A History of Bicycling in Illinois

January 14, 2026

By Christopher Sweet

The 1890s were the golden era of bicycling in the United States, and around the globe. This nearly forgotten boom saw a massive surge of public interest in bicycle riding. Nowhere was this boom more pronounced than in Illinois. As documented in A History of Bicycling in Illinois: 160 Years of Booms and Busts, Illinois during this time period rose to prominence as the leading state for bicycle manufacturing and bicycle culture writ large. While the book mostly focuses on this boom period, it also offers a comprehensive history from the appearance of the first bicycle in Illinois in 1868, up to current times. The excerpt below introduces Chapter 7: Scorchers and Cracks: Bicycle Racing.

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Scorchers and Cracks: Bicycle Racing

By the mid-1890s, a good portion of the country had gone mad over bicycles, and bicycle races might have been the pinnacle of the insanity. Top racers were major celebrities and earned salaries that would make most modern professional bicyclists jealous. The best long-distance bicycle racer of the day was Chicagoan Charlie Miller. Born in Germany, Miller moved to Chicago in 1892. He was promptly caught up in the bicycle craze and learned to ride on Chicago’s streets and racetracks. His promise as a racer was first noted in 1892, when he set the American amateur five-mile record with a time of 10:07 (29.5 mph). Miller soon figured out that his real potential lay in riding longer distances. During an 1896 indoor race at the Chicago Coliseum, Miller broke the 50- and 100-mile records. In 1897, he participated in his first six-day race at Tattersall’s in Chicago, where he went up against twenty-nine top riders. (Notable among these riders was George B. Iliff of Aurora, Illinois. In 1893, a horrific railroad accident resulted in the amputation of both of Iliff’s feet, but he learned to ride using the crude prosthetics of the day.) Over the course of the event, Miller gradually pulled ahead of most of the competi- tion, eventually finishing a close second to Fred Schinneer, another standout Chicago racer. Schinneer won with 1,788 miles, while Miller amassed 1,764. Many riders dropped out, but Iliff persisted in finishing all six-days, riding a total of 461 miles.

In December of 1897, Miller entered the premier six-day race of the era at Madison Square Garden, where he would again face off against top international riders. The sixteen-man field once again included Schinneer. The New York Times reported that 10,000 spectators turned out for the opening day. The format was come-as-you-go, meaning the riders chose when to take breaks (if they did so at all) over the course of six days. The crowded field on the small track caused one competitor to smash his head into a fence that encircled the track. He was hauled off to the hospital but returned three hours later to continue racing. Miller, though, was in his element and gradually built a lead over the rest of the field. The racing remained close, and 3,000 spectators stayed overnight in the Garden to ensure they didn’t miss any critical changes in the race. At the end of six days, Miller was victorious, setting a new world record of 2,093 miles, which had required nearly 19,000 revolutions around the one-ninth-mile track.

The race was equal parts grueling and lucrative for Miller. To maintain his stamina during the race, Miller consumed “3 1⁄2 pounds of rice, 1 pound of barley, 1 pound of oatmeal, 4 ounces of beef extract, 60 pints of kumis [a fermented milk drink similar to kefir], 1 orange, 4 dozen apples, 3 pounds of grapes, 6 eggs, 3 quarts of barley broth, 4 quarts of coffee and 9 quarts of milk.” Miller described the race as “the hardest ride I’ve ever been in. Perhaps the dust was the worst thing I had to fight against. The smoke and the dust go into my lungs and made them sore, as well as filling my eyes.” His reported earnings of $3,550 ($127,000 in 2024) likely helped compensate for six days of suffering.

Miller’s fame continued to grow. In June of 1898, he traveled to Paris, where he defeated all the best European riders in a seventy-two-hour race. At the end of the 1898 racing season, Miller returned to the Madison Square Garden six-day race as both the previous champion and the race favorite. This year, Miller had an additional incentive to win. He had been courting Miss Genevieve Hanson of Chicago for some time. The papers reported that Miss Hanson would finally accept a marriage proposal if Miller won the race. This arrangement was surely orchestrated with the race promoters and promptly leaked to the press. As it turned out, this was a wildly successful publicity stunt that helped pack the Garden to capacity. On the final day of racing, Miller had amassed a comfortable lead. He took a break from racing and retired to his tent. He soon reemerged in a brightly colored orange and white bathrobe while his fiancée appeared in a dove-colored broadcloth dress. They met on a stage in front of the roaring crowds and Miller tore off his robe to display a new cycling suit that featured one bright pink pant leg and one white, with the colors alternating on his shirt. An eagle was embroidered on the back of his shirt and around his waist was an American flag. Alderman Wentz of Brooklyn began the ceremony: “Ladies and gentleman, I have been asked to unite Charles W. Miller and Miss Genevieve Hanson, both of Chicago, in marriage. I wish your close attention while the ceremony is being performed, and have been requested by the management to be as expeditious as possible, as Mr. Miller is anxious to return to the track to finish his grand ride.” At the time of the ceremony, Miller had completed 1,970 miles. Following the exchange of vows and rings, the newlywed returned to the track, ultimately winning with a total of 2,007 miles.

From A History of Bicycling in Illinois: 160 Years of Booms and Busts. Copyright 2025 by the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. Used with permission of the University of Illinois Press.

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