A. E. McEWEN RETURNS FASTEST TIME IN LAST WEEK'S CYCLE RACES.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 48, 26 February 1941, Page 12

A. E. McEWEN RETURNS FASTEST TIME IN LAST WEEK'S CYCLE RACES.

The Manukau. Northern and .Lynndale Cycle Clubs conducted their championship meetings last week. Apart, from some excellent efforts in the unpacod kilometre the riding was very erratic and patchy. A. W. Wallace was the strongest of t;»e • Northern ritlors. lie is particularly lit at present. In the kilometre he cloche] 1.20 l-r>, which compares well with times returned by the Manukau and l.vundate riders. At J'apatoctoe last Saturday "WallacM? won the sprint event, and went well a\uu from tiie lield in the inih* handicap. At the Northern Club's mortiup the. five milr.s junior pared event, was an exciting contest. Wit i A. K. Mrfclwcii. ihe toll jr.inior. D. Dyer and W. Hcllpur on the pacers throtißhout. The trio i;avc a pood exhibit-ion of pare t'ollowinp. ano the issue was in doubt until the filial sprint, wnic.i Mctl'.ven won by half a length, with Helleur only two lengths bark. Tlic tune. II.:VJ 1-5. was :lic fastest. champion:-iiip ti?nro nf the work. The new champion conies from a keen c.vcimc: 1 family, lor his taiher was a prominent run us man in the Wairarapa. while he has two younger [brothers v ho race in special ♦.veils at Otahtihu each week. Scooped the Pool! | 11. R. Baldwisi. winner ol all three titles. ise\er appeared to be extended, and in the sprints with K. L. Ci. Huehrs he was always mester of t lie posit ion through superior strength and speed. Hughes ran him close in the isnpaced kilometre, in which Baldwin was fortunaie to ride dunnc a momentary lull in the trrccuHr gusts of wind which were In evidence while others were on the track. Clocking 1 I'O Baldwin should have an opportunity on March 8 nf gaining the provincial tide at Papatoctoc. which Hughes won in 19.10 in 1.18.

So pleased whs duo spectator with the eflorts of .T. p. Brirn and N. Murdoch in the Lynndaie Club's junior pared five miles, that he donated special trophies for the two riders just after tiie rare concluded. Both were new to pored work, but. I hey made the race the best, event, of .he afternoon. Brieu adopts the crouching position previously peculiar to Baldwin alone, and the fact that he won both junior events is sufficient proof that, awkward as he may appear, nis strramlinine cfTnrt.s definitely produrr good results. Both Brirn and Murdorh were applauded for their efforts. especially Murdoch for his game effort over the final lap. A. W. Stonex performed to expert at ions, in the sprint match races he met. ttimpson-Bcer. Both are well developed, but Stonex seems to have the knaek of flashing into sprinting speed quirk enough to ratrh an opponent unawares. The Pacc Was Not On'. M. ('. .Johnson retained his ten miles par.-d title. At one stage both he and D. Chat field had cleared away from tlie Held; then earh •"refused" to follow the pacers. T3o slow were the ppr that (.». R. Piirdom. who had almost been lapped by them, artunlly caught, them. A lew* laps la'cr .lohnson showed his strength by shooting a»«v from Chatfirld and past the parcr. .Johnson was too fast tor the new pacer, for be streaked past him too in his determined endeavour to outdistance Chai field. After one lap and a half he surreeded in establishing the desired break, and then sr? down to steady riding. The ; time of 24.50 clearly indirates that paced races hardly live up to the title!

The junior half mile of the Manukau Club provided an unusual spectacle. 1; D. McGrath took the field of! to an extra rapid start, and al half distance h»» shot up to the ilp of the. banking and let the field go nn?;. Many thought he had exhausted a;s energy. But not so. On the home banking he started to liven up again

so rapidly that he went past the entire field and non the title hv two cicar lengths from V. A. Hills.

The live miles pared was a "walk over" for R. P. Flinkenberg. uho lapped all his opponents. Early in the race Hills made a move to break away, but the paccr was not equal to the occasion.

Throughout tho M'ernoon the papers, with a few exceptions, were most irregular, and if pared racing is going to regain ill* fine standard fe*. by Patrirk and Giccn tandems will have to oc again introduced.