CYCLING.

Auckland Star, Volume XXX, Issue 274, 18 November 1899, Page 4 (Supplement)

CYCLING.

A moonlight run to Onehunga has been arranged for Tuesday evening next. The cyclists taking part will attend the Onehunga Cycling Club's concert in the Public H;a., Onehunga.

The members of the New Zealand Champion Athletic* team —G. Smith, W. H. Madill, C. McAffer, J. Te Paa, P. Malthus, and Mr Mcßeth (manager) —are returning by the s.s t Mararoa, due here from Sydney to-morrow.

At the Crystal Palace track recently J. Platt-Betts, paced by a motor tandem, succeeded in beating the three, four and five miles standing start records. The times were smin 7 3-sth sec, 6min 50 3-sth sec, and Smin 32 l-sth sec. '

Bauge, the French middle distance crack, who recently set up a new 100 miles world's path record, has now annexed the 100 njiles world's road record, covering the distance in three hours 57 minutes five seconds, riding as usual Dunlop tyres.

Edward Taylore, the famous French middle distance crack, has just regained the world's hour record, which was temporarily annexed by Bor, by riding a distance of 36 miles 1144 yards in the hour. Taylore is one of the world's best.

. The world's motor cycle record for the hour has recently been placed to the credit of Osmont, who travelled the stupendous distance of thirty, nine miles nine hundred and ninetyseven yards on a motor cycle.

The up-to-date Yankees ai'e now using- motor car ambiilances, which have already proved their worth in several urgent cases. The cars are used for transporting patients to the hospitals, and the New York doctors speak in high praise of this speedy and non-vibrating mode of carrying urgent cases to the hospitals.

High speed road riding was develop* ed in an unprecedented manner on the occasion of F. K. Goodwin's twelve hours' record recently accomplished, during which time he travelled no less a distance than 244 miles. To average a trifle more than twenty miles an hour all the way is in itself a notable performance, but as Goodwin early in the ride sustained a fall which slowed, him for a long while, he was travelling far faster than that for many long stretches. The new record, which adds

174 miles to the previous best on record (made with tandem pacing only) was motor-paced throughout, partly by motor tricycles; but the success ot the ride was in a large measure due to the help of an S-h.p. car, which cut thror,°-h head winds and turned a blustering breeze into the equivalent of a calm. So great was the value of ' this shelter that Goodwin was enabled Ito reel ofl! miles in two minutes fifteen seconds behind it, when seventeen an ■hour without it would have been impossible. „_ „ A few private influential Melbourne cyclists are making- a big bid to introduce the American mode of obtaining asphalt cycle tracks, viz., by ooI taining private subscriptions from ey--1 clists and members of the trade, and , up to date have met with encouraging ' success. Already the large sum ot £311 has been secured during the course of a' week or two, and there is ! every promise that as soon as cyclists ! become seized of the great advantages derivable from such tracks this amount will be largely augmented. !A similar movement is being made in i Ohrjstchurch, over £300 having been 1 subscribed for the same purpose, the Dunlop Company leading the way i with a donation of £20, and the prin- : cipal cycle manufacturers and agents also donated very liberally. The various Councils through whose boroughs the path is being-constructed are assisting very materially, and the Sum-ner-Christchurch track will soon be an accomplished fact. Now that fine weather can be reasonably expected the attention of cycling clubs will be turned to the 100 miles relay track contest promoted by the Dunlop Tyre Co. The competition is open to all bona fide clubs, and the team putting up the best time for the century will be presented with ten £5 5s gold medals. This event was run on the road last year, and waa captured by the Christchurch Club s (cycling) team, the hundred miles on the road being ridden in four hours twenty-nine minutes thirty seconds, the contest being changed to a track one this season owing to the suppression of road racing by the police.authorities in many districts. The time limit has been shortened to 4 hours 15 minutes, which should be well within the reach of any properly organised team of ten riders. Pull particulars of the rules governing the competition can be obtained by calling at or writing to the Dunlop Depot in Christchurch.