Edmond Jacquelin
      • F.M.S. Jenkins
      • G. Kingan
      • Kittie Knox
      • Karolina Kocięcka
      • Karl Kron
      • Pierre Lallement
      • A.T. Lane
      • Exilda Lachapelle
      • G.S Low
      • Annie Londonderry
      • D. S. Louson
    • Sobriquets M-U >
      • Kirkpatrick Macmillan
      • Susan McCormick
      • Birdie Munger
      • Mile A Minute Murphy
      • W.G. Ross
      • Louis Rubenstein
      • Alfred Wesley Sherritt
      • S. Saxe
      • C.J. Sidey
      • The Snowball Sisters
      • James Starley
      • Henry Sturmey
      • Helena Swanwick
      • W. Tately
      • Major Taylor
      • Doreen Thomas
      • H.S. Tibbs
    • Sobriquets W-Z >
      • Vélocio
      • Queen Victoria
      • J.E. Walsh
      • Maria E. Ward
      • W.S. Weldon
      • The Royal Worcester
    • Places >
      • Velocipede Era 1867-1874 >
        • Drill Hall
        • Nordheimer's Hall
        • Crystal Palace
      • High Wheel Era 1874-1891 >
        • 33 Chomedey Street
        • Lacrosse Grounds
        • MAAA Clubhouse (Montreal Gymnasium)
        • Blue Bonnets
        • MAAA Grounds
      • Bicycle Craze of the 1890's >
        • The Wanderers Bicycle Club
        • YMCA Building Dominion Square
        • Queens Park Velodrome
    • Things
  • History
    • 1817-1867 Dandy Horse Era
    • 1867-1874 Velocipede era
    • Birth of the High Wheel Bicycle
    • The High Wheel Bicycle comes to North America
    • Founding of the Montreal Bicycle Club >
      • MBC Uniforms and Symbols
    • The High Wheel Era in Montreal >
      • Canadian Wheelmen's Association (CWA) Annual Meets
    • The MAAA grounds and the transition to the Safety Bicycle
    • The Bicycle Craze of the 1890's
    • The 1899 International Cycling Association World Championship in Montreal
    • Collapse of 19th Century Bicycle Organizations
    • Conclusion >
      • 1900-1918 Everyday transportation
    • Records >
      • Online Sources
      • Books and papers on subject
      • Where to find Artifacts
      • detailed references
      • Historical maps of Montreal
      • 1894 CWA Meet Montreal Map
  • Scrapbook
    • 1870's Ice Velocipede >
      • 1878 MBC By Laws
    • 1880 MBC Meeting to join LAW >
      • 1882 Louise Armaindo 100 mile race in Montreal
      • 1882 Group Photo and early race
      • 1883 MBC History from CWA The Bicycle
      • 1884 Mr Jenkins Ottawa-Matane tour >
        • 1884 CWA Meet in Toronto
        • 1884 CWA request for funds by Karl Kron
      • 1885 Notman Composite Photograph >
        • 1885 Fixtures and race reports
        • 1885 CWA Meet in Woodstock
        • 1885 kangaroos and tricycles
        • 1885 W.G. Ross, early champion
      • 1886 Fixtures, race and CWA parade reports
      • 1887 Bertie Lane & CDN hill >
        • Toast to Bertie Lane
      • 1888 Ottawa Meet >
        • 1888 CWA Belleville Meet
        • 1888 Gnaedinger Cup
      • 1889 CWA St Catherines Meet
    • 1890 MAAA grounds & road racing >
      • 1890 CWA Ottawa Meet >
        • 1891 Road Race, Safeties vs Ordinaries
      • 1891 Arrival of Safety Bicycle >
        • 1891 CWA Hamilton Meet
        • 1891 MAAA grounds racing
        • 1891 Annual Report
    • 1892 Springtime News >
      • 1892 Composite Photo
      • 1892 Racing News
      • 1892 Kingston Meet
      • 1892 Century Run
    • 1893 Annual Report
    • 1894 Sarnia to Montreal Relay Ride >
      • 1894 CWA Meet Montreal
      • 1894 CWA Racing Rules
    • 1895 Annual Report
    • 1896 Annual Report >
      • 1896 Montreal Star Bicycle Issue
      • 1896 Wheel and Cycling Review article on Montreal
    • 1897 Annual Report >
      • 1897 Notman Composite Photograph
      • 1897 Bicycle Map of Montreal
    • 1898 Annual Report >
      • 1898 Montreal Park and Island Railway
      • 1898 Queens Park Velodrome Verdun
    • 1899 World Championship Speculation >
      • 1899 Major Taylor sets World record
      • 1899 World Championship Report
      • 1899 Montreal Gazette 10 Aug
    • 1900 CWA & CCA
    • 1901 Annual Report
  • Cycling Without Age
    • Go Fund Me
    • Cycling Without Age in Westmount
    • The Sociable tricycle
    • 27 Nov 2020 CWA Kick Off Meeting
    • 15 Jan 2021 CWA Progress Meeting
Back

Montreal Cycling History
The Bicycle Craze of the 1890's

      Suddenly almost anyone, man or woman, could ride a bicycle and the bicycle craze of the 1890’s was born. (note this tandem bicycle is steered by the man in the rear)  
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       All over the world, interest in cycling exploded.  In Montreal an entire issue of the Montreal Star was devoted to cycling. This was not unique to Montreal, the New York Times also devoted entire issues to cycling.

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      This explosion of interest resulted in additional bicycle clubs in Montreal as stated in this 1896 article about cycling in Montreal which appeared in the American cycling journal Wheel and Cycling, These new clubs did not feel obligated to follow the same traditions outlined in the original Montreal Bicycle Club minute book. For example instead of military style uniforms, a wide variety of different styles were chosen, one very much like a prison uniform of black and white horizontal stripes as illustrated in this cartoon.
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        This 1896 article estimates that there were 6500 bicycles in Montreal, as well as 7 new bicycle clubs in addition to the original MBC. The Wanderers located on Stanley street near Dominion Square had much racing success. The Ramblers, who were noted for their hospitality were located on Richmond street in Point St Charles. The YMCA on Dominion Square had an associated club, as did the Victoria Rifles regiment. St Mary’s at 35 members was the smallest club mentioned in this article. The City club  was notable in that it permitted women to have full membership. Finally this article states that the Voltigeurs was the only primarily francophone cycling club in Montreal. Their clubhouse was located in old Montreal at the corner of Notre Dame & St Francois Xavier.

    Cycling interests sometimes combined to form a political force. When a $5 tax was to be  imposed on bicycles, the various club members succeeded in having it reduced to $2. This tax could be avoided further by getting a bicycle license in Westmount rather than Montreal. In this city it cost only 50 cents.


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     By the mid 1890’s the League of American Wheelmen had one hundred thousand members, there were approximately one thousand of bicycle clubs throughout this continent. American racing champions such as Arthur Zimmerman were household names.  Today Zimmerman is best remembered for the controversy he created when he competed in England as an Amateur despite the fact he had received valuable non cash prizes for different competitions.
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      Professionals competed in endurance six day races held in many cities across North America. The most prominent 6 day race, at Madison Square Gardens attracted huge crowds and this race was the premier sporting event in America.  In the 1890’s top professional cycling racers could earn 10 times that of any other sport.
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       However, because indoor professional cycle racing did not survive beyond the 1930’s in North America, there is little memory of that era’s racing today in this continent’s popular imagination.  At the start of the Safety Bicycle era, to be considered as the best cyclist in the world one had to be either the national champion of the UK, or to have won the Madison Square Garden Six day race or be the holder of a world record one mile time.

Picture
    Bicycle racing events at the MAAA grounds were also widely attended, note the 1893 newspaper sketch in the  Montreal Star.

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     Pictures of the crowds can also be seen in details from the 1897 Notman composite photograph of the Montreal Bicycle Club members.  Although a slightly banked cinder track was considered ideal for cycle racing in 1890, due to the intense competition for record times this type of track quickly became obsolete for establishing new records.   Soon the racing members of the Montreal Bicycle Club longed for a the highly banked, wood velodromes that had the best performance times.

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      In 1892 in order to promote the sport, Henry Sturmey of the UK founded the International Cycling Association (ICA). It’s role was to hold an annual cycling world championship and enforce a common definition of Amateurism  which each country defined differently. The first world championship was held in 1893 in Chicago to coincide with the World's Fair.
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Only amateurs were permitted to compete and Arthur Zimmerman won this championship and then joined the professional ranks.
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     In Chicago there also occurred a chance meeting between ZImmerman, and a young Black trick rider, Major Taylor.  Shortly after that meeting, Taylor, a 14 year old boy almost equaled the one mile world record time at a local race.  Birdie Munger. a professional cycle racer, who also built some of the best racing cycles, took Taylor under his wing and the two became lifelong friends and business partners.

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    However, this was also a time of racial segregation in the United States. In 1894  a group of Southerners managed to get the League of American Wheelmen to ban black cyclists from becoming members.  

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      That same year, 1894, A.T. Lane became president of the Canadian Wheelmens Association. The CWA  at that time had 2000 members and the vote for president was tightly contested. A.T. Lane received 764 votes to Dr Dolittle of Toronto with 753.  Montreal won the bid to host the CWA annual meet and in order to promote the event A.T. Lane organised a Sarnia to Montreal relay ride.
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The relay riders carried a letter, passed from one rider to next, requesting better roads. This was signed by 11 mayors along the route.  The ride was accomplished in 33 hours.

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The 1894 CWA annual meet, was hosted by the Montreal Bicycle club at the MAAA grounds in Westmount. For the event, a commemorative booklet entitled “Our City, Our Sports” was published.  It gives a history of Montreal, a summary of all the sports of that era, a poem praising Montreal written by a future mayor of Westmount W.D. Lighthall, a custom printed detailed map of the city as well as many pages of vintage bicycle and travel related advertisements.  A.T. Lane kept the newspaper clippings of his son Bertie’s obituary in his own personal copy of the booklet.

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     At the annual meet, nearly 1000 Wheelmen showed up Sunday morning at the MAAA clubhouse, the Montreal Gymnasium, and marched to St James Church to attend a sermon.  That afternoon there was a ride to Lachine, for a dip in the St Lawrence. Monday morning there was a trip down the rapids, in which 500 Wheelmen participated, followed by a parade.
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     Over the next few days, a series of races was held at the MAAA grounds.  The CWA Meet finished with a presentation of prizes, accompanied by music played  Victoria Rifles, along with a demonstration bicycle polo match, all of which were held at the Victoria Skating Rink.
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  • About
    • TV Series Montreal's Cycling Ghosts >
      • S1 E1 Pilot
      • S1 E2 Ghostly Commands
      • S1 E3 Running with the Bulls
      • S2 E1 Lessons from the Pandemic
    • MBC Historical Bike Tour >
      • Tour Starting Point Shaika Cafe
      • Stop #1 MAAA Grounds
      • Stop #2 Founding of Club at 33 Chomedey
      • Stop #3 Bertie Lane's CDN Hill Climb
      • Stop #4 Lacrosse Grounds
      • Stop #10 Queens park Velodrome Verdun
      • Tour Lunch Break: Lachine Rapids
      • Stop # 11 Fleming Windmill
    • How to join
    • Contact us
    • Issues >
      • Sherbrooke Street Bike Path
  • Minute Book
    • Fixtures Calendar >
      • Instructions on Adding Fixtures to personal Google Calendar
    • MBC Blog
    • Falaise Birder's Blog
    • 2023 Annual Report >
      • January 2023
      • February 2023
      • March 2023
    • 2022 Annual Report >
      • January 2022
      • February 2022
      • March 2022
      • May 2022
      • June 2022
      • July 2022
      • August 2022
      • September 2022
      • October 2022
      • November 2022 >
        • November 2022 (Google Slide)
      • December 2022
    • 2021 Annual Report >
      • January 2021
      • February 2021
      • March 2021
      • April 2021
      • May 2021
      • June 2021
      • July 2021
      • August 2021
      • September 2021
      • October 2021
      • November 2021
      • December 2021
    • 2020 Annual Report >
      • 2020 Composite Photo
      • January 2020
      • February 2020
      • March 2020
      • April 2020
      • May 2020
      • June 2020
      • July 2020
      • August 2020
      • September 2020
      • October 2020
      • November 2020 >
        • Rev Dreams
      • December 2020
    • 2019 Annual Report >
      • January 2019
      • February 2019
      • March 2019
      • April 2019
      • May 2019
      • June 2019
      • July 2019 >
        • 2-3 July 2019 Prince Edward County / Kingston
        • 18-23 July 2019 Saguenay & Charlevoix Tour
      • August 2019 >
        • 2-4 August 2019 Tout Le P'tit Train du Nord
      • September 2019 >
        • 1-2 September 2019 Simcoe County Loop (Wendat Trail)
        • 11-13 September 2019 Rivière-à-Pierre to Quebec City
      • October 2019
      • November 2019
      • December 2019
    • 2018 Annual Report >
      • March 2018
      • April 2018 >
        • Pittsburgh to Washington DC Excursion
      • May 2018
      • June 2018
      • July 2018
      • August 2018
      • September 2018 >
        • Park(ing) Day in Westmount 2018
      • October 2018
      • November 2018
    • 2017 Annual Report >
      • 4 March 2017, Nuit Blanche
      • 21 March 2017, Re-Founders Meeting
      • 25 March - Earth Hour / Turcot Bicycle Overpass
      • 02 April - Fixture Ride highligthing Issues
      • 18 May Atwater Library Lunchtime Series
      • June - Fixture rides
      • July - Fixture rides
      • August - Fixture rides
      • September - Fixture rides
      • October - Fixture rides
      • November - Fixture Rides
      • December - Fixture Rides
    • Club Minute Book 1878-1904
    • 2 Dec 1878 Meeting
  • Poppies
    • Sobriquets A-D >
      • F.E. Adams
      • Susan B. Anthony
      • Louise Armaindo
      • E.W. Barlow
      • A.G. Batchelder
      • Daisy Bell
      • Ernestine Bernard
      • G. T. Bishop
      • Amelia Bloomer
      • Elsa von Blumen
      • Claud Butler
      • Dorothy Coles
      • Phylis Cole & Joan Cole
      • Disreali
      • Dr. Parry E. Doolittle
      • Joseph Drury
    • Sobriquets E-L >
      • Miss M.J. Frothingham
      • Arhur Edward George
      • Forest Gnome
      • Daisy Greville
      • Arthur Harris
      • G. Harries
      • Alice Hawkins
      • Edmond Jacquelin
      • F.M.S. Jenkins
      • G. Kingan
      • Kittie Knox
      • Karolina Kocięcka
      • Karl Kron
      • Pierre Lallement
      • A.T. Lane
      • Exilda Lachapelle
      • G.S Low
      • Annie Londonderry
      • D. S. Louson
    • Sobriquets M-U >
      • Kirkpatrick Macmillan
      • Susan McCormick
      • Birdie Munger
      • Mile A Minute Murphy
      • W.G. Ross
      • Louis Rubenstein
      • Alfred Wesley Sherritt
      • S. Saxe
      • C.J. Sidey
      • The Snowball Sisters
      • James Starley
      • Henry Sturmey
      • Helena Swanwick
      • W. Tately
      • Major Taylor
      • Doreen Thomas
      • H.S. Tibbs
    • Sobriquets W-Z >
      • Vélocio
      • Queen Victoria
      • J.E. Walsh
      • Maria E. Ward
      • W.S. Weldon
      • The Royal Worcester
    • Places >
      • Velocipede Era 1867-1874 >
        • Drill Hall
        • Nordheimer's Hall
        • Crystal Palace
      • High Wheel Era 1874-1891 >
        • 33 Chomedey Street
        • Lacrosse Grounds
        • MAAA Clubhouse (Montreal Gymnasium)
        • Blue Bonnets
        • MAAA Grounds
      • Bicycle Craze of the 1890's >
        • The Wanderers Bicycle Club
        • YMCA Building Dominion Square
        • Queens Park Velodrome
    • Things
  • History
    • 1817-1867 Dandy Horse Era
    • 1867-1874 Velocipede era
    • Birth of the High Wheel Bicycle
    • The High Wheel Bicycle comes to North America
    • Founding of the Montreal Bicycle Club >
      • MBC Uniforms and Symbols
    • The High Wheel Era in Montreal >
      • Canadian Wheelmen's Association (CWA) Annual Meets
    • The MAAA grounds and the transition to the Safety Bicycle
    • The Bicycle Craze of the 1890's
    • The 1899 International Cycling Association World Championship in Montreal
    • Collapse of 19th Century Bicycle Organizations
    • Conclusion >
      • 1900-1918 Everyday transportation
    • Records >
      • Online Sources
      • Books and papers on subject
      • Where to find Artifacts
      • detailed references
      • Historical maps of Montreal
      • 1894 CWA Meet Montreal Map
  • Scrapbook
    • 1870's Ice Velocipede >
      • 1878 MBC By Laws
    • 1880 MBC Meeting to join LAW >
      • 1882 Louise Armaindo 100 mile race in Montreal
      • 1882 Group Photo and early race
      • 1883 MBC History from CWA The Bicycle
      • 1884 Mr Jenkins Ottawa-Matane tour >
        • 1884 CWA Meet in Toronto
        • 1884 CWA request for funds by Karl Kron
      • 1885 Notman Composite Photograph >
        • 1885 Fixtures and race reports
        • 1885 CWA Meet in Woodstock
        • 1885 kangaroos and tricycles
        • 1885 W.G. Ross, early champion
      • 1886 Fixtures, race and CWA parade reports
      • 1887 Bertie Lane & CDN hill >
        • Toast to Bertie Lane
      • 1888 Ottawa Meet >
        • 1888 CWA Belleville Meet
        • 1888 Gnaedinger Cup
      • 1889 CWA St Catherines Meet
    • 1890 MAAA grounds & road racing >
      • 1890 CWA Ottawa Meet >
        • 1891 Road Race, Safeties vs Ordinaries
      • 1891 Arrival of Safety Bicycle >
        • 1891 CWA Hamilton Meet
        • 1891 MAAA grounds racing
        • 1891 Annual Report
    • 1892 Springtime News >
      • 1892 Composite Photo
      • 1892 Racing News
      • 1892 Kingston Meet
      • 1892 Century Run
    • 1893 Annual Report
    • 1894 Sarnia to Montreal Relay Ride >
      • 1894 CWA Meet Montreal
      • 1894 CWA Racing Rules
    • 1895 Annual Report
    • 1896 Annual Report >
      • 1896 Montreal Star Bicycle Issue
      • 1896 Wheel and Cycling Review article on Montreal
    • 1897 Annual Report >
      • 1897 Notman Composite Photograph
      • 1897 Bicycle Map of Montreal
    • 1898 Annual Report >
      • 1898 Montreal Park and Island Railway
      • 1898 Queens Park Velodrome Verdun
    • 1899 World Championship Speculation >
      • 1899 Major Taylor sets World record
      • 1899 World Championship Report
      • 1899 Montreal Gazette 10 Aug
    • 1900 CWA & CCA
    • 1901 Annual Report
  • Cycling Without Age
    • Go Fund Me
    • Cycling Without Age in Westmount
    • The Sociable tricycle
    • 27 Nov 2020 CWA Kick Off Meeting
    • 15 Jan 2021 CWA Progress Meeting