CYCLING.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 263, 6 November 1929, Page 18

CYCLING.

WITH THE AMATEURS. mid-week meetings. 'rules foe, teack racing. FIXTURES. Wednesday, November 6.—Three miles handicap, Domain, 5.43 p.m.-" Wednesday, November 13.—One and a half miles senior and one mile junior handicaps, Domain, 5.45 p.m. Sunday,. November 17.—Club run, Muriwai Beach (motor cycle sports). Members of the Manukau Amateur Cycling Club responded splendidly to the club's efforts to foster track sport by holding mid-week track races at the Auckland Domain every Wednesday. A two-miler was decided last Wednesday at 5.45 p.m., a time which evidently suits the majority of the riders, judging by the good entry received. There was certainly sufficient support given to more than warrant the continuation of the scheme which was adopted last track season, when 25 races were decided, with an average entry of 13. The record entry received was 21 for the five miles .handicap race for the House Cup, which was presented to the club in 1920 by Mr. : S. W. House, of Marigere, who stipulated that a track race of this particular distance be held annually for the Cup. L. B. Roberts won the Cup last year off the liberal handicap of ,490 yds. The mid-week races serve many useful purposes. Besides keeping the ball rolling, they help to encourage the riders to remain fit throughout the season, and thus ensure good rating among trained riders at the bigger meetings, arid also materially help to raise the standard of competition generally.

The race last Wednesday drew a record field, for a track race promoted by the Manukau Club. Twenty-two started in the event, and as the race was fought out in one issue, a very impressive sight was witnessed by the many enthusiasts who had gathered at the Domain. The limit riders, E. King and W. McCallum, were in receipt of 290 yds from J. H. Wade, the present New Zealand halfmile champion, and Angus Mackie, the two scratch men, the latter of whom was one of the Canterbury representatives at the last New. Zealand amateur championship meeting held in Wellington oil February 22 and 23, 1929. Mackie was placed third in his heat of the halfmile at that meeting, but fell in the final, which Wade 1 , won. In the .race under review' the front and middlemarkers were Responsible for some good team work, and their combined efforts , resulted in a fast race in which'the scratch pairs'.task was made doubly difficult. Although the latter pair clocked their first mile, in the exceptionally quick time pf ,2m 20s, they were unable to give the leading bunch any anxiety. The bunching of the riders so early and the determined but unsuccessful attempts of several to get a break on the field did much towards making the time so fast as 5m 25.The fastest.of the four two-mile racesthree heats and the final —held on Labour; Day,;,two days previous, was 5m 10s, so, €he useful reduction proves that the riders, are fast approaching form. This can,'be seen the, more-easily when it is mentioned that the time on Labour Day was recorded by L. Aldred when riding off 200 ydS, whilst last "Wednesday's winner, E. A. Cleaver, ?rode off 150 yds. After covering. six of the eight laps, Mackie, scr., eased up and let Wade and H. R. D wight, GOydsj combine efforts to try and get the field. The two lastmentioned almost sprinted the last lap and a half, and closed so rapidly on the fast-moving field that many thought they would just about attain their objective. They did get the tail end of the big bunch of fifteen just as they entered the straight, but, as the field was then well strung out, they had little hope of getting in the placings, and both finished 20yds in arrears of the winner. They showed by the rapid way in which they reduced the gap over that last lap what formidable track riders they are.

Exciting Finish. The actual finish was really exciting, and the three placed riders rode the home straight wheel for wheel, and crossed the line separated by inches only. E. A. Cleaver (150yd6) proved the strongest finisher of the trio, and won by the bare half-wheel from G. J. Whitehouse (170 ycte). By the methods he employed in winning Cleaver impressed many as being a very powerful finisher. With a lap to go, he obtained the leading position, and packed on the pace throughout, with the rest -in hot pursuit. Yet after making ■ a slick' pace down the back straight and around the home .bend he still had a little in reserve to ward off the strong challenges offered by the two who filled the minor placings. At the Labour Day sports on the previous Monday Cleaver won his heat of. the two mile 6 off 240 yds in 5m 18s, but was unplaced in the final, although the. same was run off in 5m 325. His failure in that final can be easily explained by reason of the.fact that the pace being so slow it gave the short sprinters a distinct advantage over one of Cleaver's type, His riding last Wednesday proved that he had profited by the experience gained in the last mentioned race. G. J. Whitehouse (170 yds), second, is a very solidly-built rider, but when sprinting is inclined to forget that his ! machine is equipped with a saddle. Whether leaving the saddle when finish-' ing is to a rider's advantage is questionable, but it looks bad. As the only rider in the race on 26in wheels he was fairly conspicuous in that he almost dwarfed his machine.

' The Manukau Club will continue to hold a track race every Wednesday evening during the present summer, and next Wednesday, November 13, will commence holding competitions for the junior division. The latter will be held weekly if the support given the first event warrants such.

A delegation of three Manukau committee men have been granted an audience by the Parks Committee of the Auckland City Council, which meets this weekf, They will, meet ®the committee .regarding luatters relative to cycling and the Western Springs.banked cycle track, which will open early in December, while they will also endeavour to obtain permission for members to 'train on the Auckland Domain, the use of which the cyclists had up till two years ago. ' Lack of, in fact almost total absence of, a good comprehensive set of track racing rules is at present meeting with tho serious attention of the Manukau Club's committee men. The set of rules supplied by the New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association, the late controlling body of amateur cycling throughout the Dominion, has always been regarded as quite inadequate to meet the position. The rules to be drawn up will be similar to thoso of the National Cycling Union of England, a body which has successfully controlled the track sport there for the Inst fifty years.

AucklandNamatours will bo pleased to learn-that W. Ti Bray, an ex-Mnnukau mentber who has been in employment in Wellington during tho last two years,

again won the coveted trophy of the Port Nicholson Club, the Corbett Cup, awarded to the rider gaining the most points in road competitions. Bray gained 30 points, whilst L. J. Pearce was second with 27, and E. F. Bellman' third with 14.