Fast Diggers: Those Swedes in Los Angeles

 

I was doing some research on Oscar Julius, who was racing at the Los Angeles Velodrome in 1900 and billed as the Champion of Sweden, when I came across this flyer for races to take place at Riverside's Athletic Park. You might be able to make out (although it is rather blurred) that Julius was going to be matched with John "The Terrible Swede" Lawson, riding the "infernal" pacing machine for the youngest of the Lawson racing brothers, Gus, who would be riding an exhibition. That meant that he would not be racing against other riders, but rather against time and, though it is not noted in this case, that probably meant an hour, since the "program" does record that Gus was the hour champion. I'm just not sure which, on the program illustration, is Oscar Julius and which John Lawson. Ahhh, great local bicycle racing history stuff right there, and since it is from 1900 it will fit right in to Fast Digs, Volume 2.