Cycling

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 36, 12 February 1931, Page 20

Cycling

By '■Cotter-pin"

GANE AND ROE SHINE

PROVINCIAL MEETING

TITLES CHANGE HANDS

The defeat of M. Ganu at the Dewar .Shield meeting recently by the youthful I'ctonc pedaller, T. Hoe, not. only caused some surprise at the time, but drew attention to the possibility of Gane having lost some of. his dash. '-Jut he showed on Saturday at the Wel--^ngton provincial championship meeting at Athletic Park that he was just out of form when the Dewar Shield events were decided, and that in no way is intended "to detract from the merit of the performances of Eoe, who is the find of the season and gives promise of doing even bigger things in the future. Gane was undoubtedly in better fettle on Saturday. He rode his machine well, having plenty of push, and in every way showed-im-proved form. The result was that he won the mile title, previously held by /rr. Oakley (Wairarapa), and the three miles title, which J. A. Footc was inoligible to • defend, and lost his halfmile title to Roc. In addition to winning the half-mile title in faster timo by 2scc than was registered by Gane last season on the banked track at Petone, Eoc filled second place in each of the other two A grade championships. He is to bo congratulated, and his . fine- success was most popular. Eoc, for one so young, handles his machine like an experienced rider. Ho uses sound judgment, and at the meetings "Cotter-pin has seen him inaction has always impressed as being steady and resourceful. Faster times than wej;e made on Saturday were recorded in both tho mile and three miles championships last year, but, then, not only did the riders last season have tho. advantage of riding on a banked track, but they also had in the finals of these two events tho assistance of pace-makers. The times for the three A grade events on Saturday,'with those of last year in parentheses, are as follows:-^880 yards, Imin 15.1-ssec (lmin 17 l-ssec); one mile, 2min 25 2-ssec (2min 7sec); three miles, Bmin 24sec (Cmin 38 4-sscc). The riding of T. Oakley confirmed an ppimgn formed at the Anniversary Day meeting at Masterton that he is not tho pedaller ho used.to be. Oakley has slipped. The best'ho-could do on Saturday was a third in the one-mile event. He, was unlucky, .however, to fall in the cbnclu'ding stages of the three miles ftlMMnpionship." The other Wairarapa riders, ,T. M'Cord and E. Sayers, were - also not up to the standard of Gane and Eoe. C. Ericsson (Miramar) gained a, place, in the final of the half-mile and .three miles events. L. Hall (Hutt), J. Howe (Petone), and Cr. Clark (Petono) were the outstanding B grade riders. . Hall collected the one and three miles titles, and ■svas third in the final of the half-mile championship, which was won by Clark in fine' "style. Howe secured a second in both the one and half-mile championships. Tho three titles were won last Year by D. Evans, who subsequently joined up with the breakaway movement. ■ Two cyclists are being sent to represent Wellington at {ho New Zealand championship meeting, opening.in JJunedin on 27th February. They arc Gano and Hoe, and on form each deserves the trip. *;■ ';. Showground Track. ''■•At"a meeting of the N.Z.U.C, held last week, a suggestion was made that the union should stage a meeting, in aid, of the Earthquake Belief Fund. This inet-with approval, aiid -was referred'to the Wellington Centre of the union for consideration. A tentative, programme for the first meeting to be held by the Winter Show Association, ' on the new banked track, was submitted to the meeting. The programme, it is stated, includes a professional race '■ with prize money to tho .value of £ 100. Port Nicholson Meeting. A meeting was held, on' Monday evening at the Basin Reserve by the Port

iXieholsou Road Cycling Glub (Inc.), ■affiliated to tlip,, New* Zealand Union of Cj'dists. It "was marred to somo extent ,by the slippery condition of the track, ami, also by a serious accident to one of the riders, W. Doidge. This man wis competing '" a heat of the 440 yards open handicap when lie fell and fractured his spine. All riders will synipatlii.se with Doidgo. ' ,T. Koote and L. Roberts did not compete together in any event. Although both have made application to the Wellington Centre, N.Z.A.A.A., to have their suspension lifted, they apparently have since changed their intentions, and wish to remain under N.Z.U.C. eoutrol. The third and final race of the series between Footo and Koberts under Continental rules,,was not ,held owing to three long-distance events being on the programme. Good form was shown by several iunior riders, Ulmer, A. Pcnningtoii, Holmes, and Uddall all being prominent. In five starts Uddall was placed four times, and was fourth once. Ho stuck close to Foote in the three miles event, and at one time headed him for a lap. However, the exertions of the evening soon told on him, and, he dropped back. . The one-mile open handicap produced a good finish between Eoberts and Ulmer, Koberts who was riding from behind scratch, was loading 100 yards from the finishing line, when Ulmer challenged. By the narrowest of margins the ex-Aucklander triumphed—it was the best event on the programme. Another meeting is to be held on Monday evening. Track at Athletic Park. ' i 'It is well known that the track at Athletic Park is anything but firstclass for cycling, but certain improvements have been carried out which should make it a little better than it used to be. The south-eastern. ana north-eastern corners, where hitherto 1 here were dips, havo been built up. As a result .of the construction of the new grandstand the track on that side of the ground suffered, considerably, but a lot of work-has been put into it by the custodian (Mr. C. Collyer), and it is how in much better ■ shape than it vras a month or two ago. Jams, Sprints, "Burniiig-offs." Any local cyclists who happen to have watched cyclists in-training m Melbourne will probably support the view of a writer in the Sydney ' Referee" that tha best cycling is seen during training' operations. * "Melbourne's best bicycle racing is'not witnessed by the money-paying-sp ectators o.n a Saturday night," says the writer. "The brightest and most thrilling wheeling is on view at Tehearsal time during the week, when the white-wash-ed saucer is thrown open to the antics of the anklers. For this period all meet on a common ground, -with class distinction east aside. The amateur paces -with the professional, and the limit marker proudly winds up a lead out for the exalted king pins of the sprint woria. Constantly reinforced with fresh pedallers, who dash hurriedly from work to whirl around the concrete bowl, the bunches grow to/as: tounding dimensions. With the passing of a few minutes the casual onlooker who' chances to wander in can witness half a dozen 'jams,' dozens of sprints, aiid some hectic 'burning off' competitions. As the bunches flash by partisans on the, bank chant the pasgirig. of. the laps, and a battered kerosene' iinSsubstitutes "for the 'last lap' bell, when the required distance has been covered. How they race then! The : train moves on its way just ass'nappily as though an ''Austral" victory lay at the finish, and the hooks and switches handed out would result in a life disqualification if viewed by a stern iflieial in. a real race; At one midday session, which is attended by a regular clientele, a blue ribbon is solemnly handed to the embarrassed winner, who holds the^ rapidly fraying trophy just as long as he can continue to win the before-dinner sprint. There's more energy expended in one day's training 'by the majority than' in six nights of racing, yet the peculiar makeup of the ■ pedaller would lead him to resent any attempt to place longer races on the week-end programmes without an increase in.cash."