AMATEUR CYCLING.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 213, 9 September 1935, Page 12

AMATEUR CYCLING.

' AtJCKLAND CENTRE. Dry conditions prevailed on Saturday, but a strong north-easterly wind made for hard pedalling over sections of the horse-shoe-shaped, course of H miles,. The e\'eiit started at Devonpbrt, at 2 p.m., when'the sixteen limit riders off 17.0 were dispatched. The last to leave were Johnnie Brown and Mervyn Gamble, scratch, riders. In all 82 riders, of the 97 who. nominated, started. - The course was from Devonport, via Birkenhead, Albany, Riverhead, Henderson and Avoudale, to Point Chevalier. Four-teen-miles of concrete, nine of tar-seal and twenty-one miles of metal constituted the surfaces. The the' mile-long Albany hill was made doubly difficult by the loose metal recently graded. At the 25-mile check at Riverhead five riders, Triner (ultimate winner), Showier, I'imlom, Whitley and Hilder, shared the lead, followed at close intervals by small groups. The scratch pair, Brown and Gamble, and Les. Dwight, off 2.30, passed 9.10 after the leaders. The scratch pair had taken ÜB.IO for the hilly 25 miles. Brown and Gamble gradually gathered in their field to leave Dwight at the 32-mile peg. Meantime Triner forged away on his own and at Henderson enjoyed over two minutes' lead on Patten, HiJder and Cullen, a lead which he increased even more to win easily by 3.15 from Patten, who outsprinted Hilder and Cullen by a length. Showier finished nearly a minute later. Then the spectators were treated to a thrilling finish, when Brown and Gamble headed a bunch of seven to fight out a great finish for time honours, which Brown gained by three-quarters of a length, to clock, the record time of 2h 3m 41s. The placed riders were :-— R S ' Trine* (Manukau), 17.0, time 2h lGm 31s 1 D. J. H. Patten (Beach Haven), 13.30, 2h 10m lGs 2 S G Hilder (Beach Haven), 14.30, 2h 17m 18s 3 R -Ji Cullen (Auckland,), 15.30, 2h 18m 10s; fi.' Showier (Manukau), 17.0, 2h 20m 355; Johnnie Brown (Manukau), scr, 2h 3m 41s;. Mervyn Gamble (Auckland), scr, 2h 3m 42s ; Colin Gooder (Lynndale), 2.30, 2h Gm;i3s; Wm. Barry (Auckland), 8.0, 2h llm-,455; Norm. Helliwell (Lynndale), 9.30. 2h-13m 16s. The fastest time was returned by J. Brown, scr, in 2h 3m 41s. M. T. Gamble. scr, was next fastest in 2h 3m 425. and C. Gooder, 2.30, was third fastest in 2h 6m 135.. : ,