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Mainly cloudy. A few peeks of sunshine possible. High near 80F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph..

A few clouds. Low 64F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph.

Cyclists leave Louisiana, Mo., on their way to Clarksville along Highway 79. 

Cyclists leave Louisiana, Mo., on their way to Clarksville along Highway 79. 

Editor’s note: The first of a two-part story by contributing writer Brent Engel of Louisiana.

CLARKSVILLE — What may be the only world championship decided in Pike County happened 135 years ago.

Sponsored by St. Louis-based American Wheelmen magazine, the exciting event was held in Clarksville on May 23, 1887.

Participants had to circle the 20-mile course five times on what was called The Belt Road — a mix of compacted stone, loose gravel and dirt pathways that meandered through the countryside.

“The course featured steep hills, challenging climbs, long straightaways and enough rough areas to make for a challenging competition,” wrote Kimberly Harper of the State Historical Society of Missouri.

Clarksville was a booming town in the 1880s, with almost 1,500 residents. Its eight factories included one of the only paper mills in Missouri. And it shared the national fascination with bicycles.

One of the first to gain attention was the “velocipede,” an archaic contraption with wooden wheels and iron tires that trembled so much when ridden that it was nicknamed “bone shaker.” After an 1869 exhibition in Clarksville, the editor of the Sentinel newspaper wrote that many wanted to ride one, but couldn’t handle the vibrations.

At least the velocipede had two equally-sized wheels. The “ordinary” had a huge one on the front and a tiny one on the rear.

“They were difficult to mount, and once a rider began peddling, it was hard to bring the bicycle to a stop,” Harper wrote.

During one race, famous cyclist Stillman Whittaker had a problem with his ordinary and shouted for advice on how to halt without hurting himself. Mischievous fellow competitors told him to run into a tree, but Whittaker decided the safer alternative was a blackberry bush.

Despite its flaws, the ordinary quickly became popular and would be the rig ridden at the Clarksville race.

The 10,000-member League of American Wheelmen held its 1887 national meeting in St. Louis, and chose Clarksville for the contest because it had the best course “for miles around,” wrote author Buck Peacock. The Missouri Historical Review called it the “best graveled road in the Middle West.” The Wheelmen would later describe Pike County as a “cyclers’ paradise.”

Clarksville had hosted a 50-mile competition in 1886 that drew widespread coverage, so the decision was no surprise. There were a few naysayers, of course.

St. Louis Post-Dispatch editor W.E. Hicks wasn’t impressed, saying the stretch near Dover was “a succession of mud holes.” The Chicago-based sponsor of one participant said it was “an outrage to ask a man to race over such a course.”

Nonetheless, competitors began arriving in Clarksville to finish training. The steamer Hudson docked with Wheelmen representatives and dozens of fans at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, May 22.

“All Clarksville was out to greet them and Clarksville girls flocked on board the Hudson, where they sang a few songs and played the piano,” the Historical Review noted. “Many of the men tried out their wheels on the Pike County roads.”

Residents dressed in their best and “stood with smiling faces and buttonhole bouquets to welcome any passing wheelmen who might stop to cool his parched tongue with a dipper of well water or a glass of milk,” the publication said.

One Sunday night church service was packed with cycling enthusiasts “singing the hymns so lustily that it was said the organist had to use the loud pedal constantly in order to be heard,” the Review observed.

More singing took place later that night aboard Hudson, and additional spectators arrived by train and steamer. Rain fell overnight and a heavy mist the next morning caused the race to be delayed for an hour.

In addition to Whittaker, professional cyclists Robert Neilson, William Rhodes, H.G. Crocker, John Brooks and Charles Frazier were among those set to compete. Whittaker, the favorite, told the Louisiana Journal he felt like “a greased eel.”

An estimated 3,000 people lined the road near the starting line two miles south of Clarksville. At 9:17 a.m., the moment all had been waiting for arrived.

“At the crack of a pistol, every pusher gave his man a tremendous shove and off they went,” the Journal reported.

Next time: A winner and a legacy.

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