AMATEUR CYCLING.

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 151, 29 June 1927, Page 14

AMATEUR CYCLING.

RACING PERFORMANCES. SMITHSON'S GOOD START. IMPROVING RIDERS. (By SPROCKET.) COMING EVENTS. rap.akura and Back: Senior Handicap Road Race. Mangere Course: 54 Miles Junior Bond R.ir,-. In order to jiive the competitors ample time to r.a,:i town before dark, the Junior race at Mangere on Saturday V;i' run iir. the same time as the senior event. When the scratch men crossed the line, after the first lap of the twenty eight miles senior r:ifi . the limit junior riders were desriari-l.i il. and. as there was very little ••hanee ■■: the younger competitors catching the senior scratch men, no overlapping occurred. The two distinct divisions of riders remained as such throughout. Around the corner a lone rider, in ■white, put in an appearance, and not until he, Smithson, had passed the post, did any of the other wheelmen show up. The nine or ten cyclists sprinting for home provided a spectacular finish. Pinker (lm) managed to last long enough to keep off Hope (1.30), and Tenfold (lm) whilst close behind them, followed the scratch two, Sercombe, G. Hose and Steen. Sercombe won the sprint for time with comparative ease, his time being 15.7 1-3, and Rose's,- 15.7 4-"». '■

Thirty-one competitors took part in the long distance event, and throughout the racing was good. Once again the front markers rode well, the first four men being amongst these. With a lap to go the scratch men were only 1.20 behind the leaders, and it was generally expected that the back markers would figure- in the finish. Although Platt (7m) - challenged strongly. Deakin (fim) held him off to win by half a length, with Pinker (6m) close tip third. Rollerson (Sm), Chambers (3m), arfd W. Dwight (4m), finished fourth, fifth and sixth respectively. The scratch trio provided a thrilling" sprint, Galbraith (lm) winning by inches from H. Dwight (lm), with.Casey (lm) in the rear. The time honours (76.11) went to the winner of thia dash; the second man collecting second "honours (76.11 l-.V). - Comments. To t win at his second attempt at racing in such a convincing manner must be very. gratifying to W. Smithson, who won the junior race with such comparative ease. Four seconds out of his last six starts stands to the credit of F. E. Pinker, •who,: on Saturday, led the remainder of the field home, the winner excepted, and he was decidedly unlucky, "for he would have undoubtedly broken his long run s>f eeeonds to notch a win, if Smithson Had not been in the race. G. *Rose, Sercombe, and Steen were the trio off the mark of honour, and a close finish was expected from them. But Sercombe was never troubled by his two *o-markers, his nearest attendant, G. Rose, being a length away, as he crossed the line easing up. Sercombe's time : was 15.7 l-ss. Foubister, the other scratch man, did not compete owing to his hand giving him trouble again. Deakin, who has of late been riding very- consistently, improved upon his sixtljr in the last time trial by winning the twenty-eight mile. He, together "with, his co-marker, W. Pinker, paced each- other throughout the journey, and it wras only over the last bit that the winder proved superior. Pinker is displaying signs -of soon being a winner, and?he should come io light over an out-and-home course, such as Papakura and back. P. Platt went very near winning on Saturday, and it was only in the last few- yards that he was "beaten. This rider is also consistent, not as regards number of starts, but in performances, for but of five starts he has the enviable record of four places, viz., one first, two seconds and a third. On the remaining occaswMt he failed to complete the distance.--. Rollerson is nearly always close up, but He lacks a good finishing effort, but with apjUttle judicious training and more headwork he should improve upon hia recent efforts. Evidently the virtual scratch men did not want to win, for with five and a half miles to go they were, as previously stated, only 1.20 to the bad, and this could have been easily reduced if the standard of riding had been maintained. Both Wilson and Brewin led the scratch trio over the last lap, and actually came in some seconds ahead. However, in a good sprint Galbraith repeated his performance of last week, and scored fastest time, beating by inches H. Dwight. The latter, who is a comparatively new arrival on the back mark, lacks confidence, and will improve when he becomes accustomed to riding with our best road performers.