CYCLING.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIII, Issue 305, 21 December 1912, Page 16

CYCLING.

Tne promoters of the Sydney six-day licycle race, which is to be held at the •nd of the year, have decided to limit he event tn fifteen teams, as they con.ider that the Sydney Cricket Ground rack is not safe for more than fifteen earn* of two riders each. Already more ban this number of teams have nouiilated. consequently it will be necessary or the promoters to weed out some of he weakest teams.

When the Tasmanian crack, F. T. Keefe, recently lowered L. Meredith's 100 miles out and home unpaced world's road record to 4h 50m 17s, Don Kirkham (Me.) said he could better that performance, and he has. Kirkham, who is unquestionably the finest road rider in Australia to-day, hag all along been confident that he could lower Meredith's world's record, and had already made arrangements for his first attempt, when he was forestalled by the Taamanf.n crack, who reduced the Englishman's figures from 4h 52m 51 4-5s to 4h 50m 17s. and thereby won the £20 and £5 5/ gold medal, donated by the Dunlop Rubber Company to the first Australasian rider to better the record. Kirkham, however, although the prize was won, decided to carry through his proposed attempt, aada-t his first effort he has put up such a remarkable ride, that the new figures are astounding. Fancy knocking over 1(5. minutes off Meredith's record, and 14 minutes off Such a performance is almost incredible, and to do what Kirkham did stamps him as a most remnrkaile unpaced rider. The course selected by the Victorian crack was a 50 mile stretch of undulating road on the Camperdown and Skipton route. Starting away at three in the afternoon, with a very slight favouring breeze, Kirkham covered the first 25 miles in lh 3m, and the 50 miles in 2h 9m. On the return journey Kirkham was still riding grandly, and left the 75th mile post behind in 3h 21m 30s, and finishing splendidly, completed the full 100 miles in the wonderful time of 4h 36m. lie rode the last 12 miles in 36 minutss. The intermediate twenty-fives were negotiated as follows: first, lh 3m: second, lh 6m; third, lh 121 m; fourth, lh 14$ m. Whilst the lust of record breaking was on D. Kirkham. he made an onslaught on H. B. James' long-standing world's unpaced 25 miles' road record, of 61 minutes, established in 1593. Kirkham again recorded wonderful times, negotiating the 25 miles in 50m 30;s. He pushed a lOOiu. gear, and rode the first five miles in 10m 295. the second in 10in Is; the third in 10m 10s; the fourth in 9m 545., and