CYCLING.

Auckland Star, Volume XXIX, Issue 226, 24 September 1898, Page 2 (Supplement)

CYCLING.

The Auckland Cycling Club is to be congratulated on securing"- the Exhibition grounds for their annual carnival and for being able to give the Auckland public the first exhibition on a banked track. OAving to the change from the Domain to the Exhibition track, Avhere a greater number of heats will-be necessary, the Executive of the A.|C.O. has been obliged to strike out a few of the items from their programme. The chief items excised are the three long distance pedestrian events, the Old Buffers race and one of the three distances for Messrs Mason and Campbell's silver cup in the College Boys' race. This still leaves a good long programme, which will necessitate a start being made at 1 o'clock. The event of the day—the Wheel Racehas received an additional £20 in prize-money. The race is now worth £50. All the crack cash riders are sure to have a 'go' for the Blue Ribbon of the programme, and as the Auckland meeting is the first of the League's racing circuit, followed by New Plymouth, Wangamy, Wairarapa, Palmerston North, Napier, Wellington, etc., the form displayed on the Exhition track should enable the public to select the coming champion from the many aspirants to the title. The comfort of the public attending the Auckland Cycling Club Spring Carnival is being carefully studied, the Exhibition Committee having decided to raise the ground immediately in front of the grandstand, sloping down to the track, also erecting a, sloping stand on the Symonds-street side, opposite the stand, capable of accommodating 1,000 people. The track is being pushed on and is now promised to be ready for training purposes by the 10th prox., Avhen riders ncAV to banked tracks Avill have an opportunity of discoA-ering- hovv much easier the bends are negotiated than when racing on the fiat. The complete colour system of the League of New Zealand Wheelmen comes into force at the Auckland Cycling Club's Spring Carnival. The various colours allotted to Auckland riders should present a pretty spectacle.

The Leagues of Wheelmen of Australia and New Zealand have been guilty (says the Sydney 'Referee') of gross neglect in not becoming affiliatied with the" International Cyclists' i Association, Avhich body controls the world's championships, run annually in various parts of the globe. Last j year they were at GlasgOAV (Avhere W. iL. Kerr," of Sydney, and B. Goodson, iof Rockhampton, raced on behalf of | the N.S.W. Cyclists' Union); this year 'at Vienna, and next year some city in Canada will probably be the venue. The consequence of their neglect is that such a fine rider as J. Body has been barred from shoAving Avhat he could do for Australasia. It is the more regrettable because, Avhile we have proved to the world that we have championships in other bran- ' ches of sport, an idea prevails abroad (simply from lack of opportunity) that our cyclists are inferior. Steps should be taken at i once to "remedy this remissness, and I appoint some one to act for Australia. ! Bicycles enamelled in fancy colours I are becoming very popular in Christ- | church ancl other toAvns. Most of the manufacturing firms are making a feature of the newest shades of enamel on their latest models, ancl already a number of very pretty machines may be seen in the streets. Various tints of green, with gold lines and transfers seem to be the most popular. iOf all the records of Avhich the folloAvers of speed proclivities take note, that for one mile, and one hour are I regarded as the most notable. ■ Edouard Taylore, the French cyclist 1 now in America, recently became posI sessed of the record for the. hour, ancl on August 8, says the 'Cycle Age? | just before he Avas shorn of that reI cord by young Harry Elkes, he Avent I after the one mile record and got it, ; The previous best was lmin 35sec by I Piatt Betts, tbe Englishman, but TayI lore clipped this by no less than 2 2-sth j seconds. The record therefore is noAv lmin 32 3-sth sec. The hour record had been held so long by J. W. Stocks at 32 miles 1086 yards that we had almost settled 1 down into a belief that this j Avas the limit of human power; but it ■ remained for a badly beaten man in I a 30 mile race to go on and complete j33 miles 981 yards in sixty minutes. I The race Avas between Tom Linton and | Edouard Taylore, AAdiieh Linton Avon jby half a lap. Taylore's record has | now in its turn been eclipsed by the performance of Harry Elkes, another : American. On August Bth, in his 25----mile race Avith Tom Linton, Elkes covered the distance in 42min 42sec, a world's record, and then set out to loAver the hour record. In this he succeeded, covering 34 miles 1220 l-sth • yards. A tyre when exposed to the hot rays of the sun accumulates the heat. That 1 this is so is shown by a tyre that has ' been exposed to the sun for any length of time being much warmer than the air surrounding it, so that what is inside.is necessarily of a far higher ; temperature than that outside. Thus the air Avith which the tyre is inflated 1 may be of a temperature nearer 150 degrees, though that of the atmosphere may be below 100 degrees. It Avill thus be readily seen why it is extremely injudicious to allow a machine to be exposed to the full force of the sun, especially if the tyres are old. It is chancing a burst, and if one does take place it will not be as easy as a puncture to mend. Tbe Dunlop Company are in receipt of the following telegraphic message. 'London, Monday, 3.30 p.m.—One hundred miles ridden by F. Gould in three hours twenty-four minutes forty-one seconds.' F. Gould is about twentyfour years of age, rather,spasely built. IHe first came into prominence last year by winning from all cc&ners the 100 kilometers (&2_ miles) - world's championship. Amongst Gould's ' other performances are his world's road record, of 220A miles in 12 hours, 1 and his winning the great English North Road twenty-fohr hours race, riding through mud and rain .40 miles in two turns of the clock. The neAv figures for the 100 miles are a little short of marvellous, working out at aii average of a fraction under a mile in every two minutes for 100 miles, and equalling close upon thirty miles an hour for three and a half hours. This ride was accomplished behind the Dunlop pacing teams on the Crystal Palace track, London. The previous record was held by R. Palmer (England), his time being three hours twenty-five minutes twenty-one seconds, accomplished this time last year behind the same teams and on t_i6 same track. One of England's social stars, the Countess of Warwick, is nothing if not 'up-to-date? She was one of the first among British hostesses to pro-vide bicycles for-the use of guests staying

at Warwick Castle. Now, however, Stat bicycles no longer savour of the very latest thing in the matter oi locomotion, she has made the visit of the Prince of Wales to the castle an excuse for laying in a stock of motor cars that henceforth shall be devoted to the exclusive use of her many guests. Similar provisions are no'fmlde in many houses of Australia's wealthy classes, spare ma chines being provided for the use of T1 Record,breaking, as now conducted in England and America, has developed into a fine art. Gould's record is an instance of this. Fancy lowering a 100 miles' record by forty secondsequal to about 500 yards. This distance could be easily lost by a couple of faulty pick-ups, so that an idea can be gathered of the perfect arrangements necessary to lower a world's record by this small margin. The question of suitable diet whilst touring is one that noAv receives general attention. One of the finest strength restorers is hot bread and milk, it being found to quickly restore vitality, and is certainly the best food that anyone can take whilst engaged in prolonged physical exercise. Again, bananas and tomatoes are well adapted to all tourists, and can be relished by cyclists when they can touch no other food. Egg beaten tip with sherry is also a good pick-me-up, ancl can be highly recommended.

Green, the English crack cyclist, who was in Australia last year, is now racing on the Continent, He leaves for Melbourne in a feAv weeks time.

Tbe Dunlop Company have learnt that a few unscrupulous cycle agents are in the habit of substituting cheap and inferior inflaters in place of the superior plated inflaters given away by the company with all their tyres. This imposition can be guarded against by examining the pumps for the words 'Dunlop Tyres? Avhich are engraved in large letters.

Several of the English cycle journals, recognising the serious loss that J. Platt-Betts will suffer through his recent severe accident, have started a subscription fund for the 'Little MiLer? who it is thought will not be able to ride again this season. The matter is being warmly taken up, and a fair sum should be collected for the little Englishman, who has kept England's speed rates for short distances ahead of the rest of the Avorld. By latest advises Beits was out of all danger, being sufficiently recovered to be remoA-ed from the hospital (to which he was carried after the accident) to his home.