I'd like to know the rider.. can anyone identify?

Pope Hartford bicycle turn of the century.

Early racing scene in Germany.

As soon as combustion engines began coughing their way past skeptics and in to the minds of early adopters, the ‘delivery’ industry made a giant leap in efficiency. In the very early 1900s, motorcycles quickly replaced many bicycles, horses and feet as a faster means of delivering information.

Motorcycles invade Indy 1909. This clever editorial cartoon ran in the Indianapolis News on August 11, 1909. In general, there was a lot of excitement about the motorcycle races that came to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway that week. The new Speedway was at last hosting its first motorized competition.

The races were supposed to start on Friday, August 13, but rain washed out the day's events. It was also true the newly constructed track was not really in shape for the event as the crushed stone running surface was simply too rough. The two-day event was rescheduled for Saturday, August 14 and Monday, August 16 (social values of the day did not tolerate the frivolity of sports on the Lord's day) but a disastrous first day with serious injuries to champion Jake DeRosier forced cancellation of Monday's card.

Not only did the Speedway host the race meet, but the city hosted a national convention of the Federation of American Motorcyclists (FAM), the sanctioning body of motorcycle racing at the time.
- Mark Dill's First Super Speedway.