The 1894 Los Angeles - Santa Monica Road Race

As was typical, the build-up to the annual 4th of July race began days in advance - a complete list of entrants with their start times, and prize list for time and placings was announced on July 1. At that time the race was being billed as the largest road race to be held west of Chicago, with one hundred six racers expected to compete, and prizes given to the four fastest on time, and to twenty-eighth place; three special prizes were also up for the taking - a $2000 accident insurance policy to be awarded to the bicycle dealer whose three fastest wheels made the best average race time, a stein to the last man to finish within an hour, and the booby prize, a choice between a wire mattress-fed goat, or the extraction of two front teeth (not guaranteed painless) awarded to the last man to finish.

Four men would go off first - N. L. Biehl, George Dorman, Ernest Cole, Joe Burkhardt - a full twelve minutes ahead of the scratch men who, this year, were Thomas McAleer, W. M. Jenkins (defending time champion), P. Kitchen, and O. Castleman. Three racers were to start a mere thirty seconds ahead of scratch, including Emile Ulbricht.

A great crowd of spectators was once again present, with some 2000 people packing Hill Street between Second and Third. It was noted that the vast majority of racers this year were new to the race: "Fox, McCrea, Shoemaker, James Cowan and Maxson Smith, all of the Riverside team, were missing, and there was little to fear from the men from the orange center. Castleman and other lesser swifts endeavored to sustain the reputation of the yellow ribbon team who have made so many brilliant successes on the Los Angeles track."

The first men went off at 8:48, the scratch men at 9:00 so that there was as much as a two to three mile gap between the front riders and the last. "The long procession of swiftly flying wheels made a pretty spectacle as they sped down Hill street to the city by the sea. So far as the eye could reach down the long, narrow street no great change was noticed... [but] after the two mile post was reached there came a scattering."

F. W. Robbins, considered to be the best rider from Santa Paula suffered multiple mechanicals, a broken chain, an unrideable replacement bike, a broken fork causing him to dive to ground, and finally a broken pedal. Twice he was forced to walk back to the start. With the final broken pedal and "disgusted with road racing in particular and bicycling in general, he quietly wended his way to a cool spot, where he sat thinking of the prize goat which he expected to win..."

Unlike the 1893 edition of the race, many of the favorites did work well together, trading pace duties with one another throughout the race. Fay Stephenson and John E. Ward, for instance, both four minute men (thus starting eight minutes after the first group of racers) made up much distance to finish in tenth and eleventh place. Of the scratch men, Jenkins, Kitchen and McAleer also worked well together, only Castleman refusing the contribute to the joint effort. Eventually, Jenkins flatted his tire "for want of air" but got going again when Billy Juenger gave up his own wheel. Castleman meanwhile had, perhaps unsurprisingly dropped the other two, to finish first among the scratch men, though 47th overall. Jenkins recovered to finish some forty seconds behind Castleman.

There is no mention of what Emil Ulbrecht was doing during the race. Never-the-less, by the finish line his fifty-seven minutes one second time was not only the fastest of the day, but a new course record as well. The Herald reporter called it a redemption, and his "most remarkable performance since coming to this city" [from Chicago]. John Gardner of Duarte, with a seven minute handicap, was the first racer to cross the line. Second came D. E. Whitman (ten minute handicap), who was disqualified for giving an inaccurate race history to the handicap committee. This allowed Will Rodriguez to move from 3rd to 2nd.

For finishing with the fastest time Ulbrecht won a new Fowler bicycle, a diamond medal, and a $1000 insurance policy. For his first place finish, Gardner won a Thistle bicycle (contributed by Ulbrecht and Kitchen) and a $1000 insurance policy.