From a NY Times article published on Dec. 12, 1896 about a six day race or just a "six".
Fourteen miles per hour, then, may be taken as at present the highest speed that may be maintained on a bicycle for a period of four days with the time for sleep and food reduced to an absolute minimum.
It appears Teddy Hale won the race and received a prize of $5000, which seems like a large purse. Bing Crosby was a fan of sixes and used to pay the medical bills of cyclists who fell. Sixes stopped being popular in the States in the 50's but the races are still held in Europe.
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