Cycling.

Evening Post, Volume LIV, Issue 21, 24 July 1897, Page 3 (Supplement)

Cycling.

[By Dagonet.] At the Crystal Palacej on the new cement track there, a most exciting match took place between J. Platt-Betts, the holder of the mile world's record, and J. W. Stocks, middle distance rider, the stake being £50 a side. The first event was a one mile paced contest, Stocks being the first to attempt the trial, and, paced beautifully, he covered the distance in lmin 46 l-sth sec, that beating his rival's former time and establishing a world's record. Platt-Betts then made his attempt, but though at half way he appeared to beat the time the ' effort told on him, and he only registered lmin 46 3 -sth sec In the second event, an hour's paced race, Stock's favourite distance, they kept together till five minutes from the finish, when Stock drew away ar 1 won by 300 yards, covering 30 miles 1640 yards. This won him the race. At the world's championships to be decided at Glasgow on July 30th and 31st, and August 2nd., there will be representatives from America, France, Holland, Italy, Russia, Germany, Canada, Belgium, the Antipodes, &o. Wally Kerr (Sydney, N.S. W.) and C. H. Jones (ChristchurchN.Z.) will be competitors. The following is the programme of events:— Friday— One Mile Professional Championship of the world, One Mile Multicycle Professional Handicap, Half Mile Amateur Handicap, Team Race. Saturday — One Mile Amateur Championship of the World, 100 Kilometers (about 62 miles) Professional Championship of the World, One v Mile Amateur Handicap, Half Mile Professional Handicap. Monday — One Mile Championship of the World (Match between Amateur and Professional Mile champions), 100 Kilometres Amateur Championship of the World, Five Mile Professional Scratch Race. The War Cry has the following in one of its latest issues:— Some little time since, Truth offered prizes for the best Scripture texts suitable for sermons at cyclists' services. Hundreds were reserved. We make a few selections to show among other things how wonderful are the uses to which the Scriptures can be put : — The burden of Tyre — Isaiah xxiii. He wrought a work on wheels. — Jeremiah xviii., 3. I am escaped with the skin of my teeth. — Job xix., 20. Put forth all your strength, and be ye not weary, for ye can nover go far enough. Her filthiness is in her skirts, she remembereth not her last end ; therefore she came down wonderfully. — Lamentations i.,9. The woman shall not wear that whioh pertaineth to man. — Deut. xxii., 5. Beware of dogs. — Philip iii., 2. Their strength is to sit still. — Isaiah xxx., 7. The Lord will take away their round tires. — Isaiah iii., 16. Power was given him to scorch. — Revelation xvi., 8. When they wpnt put the wheels also were beEide them. — Exekielx., 19. Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before them.—Proverbsjiv., 25. Platt-Betts does not belieye in too high a gear, and said the other day that he does not believe in or will never ride one over a hundred, as he oonsiders with such a gear it is irapos.sibl^for a man to regain bis pacers quickly when dropped. In his five mile record he used 98. Alf Edwards, lookjng bronzed and well, arrived in England recently, says the Cycler's News. He speaks favourably of the sport in Australia, and attributes his failure to score more to bad luck than anything' else. JSdt^ards conaiders the Australian tracks wanta lot of getting used to, being of all shapes and sizes. Jack Green, whom he left behind, he expects to pull off several of the big Australian events. A review of about 500 military cyolists took place recently at Aldershot, wheD the Duke of Connaught, after the inspection, mounted his machine and led his troops in a cycle parade. The yearly inspection of the 26th Middlesex (Cyclist) Volunteer Regiment was also held recently, on the Guard's ground in Hyde Park, under the command of Major O. E. Liles. Over a hundred men turned out and executed various manoeuvres, , and were highly complimented by Colonel Campbell, of the Scots Guards, who said that he would be able to send a very favourable report to headquarters. The cycle craze has reached Johannesburg. It is said that there are 4000 bikes in use by all classes in that town. The following are the principal winners in Australia foi: the year ending 30th June:— C. O. Tebbutt, £442; C. B. Kellow, £376 ; R. Walne, £339 ; A.* J. Rody, £307 ; A. A. Middleton, £257 ; W. Martin, £224. The last-named champion's record is 11 firsts, 4 seconds, and 6 thirds. Detectives on bicycles, armed with stop watches, is the latest move of the Portsmouth police authorities to prevent road srorching along the front at Southsea, By this means three offending cyclists were captured recently and heavily fined by the Magistrates. It is reckoned that more cyolists pass through Kingston -on -Thames on a Bank holiday than through any other place in England. On Easter Monday it was calculated that nearly 30,000 cyclists passed through one street in that town. The first cycle race in England, it is said, took place at Crewe in 1867. Four riders competed, the winner being protested against because he had screwed spikes into his front wheel to get a grip on tbe grass. A wrinkle for Austral riders on the M.C.O. ground. Professional riders in England are competing for £4 first, £3 second, £2 third, and £1 fourth. Australian riders, by comparison, have not much to complain of. The English Brassard is worth only 10s per day. A man would make more by winning one good Australian scratch race than by defending this badge for ten weeks. It has been discovered that there are two kinds of bicycle face. One is worn by the man who buys a second-hand machine — and the other by tbe man who sells it. The latter is said to be the more pronounced of the two. Charlie Greenwood, who abandoned the across Australia ride, returned to Sydney from Port Darwin the other day by the steamer Taiyuan. He has not yet recovered from the effects of the trip.