“On Monday a great six days’ bicycle contest, promoted by G. W. Waller, the long distance champion, was commenced in a large tent on the sands near the river Eden. The prizes offered for competition amounted to £200. The competitors were C. Terront, of Paris, the French champion; H. Higham, of Nottingham, the long distance champion of the Midlands, and winner of the champion belt of Scotland; G. E. Edlin, of Leicester, who won the contest at Newcastle; Jules Terront, of Paris, the champion trick rider of the world; J. Lees, of Sheffield, the hundred miles ex-champion; Tom Waller, Newcastle, winner of many races; R. Roberts, Cramlington; J. Battensby, J. W. Lamb, J. B. Wright, Newcastle. A start was effected at four minutes past eleven, and at the conclusion of the first hour Roberts, Battensby, Higham, Lamb, C. Terront, and Lees had covered 16 miles 9 laps, the track being 10 laps and 20 yards to the mile. Jules Terront and Edlin had each done 16 miles 8 laps. Waller 16 miles 2 laps. At seven o’clock at night C. Terront had accomplished 124 miles 7 laps, Lamb, Roberts, and Lees 124 miles 3 laps, Battensby 124 miles 2 laps, Higham 104 miles 9 laps, Waller 95 miles 6 laps, Jules Terront 82 miles 8 laps, Edlin 78 miles 9 laps, Wright 46 miles 8 laps.”
This report gives the track lap length as being 174 yards (174x10 + 20 = 1,760 yards = 1 mile) or 159.1 metres.
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