CYCLING.

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 109, 11 May 1927, Page 16

CYCLING.

CHAMPIONSHIP RACES.

FAMOUS RIDZr.'S PERFORMANCES. RACING TAXDKM SPRINT. (By SPROCKET.) COMING EVENTS. May 1-1.-2:2 Miles Open Handicap. May Sl.—ll Miles Open Handicap. May 21. — ol Miles Junior Handicap. May i*S.—Uo Milea Open Handicap. Now tliat we are getting well into the roail cycling season with longer races being promoted, it is advisable for the local athletic clubs to look around and find suitable out-and-home .courses of 25 miles or sot Racing around a block of miles is all very well, but the ilangere course, while being in a very convenient position, is nothing more than a good speed track. Unless some real road rides are decided upon, we cannot hope to produce a real read champion, and, as the 50-mile New Zealand Championship will be held here, it is quite a serious situation.

The much discussed 11-mile championship promoted by the Manukau Cycling Club was pedalled much faster than one would expect. This was due mainly to the four markers who were stationed at various intervals of the circuit, their work being to award the first man past one point towards the special points prize.

The winner of this prize was F. J. Casey with four points and M. P. Byrnes was second with two points. As expected M. P. Byrnes won the championship, beating H. Dwight by a length and a half. About nine riders were left out of eighteen starters when the last quarter mile was reached, and as they came into view Gainsborough jumped followed by Dwight. Byrnes was in the middle of the bunch here, but with his supreme speed was soon in the lead. Dwight challenged hard to no avail, and Ken Matbieson finished in third place. Galbraith, Keith Rowe and J. C. Stewart were next to cross the line close together. The time, 29m 23 4-os, is 59 l-5s better than the previous record registered by F. J. Casey on July 2nd, 1926. What is wrong with the junior cyclists of Auckland? The Manakau Club does all in its power to encourage these lads yet the number of startprs is decreasing each week. The fees r • 1/ club fee, and 1/ for each race. :: se are quite nominal, and the juniors should realise

that the bigger tiie fields the bigger the prizes will be. Beginners who do not knowthe ropes may make inquiries and send entries to the secretary, L. Wilson, or post entries will be accepted each week at the starting point, Mansere Post Office. 6 There were ten 'competitors in the junior one-lap race on Saturday last. The scratch division, which consisted of four riders, soon caught the front markers, who, owing to the large number of non-starters, were forced to ide unpaced until overhauled. A Sercombe (scratch) rode very well and held off his coMnarker R. Foubister, by half a length. The latter rider did a good deal more pacing than should have been his share. A good ride was made by L. Aldred, who finished third from the lm» mark. The i time, 14m 595, is, I believe, a junior record. Southern Amateurs. Christcliurch, the hub of cycling in the Dominion, will be very busy on the road this season. Two Canterbury championships are the main amateur events. The 30 mile race to be held at Brookside, is set down for decision on June 11, and the Ashburton to Christchurch race of 53 miles will be conducted about the first week in September. In aletter.» few days ago Frank Grose, Canterbury and New Zealand champion. eays |ie has travelled 4800 miles since

Christmas touring to the various sports meetings. Hβ visited, in the course of his tour, Napier, Hastings, Dannevirke, Palmers ton North, Wanganui, and Hawera and a number of small places en route. His winnings include a dozen firsts, about seven seconds and some thirds. At Basin Reserve, Wellington, Frank established a New Zealand grass track record by peddalling half a-mile in Oisee. When will our sprinters wake up and land some New Zealand records in Auckland? When he was here, in February last, Grose was a bit worried at having to ride on the flat track, and when he did show his great speed on wheels his machine skidded with disastrous results to himself and several others. He asks when will the 1927 50 mile New Zealand championships to be conducted by the Auckland Centre, be held? Grose, since returning to his home town, has not been riding at his best, but hopes to "clean up" a fifteen mile road race, starting from the Papanui Town Hall, which is directly opposite his home. He knows the road as we know Queen Street. The Canterbury cyclist mentions that all the sporting bodies in the North Island were out to look after him, together with his friend and clubmate, J. R. I'Anson, he wishes to be remembered to all Auckland cyclists. J. R. I'Anson, also a Canterbury rep., is at present somee»se»«™,. thing of a flying machine. At Waikari'he distinguished himself by winning the ;"threequarter mile Canterbury title in lm 53 2-ss, besides showing the field the way home in the one mile (2m 30s), one and a-half miles (4m 24 4-ss) and two miles (5m

4 2-as) handicaps. I'Anson came to grief in the three mile, which was won by Grose. "Joe," as he is affectionately called, was to have attempted tha one mile New Zealand unpaced record of 2m lGs on the grass track at Kaiapoi recently. Owing to insufficient entries, however, the meeting had to be abandoned. Sydney's Six , Day's Hace. Two men riding continuously for six daye on an indoor ] track is a real worthy performance, but when a six days race, promoted in Sydney, came on for decision on an outdoor track, it was reckoned to test the stamina of the best "iron" men in Australia. To make matters worse rain fell practically all the time, making the track very slippery. The result was that one team had to retire owing to injuries received in spills. The race was financial success, mainly due to the promoters insuring against a poor attendance. This netted them £1000 out of which the cyclists engaged are to be paid. The five winning teams with their points are as follow:— Points J. Fitzgerald and K. Ross 565 H. Moody and L. Hammond .. 412 O. Pye and H. Rodgers 300 H. Channer and R. Hazelton.. 262 J. Parmley and M. Fitzgerald.. 178 The riders covered 1680 miles in the six days. As one rider from each team lias to be on the track all the time, it is a race in which only the fittest zr.i best men compete with success. Club Rons. A party of nine cyclists toured to Pukekohe on Sunday last. Punctures and minor accidents were the order of the day. Messrs. Byrnes and Galbraith, on a special racing tandem, were paced by a motor-cycle for a distance of about four miles and averaged 35 miles an hour. In a sprint with the motor-cycle the tandem registered just a shade under 40 miles. Prior to this they had the misfortune to break three spokes out of the front wheel.