Cycling.

Dunstan Times, Issue 1974, 29 June 1900, Page 2

Cycling.

Ken Lewis and other New Zealand riders who are in Melbourne at the present time desired to start as representatives of New Zealand in the L-V.W. road races. The League has refused the request. The Dunlop Tyre Company wish to draw the attention of cyclists to the fact that when they are replacing the tyre on the rim, care should be exercised to make sure that the tape placed between the tube and the rim is in its proper position ; otherwise there is a risk of projecting spoke heads puncturing the air tube. A. E. Smythe, a well-known Sydney amateur rider, is now training on the Sydney Cricket Ground track behind a de Dion motor tricycle manipulated by W. J. C. Elliott, preparatory to his making an attempt on the Australian records up to the hour. Smythe, whose riding weight is about fourteen stone, anticipates covering some thirty-two miles in hour. He rides 130 gear, and Dunlops. [ C. Barden, the English crack who brought out here with a flourish 'of trumpets three years ago and proved such a conspicuous failure, has, since his return to England done very little riding, but when the last English mail left he was training carefully on the Putney track. Mr R. McCullagh, who has done such yeoman service for the Melbourne Bicycle Club as its honorary secretary, has been elected to the position of paid secretary at a salary of per annum, with a bonus on the Austral Wheel profits when they amount to £ 1,000. Our old friend, Jack Green, who raced in Australia in 1897, is still riding as well as the best at Home, and opened the season's riding by carrying off the ten mile scratch raec at the Newcastle (England) Easter meeting. C. W. Miller, the crack longdistance American cyclist and winner of several six-days' contests, contemplates a visit to Australia in time for jiext season's racing. "Plugger Bill" Martin's Australian successes have shown the Yankees that good money is to be obtained out here, with the result that the above named cyclist and several other crack American riders are talking- of visiting the colonies. Should Miller come out here he will bring his own pacing motor tandems (which are amongst the fastest in the States) with him. Many Continental and American ' track owners are seriously debating the question of re-constructing their tracks, to meet the increased pace obtainable by motor tandems, tricycles, etc. The majority of the best tracks are only banked to take a one 35 pace, so that it is obvious alterations will have to be made, as many of the crack motorists now have machines capable of travelling at the rate of 45 miles an hour, a pace that is extremely dangerous on a track not sufiiciently banked. The same trouble will have to be faced in these colonies, for, with the exception of two tracks (the Sydney Cricket Ground and Adelaide Oval), there is no chance of Australian and New Zealand cyclists keeping up to date in motor pacing, etc., as the tracks are not sufficiently banked at the turns to permit of any pace approaching 40 miles an hour. The Dunlop Company would have imported a couple of the fastest French racing motor tricycles (capable of covering a mile in about one minute twenty seconds, and forty odd miles in the hour), but the want of suitable tracks stopped their enterprise, as the machines would have proved practically useless in the colonies, especially in New Zealand.,, .<