Race penny-farthings in the
Race to West EndGO!
Race penny-farthings in the
Race to West EndGO!
On Thanksgiving Day 1890, over 400 spectators came together to witness a ballyhooed new bicycle race to West End, boarding what one newspaper described as “a grandstand in the shape of a moving train.” It was, in fact, an actual City and the Lake Railway train, chartered to take its passengers down Canal Street to the starting line of the race at Claiborne Avenue. There, hundreds more cycling fans had gathered on the sidewalks and neutral ground to see the start. When the starting gun sounded, the train sped along with the racers down Canal toward the cemeteries near City Park, with fans screaming encouragement to their favorite riders. Some of the riders fell and abandoned the race, but as they crossed a bridge to a shell road that led to West End two frontrunners emerged: H. W. Palfrey and Ben Cason. In the final 150 yards of the race Cason overtook Pelfry to win the top prize—a gold medal—with a time of 21 minutes and 19 seconds, beating his rival by 4 seconds. The success of this first Thanksgiving Day race helped establish it as a regular holiday tradition.
Start racing!