Asbury Park Press from Asbury Park, New Jersey • Page 41

ASBURY PARK SUNDAY PRESS, Jan. 24, 1963 41 iunun i rue; More ITas Its Share of Bike Riders Who Recall Old Days Days of Velodrome Recalled by Several Monmouth and Ocean counties i "century" rides his club took can boast of a surprising num for training in the Spring. Thev V. )f A H'y I. tfJ 1 J-" Vowy).

AO ber of veterans from the heyday of bicycle racing. George Chapman, six-time national motor pace champion and now building inspector in Point Pleasant Beach, believes would ride from Manhattan to Bear Mountain, cross the Bear Mountain Bridge, and return through Westchester County. "We would do the 100 miles in about five hours," he says. Moen was born in Holland this may be because Newark was regarded bv most as the but came to this country at an headquarters of the sport. I early age.

He lived in Roselle Most of the European riders rK and rode under the colors of the Bayview Wheelmen. who came over here wanted to get to Newark," he says. By 1940 when interest in rac ing was declining, Newark was Newark, mostly at Weeqaahic Park and Nutley. 1936 he was an alternate on the four-man Olympic road racing He won the honor by placing behind Jackie Simes Buster Logan, Charlie Morton, and John Sinaboldi in the two elimination races. One a busy metropolis, but the Shore was just coming into its own.

Many ex-riders came here to live and work. was a 62 -mile race through Chapman and Charles Pier-cey, a professional who traveled in 27 counties during his 16-year career, went into the charter boat business in Bri Paterson and the other went I Jif'A 14 If I. rax x.1 I 50 miles from Newark to Somerville and back A I'M If Moen also raced at the State Fair in Trenton. One of the races he would rather forget. piJ his Chuck bwenson, a teammate dle.

Piercey still lives there. Oscar Sellinger, a well known amateur and professional rider, is a house painter and lives in Point Peasant. His brother, Albert, the United States' only sprinter in the 1936 Olympics, summers nearby. Olympic Trial wanted a picture of the race so he positioned himself on one of the turns. He took a good picture of the pack coming down the stretch but wasn't Vinnie Seiferd helps his daughter, Karen, 11, prepart her racing bike In hii Brtell shop.

Oscar Sellinger relaxes with his wife, Ruth, and daughter, Janet, In their Point Pleasant They have another daughter and a son at home. able to get off the track in time. "Over 80 of us went down in lit i '4: that spill," Moen recalls. Oscar Sellinger was also introduced to racing by his father, a bicycle shop proprietor in Neil Moen, a seventh-place finisher in the 1936 Olympic road racing trials and an out-tanding amateur during the 30s, is a builder in Wall Township. Another outstanding amateur, Vinnie Seiferd, now lives in Bri-elle and runs a bicycle shop.

Don MacDougall, whom Chapman says was the fastest starter ever, lives in Seaside Park. Eddie Ruprecht, a real old-timer who retired about 1917, lives in Metedeconk, Brick Township. Willie Grimm, another profes Irvington. His- mother is still the "Betsy Ross" of bicycle racing, he says. "She has been making racing jerseys for more than 40 years." Sellinger rode the best part of his career in Nutley and Coney Island.

He was runner- sional sprinter, is building a house and expects to move to up in the 1934 and 1935 national Point Pleasant in the spring, I sprint championships and Chapman says. placed second to his brother, Vinnie Esposito, two time Albert, for the one-man Olympic state road champion, spends his sprint team in i9Jb. He teamed with his brother for several summers in Sunshine Harbor, Point Pleasant. Bicycle racing was a major spectator sport during the 20s and 30s. Velodromes tracks designed especially for bicycles six-day races.

He entered the 25-mile tour of Kearny to get in some training in 1934. Miss Curve "Being a track rider, nobody sprang up an over tne cast V- 'a ViPttw Lz ft ern seaboard. They were usual- including myself thought I had ly 6 or 7 laps to a mile and a chance," he recalled, had extremely high banks at There were 50-60 starters, he each end to allow maximum says, but the field was dras- speed in the turns. tically reduced when a dozen "You couldn't climb that French riders failed to negotiate bank even with sneakers," the first curve and sailed ig- Moen testifies. nominiously into the Jersey meadows.

"About the third or fourth lap, I was having some trouble getting up a hill," he goes Lights Went Out Most of the velodromes were outdoors, but all had lights for Cornelius (Neil) Moen shows daughters, Adrienr.e (left), and Vivian, some of his clippings from bike racing days. Adrienne Is junior at Wall High, and Vivian teaches at Shore Regional High. They live in Wall Township. night racing. Once in Providence," Chap-1 on.

"Frank Keating, a good man relates, "We were going road rider, grabbed the seat of like hell when all the lights my pants and pushed me up. went out. It was total dark-1 He must have felt sorry for ness. It felt like you were fly-, me." The next lap Keating blew ine through the air; even the a tire and had to drop out. Charles Piercey, Brielle, looks at one of the many hunting and fishing trophies has collected since giving up bike racing.

surface of the track was invisi-1 "We finished going up a hill. ble. There could have been a in a fascinating era of American sports history and the Shore can be proud to have them here. booked as an Australian, was the Newark Velodrome in 1926 really born in San Francisco. and worked for Dunlop until he He went Down Under with his came to Brielle.

father about 1900. Each of these men took part Piercey never rode as an am- I was right behind the leader, Martin Journey, and he kept looking back to see if anyone was closing on him. I stayed out of his sight and about halfway up the hill slipped past to win." Journey was so taken back, he lost his incentive and finished far back. serious accident but all the spectators lit matches and we were able to follow the track while slowing down." The six-day races probably received the most attention but the varied cards offered by most tracks drew millions of ateur. In 1910 at 17 he won the 165-mile Dunlop road race in Melbourne over 409 starters.

He won the Aussie road racing championship in 1914, and was sent to Europe to represent "I was never so tired in my spectators. There were pursuit Wta If A ft races in wnicn tne naers dcumgci luuuuucs. enchased each other around a er everyone counting me out, track until one caught the oth-1 though, I appreciate that race Sforewide CLEARANCE NOW AT Robert HoW Clothes Aibury Pork, Route 35, Atbury Park Traffic Circle Tomi River, Roure 37 (Locuir Srraat) Keomburg, Roure 36 (On Main Street) Dunlop in races there. When World War I curtailed racing in Europe, Piercey came to the United States. During the next 12 years he er.

There were team races and more than any other. George Chapman also started tandem (two men on one bike) races, one mile sprints, and ten-mile events. During the winter, the promoters even put bicycles on rollers and the spectators came to see which rider could turn the wheel faster. competed in 22 six-day races and saw most of the world. In a 1914 race in New York, he was able to make more than $750 in prize money.

"But it at the Newark Velodrome in 1916. By 1918 he was a professional and by 1920 national motor pace champion. In motor pace racing, the cyclist rides close behind a motorcycle and takes advantage of was a hard way to make a living," he says. Catch Short Naps In a six-day race, teams of two keep a bicycle going continuously for six days and nights. If you were lucky you got to rest for 2-3 hours at a time, Piercey says, but most of the time you caught short Peak in Depression Bicycle racing reached its zenith during the depression.

"It was amazing how willing people were to donate prizes and pay admissions during such hard times," Moen says. Prizes weren't much, he goes on, a dozen eggs, 2 haircuts, a butter "But even as an amateur, the vacuum the machine and rider create. There is a roller bar behind the motorcycle to prevent the bicycle hitting its back wheel. The team achieves tremendous speeds. It was not unusual for Chapman to cover a mile in 57 seconds, over a mile a 1 9 4 I fti i i ii i mmama George Chapman and his wife look at a picture of him when he was American bike racing champion, They live in Point Pleasant Beach.

naps. Spectators offered prizes for sprints, and competitors periodically tried to gain a lap on the opposition. "This is what the crowd came to see," he says. "As soon as somebody 'went' if you won a race or two you could go home with a week's wages in merchandise." Vinnie Seiferd was born and brought up, in Brooklyn. His father, an amateur cyclist and a competitor in Madison Square Garden's last six-day running race, introduced him to bike racing.

He competed in road races but soon switched to at the Coney Island Velo Hockey Great Couldn 't Even Skate minute. Chapman raced in all the major velodromes in the country and made three trips to Europe during his career. He won six consecutive national titles, then three more international crowns. Oscar Egg, Alf Goulet, and Vince Madonna were his principal competition. Seven of his speed records still stand, he says.

He traveled for several winters on the Keith vaudeville cir s. NEW YORK Wl "Just i Lockhart, who was born and i member that they started play-1 fessional hockey as a vocation? think, I made the Hockey Hall reared in New York City. ing organized hockey only about "Ml the' National Hockey your trainer would be rolling you out of bed to be ready to meet the challenge," Piercey recalls. He rode in the 28-day tour of France and the 336-mile nonstop Bordeaux to Paris race. He once teamed with Reggie "of Fame and I never could even But i ll tell you that hockey 10 if years dgu.

League-sponsored clubs are in STARTS WEDNESDAY MAYFAIR ASBURY PARK COMMUNITY TOMS RIVER THUSSIHY COMMUNITY. UT0NT3WN Tine hn cnmA nil A.rn I flP flr fans are the same all over," me Japanese are also com- Canada," Lockhart answered. drome. Riding tor the hmpire skate," chuckled Tom Lockhart ho arlHnd ctnnnins un hie vnr. ih2 On last.

1 (lev lOOKed VCrV "If thnpo uiac mnro mnnov ennnt uri i UA cuit. He and two other racers At 72, Lockhart stands erect cKMcaily: "I bad in the 1960 Olympics at in rvelopmcnt of ScTsuccess in ihe Nutiov land exudes enthusiasm. watched an American team Squaw Valley. They didn't win ca71 youngsters you'd see more Velodrome and at Starlight His hair is white, the color play the Russians three times r9 game because they couldn't 0f them like Tom Williams." Park jn the Bronx. inn iiii.lh.i.

i ii mi nium mi ice, and his complexion is in Moscow and every night there -uiMidnuie aim meir pacing. wiiiiams now wjth the Bos-, He competed in the national iii iL i I nknt en nM cn ij i Uqc nrn; Kilt thou ocLrnn a r. rode roller bikes on stage while a miniature track recorded the action. "It was quite an act," he admits. His salary of $600 per week attests to tne popularity of the sport.

Charles Piercey, always McNamara to win the European 100 kilometer championship. He also rode with Alf Grenda, another Australian; Frank Cav-anaugh, Joe Kopski, and "Cat" Thomas. Piercey ended his career at "ruuay, me coior 01 me nne inai wcjc auuui, uu uu mus vm- riv. ton Bruins, is a native of Uu- divides a hockey rink in half, i ing outside for autographs and ot of questions, took many pic-luth Minn and the only If yoa were to ask him the i broken sticks. For a minute tares, exact date of his recent sclec-1 thought I was back taug ithemsdves tL.

league. tion to the hockey shrine in the Maaism i5(luare harden." muh, vuinmg Lockhart calls his nomination laws ins iiiiiiuiuuiuii championships 1932 to 36 and because many of the races were he raced against most of the big name six-day riders. Among them were George Dempsey, Charlie Ritter, Alf Letournier, Jimmy Walthouer, and Gerard Bates. He turned professional in paces 12 years, remembered 1111 r9m0 ua builders' catecorv. he'd oroba- Lockhart got his start in llihiH ft rnnt 1 tnnrvt i-v tvlmir man uc ocih a uaui ui iicvy Ihn fin hnplfov in Marlionn flnimrp flar.

high l'ght of his career. JAMES BOND IS BACK III ACTION! 3 mo amateur, hockey players "It's all been fun," he said. i. rrnni nH (ho C'actorr, nomin tO JaDan in 1953. ganized the Eastern League, Jummv Durante.

"I'Iip Jananpse askprl a lot of "Most a11 1 rve en" jne Japanese asKca a wt -a ithort enhnni then a seven-duo circuit w.th joyed making friends of people and rode out his career in two- nyma frinnrfc nf nonio four franchises in New York and T' in ho-key all over the world." hour team and tandem races in o( Orto 1(! ho has mnrp than than "b- "i 11 1 n. ah ne Like Durante, he has a mil- Nutley. lion of 'em. 1 Seiferd likes to tell about the Uc CUv and rived in Tokyo they were met at the airport by about 15 Japa TRANSMISSIONS COMPUIEtr OVERHAULED INCLUDES. Bands, Clutch, Gaikett, Sea 1 1, Sealing Ringi, New ATF-A Tranimlition Fluid and labor.

FREE NOTHING TOWING DOWN UNCONDITIONALLY GUARANTEED nese. They were interviewed by these men for more than an hour and asked about their style of play and hundreds of other things like that while the Japanese took notes, "The next night, our team Muskegon to Moscow in his dual 1 Today, only the Rovers rep- capacity as president of the resent New York and the EHL Amateur Hockey Association of has other clubs representing the United States and president cities from Clinton, N.Y., to I of the 11-team Eastern League. I Jacksonville, Fla. "I guess I travel around might go as high as 14 000 miles a year," he estimat- teams next season," Lockhart ed. "and I've visited several predicts.

SAVE DURING LEVINS PRE-INVENT0RY "GOLDFINGER" ilMBR Antvrrlni RcrTlee A Hoort Dan played their first game in Ja- countries abroad." In 'nternalional competition, pan. We had no idea who was Most memorable among his the veteran executive is most going to be on the other team. trips was one to the Soviet Un- impressed by the improvement 'Ycr. turned out to he the TECHNICOLOR' pussy oow SHlRftY FATOK 809 Railroad Ave. ASBURY PARK ZY GERT FROBE GOLDFINGER III ion two years ago.

in the play of the Russians and same 15 guys who had inter-: UNITED MTISTJ ichwk 7nu kh mm miikn mmiJiti "They cave me a young in- Japanese. viewed our avers at the a r- terprctcr and I think I got the "The Russians have made port." 774-6800 MAIN Cr LAKE, ASBURY PARK uy a little confused with my i tremendous strides," he point- Opn Mon. thro Rtl. I te Tress Classified AdverlWni: firing KwuiU vvnai aDoui tne prospects ot more Americans turning to pro- ast Siae Biang, laugneaiea out, -and you nave to re-.