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Volusia County, Florida, circa 1903. "Sailing bicycles on the beach at Ormond." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
Very cool! I spent my winter vacations on Ormond Beach for the last 2 years! The beach and dune on the left hasn't changed a bit. The beautiful old houses and hotels on the other hand are gone. It's now "Florida A1A" on top of the dune and across from the road: condos condos and more condos as far as the eye can see.
A bit of history for the Hotel Ormond here.
Well done stanton_square, good work! Is this how James Finlayson made ends meet before his supporting role in Laurel and Hardy films?
You couldn't see where you were heading, but it got you there!
I see the man on the right had a serious control malfunction about 30 feet back. Now that would have been a picture!
The Strand, Vol 21, 1901
Sail-Bike v. Motor
"This is what might be called a twentieth century race, and it is undoubtedly the first photograph ever published of a contest between an automobile and a bicycle 'under sail.' The affair came off recently at Ormond, Fla. Here the beach along the coast is so smooth and hard that it has long been a favourite place for trotting horses and for taking bicycle trips. This winter several 'mobile' owners brought their machines with them. Taking advantage of a favourable wind, two of the wheelmen 'rigged up' sails by attaching masts to the front framework of the bicycles. Hoisting the sails they jumped on and let the wind carry them. Frequently the wheelmen can coast at a speed from twenty to twenty-five miles an hour. In the contest illustrated the automobile won by only a few lengths." So writes Mr. D.A. Willey, of Baltimore.
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