Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/703695
52 nAugust 2016n www.thunderpress.net THUNDER PRESS Fournier and Henshaw had 16 pace engagements and traveled over 10,000 miles to fulfi ll them. There was money to be made. During this period, both Oscar Hedstrom and Charles Henshaw were also racing as professional bicyclists and, as a muscle-powered tandem team, held the national records for the unpaced half-mile and mile, and the mile and two-mile records for paced. As part of a quint (fi ve-man tandem) team Hedstrom placed third at Ambrose Park in May, while Henshaw, paired with Kent, came in fourth. Unfortunately, on June 19 at Manhattan Beach in the fourth lap of the Great Atlantic Sweepstakes, Hedstom got tan- gled up in a spill with two other riders and dislocated his shoulder, which put him out of competition for the remain- der of the season. On September 18, Hedstrom teamed up with pattern designer William Russell Frisbie, who did con- tract work for Worcester Cycle Mfg., Waltham Mfg., and Keating Wheel Co. to create a motorized pacer. Hedstrom built a tandem frame and modifi ed—or, at the very least, converted from metric to SAE—a De Dion engine in the shop that he had been renting from Worcester Cycle since February 1898. This tan- dem motor pacer, nicknamed the Royal Blue Express because of its paint and nickel fi xtures, was built under con- tract for racing star Charles Miller. Weighing only 130 lbs., it was tested on November 24, 1899, in Middletown and three days later at the Berkley Oval in New York. It would be used in the main event at Madison Square Garden on December 16 to successfully pace Harry Elkes in the one-hour race. The partnership between Hedstrom and Frisbee was dissolved in January 1900 because Frisbie wanted to develop marine engines and automo- biles. Hedstrom continued working on his own motorized pacers fi tted with his modifi ed De Dion "Typhoon" engines—tandem #2 was built in May with a 3.25 hp engine and #3 had a 5 hp—and producing his Hedstrom Special racing bicycles. Several of the motor tandems were sold to racers in the spring, but despite numerous requests he stopped producing them during the race season due to team commitments. That March, Kenneth Skinner retained the services of both Henshaw and Hedstrom as racing experts to rep- resent his interests on the track, but it wasn't an exclusive contract. The team of Henshaw and Hedstrom owned two Typhoon tandems and ran them with Everitt Ryand and Harry E. Caldwell— both champions—as steersmen during the 1900 race season, and there was the team of Fournier and Henshaw with its own hectic schedule. Although Hedstrom and Henshaw did pace in the Springfi eld event on July 31, the press mentioned one or the other men at numerous events from Philadelphia to Boston during the 1900 race season. The 15-mile motor tandem race that was held on December 28 at Madison Square Garden has provided a basis for one version of the Hendee-meets- Hedstrom myth, but whether or not either man attended that event remains unknown. However, that month it was announced that Charles Henshaw would be going on the road as the New England representative for the E.R. Thomas Motor Company. This, plus the Worcester Cycle Co. bankruptcy, may have had an impact on Hedstrom's decision to seek another venture. 4 DAREDEVIL CITY Capital Evel Celebrate America's favorite stuntman with a visit to the world's largest collection of Evel Knievel memorabilia. Opening in 2016, The Evel Knievel Thrill Show & Museum at Historic Harley-Davidson will feature motorcycles, performance leathers and mementos from the death-defying daredevil. Connect with us to discover more than 20 other exciting things to see and do in Topeka, plus festivals and events. VisitTopeka.com/Evel | 800-235-1030 LOW COST 1 - 800 - 800 - 0965 CYCLEINSURE 3UNRISE "LVD s 3UITE " Fair Oaks, CA 95628 www.cycleinsure.com Lic. #0681130 &OR A QUOTE CALL We now cover most western states and Florida Low as $ 50 per year INSURANCE Indian Continued from page 50 A pacer at the Springfi eld Colosseum in 1900. Note the size of that motorcycle.