A LONG RIDE

Dominion, Volume 23, Issue 73, 19 December 1929, Page 10

A LONG RIDE

VETERAN CYCLIST PEDALS FOUR HUNDRED MILES

There rode into the city on a bicycle about 4.30 o’clock yesterday afternoon Mr. E Breckon, a 73-year-old cyclist, who had come all the way from three miles on the northern side of Frankton Junction, a distance of 396 miles, in six days. He looked quite fresh after his long ride. Mr. Breckon has pedalled no fewer than four times from Frankton Junction to Auckland, a distance of 84 miles. The veteran explained that he left bis home at 6.30 o’clock on Thursday morning last, and did the os| miles to Te Kuiti by 5 o’clock. He left Te Kuiti at 6.53 o’clock on Friday morning, and struck rather bad roads on the journey to Awakino. He reached Awakino at 5.5 p.m. on Friday, and was off again by 7.40 o’clock next morning. The 60-miie run to New Plymouth was covered by 6 o’clock the same day. On Sunday Mr. Breckon was in his element pedalling over the beautiful Taranaki roads on his way to Hawera, which was reached by 5 p.m. Leaving Hawera at (.40 a.tn. on Monday, he pedalled the u7i miles to Wanganui, arriving at the Big River at 4.30 p.l«. “I hadn t seen Manganui for 51 years,” he remarked, and could only marvel at the progress the town has made in half-a-century of years.” A Good Samaritan.

He left Wanganui at 8 o’clock on Tuesday morning, and between Shannon, and Levin a tropical downpour of rain descended upon him. “I am naturally independent,” said Mr. Brecker, “but so devastating was the downpour that I was compelled to turn in at a farmhouse, and crave permission to sleep in the hayloft for the night. Mr. W. H. McKenzie, the owner of the farm. turned out to be a regular Good Samaritan. He made me come into the house, and treated me most hospitably.” Bidding his kind host adieu. Mr. Breckon eame on yesterday and reached Wellington at 4.30 o’clock in the afternoon. “I was treated very kindly all along the route,” Mr. Breckon .said. He reckons that three-parts of the roads over which he travelled were bituminised. Mr. Breckon is the guest of an . old friend, Mr. H. Schneider, of 11 Bristol Street. Lower Hutt, and will spend a few weeks in-Wellington before returning home. , . . , . , v i Asked if he would take his bicycle back with him. he smiled and said: “Yes, on the train.”