For Jobst and other Alpine enthusiasts

"Cycling in the Alps," by Charles Lincoln Freeston, 1900:

http://books.google.com/books?id=voI...ummary_r&cad=0

A familiar pass:
http://books.google.com/books?id=voISAAAAYAAJ&pg=PR4
http://books.google.com/books?id=voISAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA12
http://books.google.com/books?id=voISAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA193

List of illustrations of other passes and scenes:
http://books.google.com/books?id=voISAAAAYAAJ&pg=PR13

The chapter "Purely Mechanical" warns against cheap tandems, advocates
_two_ rim brakes, and discusses the fine points of coasting pegs
attached to the fork of a fixie.

Proper Alpine gearing consisted of getting off and pushing:

"If he already knows anything about gradients— and no tourist should
be ignorant on such a topic—he may take a rise of 1 in 8 as typifying
a really steep hill, such as Westerham and other familiar examples in
Kent. None of the passes, he will find, approach this limit of
severity; they are much more likely, in fact, to rise at the rate, on
the average, of 1 in 15. But against this, of course, is to be set the
protracted nature of the ascents, which may be continuously unridable
for a dozen or more miles."

There is much, however, that may be set against this apparently
appalling prospect. It is rare, indeed, that the road is so monotonous
as to be unredeemed by picturesque surroundings which of themselves
demand a frequent halt, even if the fatigue of the moment does not
require it. It is rare, too, that the hotels or inns are so far apart
that one need be in any fear of lack of food, or even accommodation
for the night, if it becomes advisable to curtail the appointed
programme. The cyclist's chief aim should be to dismiss all sense of
anxiety from his mind, and that eagerness to get the hard work over
which is so praiseworthy as a rule, but must here be tempered by
restraint. We cyclists loathe hills because they interfere with the
uniformity of our progress; but if we could but bring ourselves to
analyze the matter, we should find that we often do much harder work
when in the saddle than in tackling the steepest and longest hill up
which we have ever had to push a machine. It is because the contrast
between this pushing and easy cycling on the level is so sharp that we
come to hate walking with a machine at all; but in reality the pushing
itself demands less labour than many would willingly devote to the
pursuit of another form of exercise. For myself, I would rather ascend
an Alpine pass any day than row against stream, or play forward in a
football team, or field at point under a broiling sun."

"The thing above all others that the cyclist should essay to do before
beginning to ascend a pass is to get rid of the grudging feeling of
distaste for every moment that he is out of the saddle. If he can do
this, and resign himself to the long walking with a cheerful spirit,
he will reduce the sensations of fatigue by one-half. I do not say
that he will never get tired, but I do say, and emphatically, that the
fatigue of pushing a machine is mental as much as physical, and that
with patience as his motto he may pull through in a way that would
surprise himself at home. He will have gained permanently, too, when
he has got back home, for the potent recollections of the long climbs
will make most English hills seem short; and though he will have to
work none the less hard on those which are just ridable, he will feel
vastly more comfortable than of yore on those which are beyond his
powers. Like most cyclists, I used to be ashamed to dismount unless
actually compelled; but after my Swiss and Tyrolese experiences, I
have not the smallest scruple in so doing, and even welcome the very
change of action that was formerly detestable."
http://books.google.com/books?id=voISAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA216

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

wrote:
"Cycling in the Alps," by Charles Lincoln Freeston, 1900:

http://books.google.com/books?id=voI...ummary_r&cad=0

A familiar pass:
http://books.google.com/books?id=voISAAAAYAAJ&pg=PR4
http://books.google.com/books?id=voISAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA12
http://books.google.com/books?id=voISAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA193

List of illustrations of other passes and scenes:
http://books.google.com/books?id=voISAAAAYAAJ&pg=PR13

....

Carl Fogel

Thanks for the link, Carl. I don't know if you noticed, but since the
book's copyright has expired, you can download the whole thing.

--
Paul M. Hobson
..:change the f to ph to reply:.

On Jul 3, 9:43*pm, wrote:
"Cycling in the Alps," by Charles Lincoln Freeston, 1900:

http://books.google.com/books?id=voI...titlepage&sour....

A familiar pass:
*http://books.google.com/books?id=voISAAAAYAAJ&pg=PR4
*http://books.google.com/books?id=voISAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA12
*http://books.google.com/books?id=voISAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA193

List of illustrations of other passes and scenes:
*http://books.google.com/books?id=voISAAAAYAAJ&pg=PR13

The chapter "Purely Mechanical" warns against cheap tandems, advocates
_two_ rim brakes, and discusses the fine points of coasting pegs
attached to the fork of a fixie.

Proper Alpine gearing consisted of getting off and pushing:

"If he already knows anything about gradients— and no tourist should
be ignorant on such a topic—he may take a rise of 1 in 8 as typifying
a really steep hill, such as Westerham and other familiar examples in
Kent. None of the passes, he will find, approach this limit of
severity; they are much more likely, in fact, to rise at the rate, on
the average, of 1 in 15. But against this, of course, is to be set the
protracted nature of the ascents, which may be continuously unridable
for a dozen or more miles."

There is much, however, that may be set against this apparently
appalling prospect. It is rare, indeed, that the road is so monotonous
as to be unredeemed by picturesque surroundings which of themselves
demand a frequent halt, even if the fatigue of the moment does not
require it. It is rare, too, that the hotels or inns are so far apart
that one need be in any fear of lack of food, or even accommodation
for the night, if it becomes advisable to curtail the appointed
programme. The cyclist's chief aim should be to dismiss all sense of
anxiety from his mind, and that eagerness to get the hard work over
which is so praiseworthy as a rule, but must here be tempered by
restraint. We cyclists loathe hills because they interfere with the
uniformity of our progress; but if we could but bring ourselves to
analyze the matter, we should find that we often do much harder work
when in the saddle than in tackling the steepest and longest hill up
which we have ever had to push a machine. It is because the contrast
between this pushing and easy cycling on the level is so sharp that we
come to hate walking with a machine at all; but in reality the pushing
itself demands less labour than many would willingly devote to the
pursuit of another form of exercise. For myself, I would rather ascend
an Alpine pass any day than row against stream, or play forward in a
football team, or field at point under a broiling sun."

"The thing above all others that the cyclist should essay to do before
beginning to ascend a pass is to get rid of the grudging feeling of
distaste for every moment that he is out of the saddle. If he can do
this, and resign himself to the long walking with a cheerful spirit,
he will reduce the sensations of fatigue by one-half. I do not say
that he will never get tired, but I do say, and emphatically, that the
fatigue of pushing a machine is mental as much as physical, and that
with patience as his motto he may pull through in a way that would
surprise himself at home. He will have gained permanently, too, when
he has got back home, for the potent recollections of the long climbs
will make most English hills seem short; and though he will have to
work none the less hard on those which are just ridable, he will feel
vastly more comfortable than of yore on those which are beyond his
powers. Like most cyclists, I used to be ashamed to dismount unless
actually compelled; but after my Swiss and Tyrolese experiences, I
have not the smallest scruple in so doing, and even welcome the very
change of action that was formerly detestable."
*http://books.google.com/books?id=voISAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA216

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

Ooh, I enjoyed that. i noticed the other day while the pedal pals and
I discussed which route to cycle that routes were being rated,
assessed, in terms of whether and how often we would have to dismount
and push. So what else hasn't changed in a century?

Andre Jute
I'd like to be a reactionary but I'm too comfortable