CYCLING TRIALS

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 91, 18 April 1932, Page 12

CYCLING TRIALS

gr6se and the games \Vriting toi "I'he Post," a correspondent', ""Vyellington Cyclist," states that cyclists .throughout New ' Zealand are ■wondering wliy Frank : Grose • (Canterbury) has not been definitely chosen, practically first on the list, for the Olympic team. He claims that no athlete.in any branch of/sport-in this. country, ha? performances to equal those of Grose for consistent bril-liancy-over a period of years, his-only failure of-any consequence during the past five years,.-being-ii» the; 3931 '^raekcham-; pibnships, iiddeii: oh a; very cold- day and on a wet, slippery' track, and when-; Grose was palpably off colour; The letter. als,a states that in the New Zealand>road championship, 1930, Palmerstdn1 to Wellington, Grose, after having, had a ride against a head wind most of the way, gained fastest time and reduced, the previous best- time by 34 minutes. In the road championship at Dunedin last year. Grose had broken away from his co-markers and had a lead of over three minutes on the-field, when he had' the bad luck'to have a tire, blow off the rim. The ■ corrfespondent: continues: "His performance in winning decisively all: three New Zealand track championships at Auckland proves that he has,the temperament for the big occasion. lamin a position to j3tate that I know he had very little training and no special preparation for these'races. ■ : .. ■ "No cyclist would be capable of showing his best in. trials at such short,notice. To be expected to ride on the track, and then in a road trial on consecutive days, and ride up to Olympic standard, is obviously an impossibility. • /Frank Grose is-'entitled to; selection on his record of performances to date, and. I am sure that. I have the baok-Hi£ of all • prominent amateur riders of thej dominion in stating that, if given the oppdftirnity (which up to the present he has nbt'had) to avail himself of specialised training, Frank Grose will worthily uphold the'prestige of New Zealand at the Olympiad* r (» The road race distance of 62 miles, shouWvjbe about his., best distance, as I havchpf^en heard Grose state that the 100 mnel-jwas jiist a?bit" too far. The cpnditioßSiflJ the contest would give him every opportunity. Why: should' cyclists: be put to tUer.expense of going to Wanganui-and Leyiji, Jgr■: needless trials, when there is no oHvec rider . capable of representing New,'.^e.aland in v both track and road events.?'' . .