The Great Race

The Middleford Bicycle Club held their annual bicycle race called “The Middleford Tour Championship”. The president of the club, Mr Stowe, is very pleased to show a strong starting line for Mayor Flint who is given the great privilege to give the start signal to the competitors. The favourite to the victory for the bookmakers is Mr Jeff Barns cycling for the Black Swan Team, he gives 0.7 back on each pound sterling.

The french bikes with air filled tubes

The examination of the competitors by doctor Igor Mortis before start gave nothing to worry about for the team managers. The Andersen Fabulous Steel Spring Team uses the new bikes produced in France with tubes filled with air while The Black Swan Team and others uses penny-farthings with extra big wheels.

The race was of and first to Witless was young Gregor Stue racing for The Witless Dragons Team chased by Mr Jeff Barnes for The Black Swan Team both racing on Penny-farthings. The Andersen Fabulous Steel Spring Team were having a lot of difficulties since the tubes on their bikes tended to have flat tyres and were more or less out of the race. Two accidents occurred but it was nothing Dr Igor Mortis couldn’t manage to great relief for the president of the club and the undertaker.

Gordon Peter before the
water stop

On the way back to Middleford from Witless malt master Dave Hickory at the water stop made an unfortunate mistake. All the teams got raw spirit from the Macwall distillery instead of water in their bottles. Needless to say the teams had a hard time making it back on their bikes. But Gordon Peter from the Witless Dragons Team managed to make it across the finishing line first. The race was later called “The Longest of Races” since the last one to cross the finishing line did it three days later or to be more correct Mr Jeff Barnes was missing for three days until someone found him singing in a ditch half way to London.