ENGLISH BICYCLISTS.

Evening Star, Issue 7431, 28 January 1888, Page 2 (Supplement)

ENGLISH BICYCLISTS.

FRED WOOD, THE CHAMPION. The great attraction at the Dunedin Cycling Club’s race meeting on Saturday, February 4, will undoubtedly be the riding of Fred Wood, the champion bicyclist of the world. Mr Wood is a well-known man in English cycling circles, having been racing for the past eight years, and most of the time been connected with the old firm of Humber, Marriott, and Cooper, now dissolved. Mr Wood, along with the other professional racing bicyclists, Howell and Lees, bears a reputation for straightforward riding and conduct on the path, which stands out in pleasant contrast to some professional doings. A short sketch of his principal performances may prove interesting, though in the limited space of this notice much is necessarily condensed, Fred Wood is a man about twenty-six years old, of good height (sft 10Mn), and weighs about list 71b. He rides a Humber 57in racer. His figure, though spare, is muscular, and his pluck and nerve undeniable. His long experience on tho racing path lias proved him a thoroughly good man in every way. Ho commenced racing in 187!) as an amateur, and succeeded in winning many important events in his first season. The following season he became a professional, and showed his form in a six days’ race, twelve hours a day, during which he rode the astonishing distance of 901 miles, riding the first day’s distance of 183 miles without a dismount during the twelve hours’ riding time. In 1881 ho won the Great Wolverhampton Handicap of fifty guineas, and many other important races, in 1882 he and R. James ran a dead heat for the twenty-five mile championship of the world, and tho nm-off resulted in another dead heat. The third heat resulted in James winning by a foot in the then fastest time on record. In ISS3 Wood succeeded in winning the one, three, and twenty-mile championships of tho world, beating James, Lees, Howell, and other well-known riders, lie won the twenty-mile championship three times in succession, for which he holds a magnificent silver belt. Wood, Howell, and Lees all completed the twenty miles under the hour, Wood making the then record time of ilOmin IS.jsec, Hie last mile being ridden in 2miu 31sce—a marvellous performance. This year he held all the championships from one to fifty miles, the fifty miles bping done in the then record time of 2h 48min lOsee. He also went on a tour through France and part of tho Continent, winning all his races. In 1 SSI he again won the’ one, three, twenty, thirty, and fifty miles championships. In 1885 he unfortunately fell and broke his arm while training, but even then won the three, ton, and thirty miles championships. He then went to America, racing at the principal meetings there, and winning all the principal events, including a mile handicap from scratch in tho record time of 2min 35 2-stlx see. For this performance the Springfield Bicycle Club, at whose meeting it was done, presented Wood with a fifty-guinea gold chronograph. In 188(5 he won the one, three, ten, twenty, twenty-five, thirty, and fifty miles championships at Leicester, and again went to America. His first race there was a mile handicap, and he won it from scratch in the still unbeaten time of 2min 33scc, and was presented with a handsome gold medal by the Club. He also won a three-mile handicap from scratch in the splendid time of Smin lOscc. After tho season in America, he and R, James, the ex-champion, sailed from San Francisco for Australia. His first races were in Sydney, on Ist January, 1887, where he lowered the quarter-mile grass record from 3!) sec to 33 4-sth see. On February 5 and 12 ho met the best of the Australian amateurs, including Bennett, Dwyer, and C. R. Wood, beating them all, and winning a fifty-guinea cup. At Melbourne, Wood raced and lowered the world’s grass record for one mile to 2min 45 2-sth sec, and won the championship of Australia. At Christchurch, on 20th and 27th December last, Wood competed in three events—one, five, and ten miles, winning them all, and taking LSO in prize-money. At ttie meeting at Carisbrook next Saturday he will compete in two and five-mile events against the amateur riders of New Zealand, and will also endeavor to lower the world’s record for half-mile on grass. MR WILLIAM BROWN. This well-known English amateur is at present in New Zealand, and will compete at the Dunedin Cycling Club race meeting on February 4. Mr Brown is a slightlybuilt man of about sft 7in in height, and rides a 54in Humber racer. From the English Cycling Magazine, the ‘ Wheel World,’ we take the following particulars as to his performances : He commenced racing in 1879, when, on 21st June, he won his first race, a two-mile handicap, from the 210 yards mark, in Smin 26j-3cc. He raced this season with varying success, his handicap being 120 yai’ds in the mile from the famous 11. L. Cortis. He has raced every year since, in 1882 succeeding in getting back to scratch in a mile handicap, coming in second. In 1883 Brown’s best performances were the defeat of Gaskoll for second place in tho ton-miles scratch race for the Surrey Cup, and his taking third place in the Crystal Palace Cup (fifteen miles), also scratch. His time in tho Suprey Cup, which is run on grass, was 34rnin 29 3-Sth sec. In 1884 lie commenced training vei’y early in the season, with the intention of running for the Surrey Cup again, lie started for the race by far the fittest, as he had been training for weeks. Unfortunately one of the riders, making the pace, ran himself out, and, not taking a curve closely, collided with Brown, who was riding close outside of him, and the pair fell, Brown breaking a rib and having to lay up. When he got well again he got to work, and was in capital form at the Rovers’ meeting on July 26 at the Crystal Palace. He won his heat in the mile from scratch in 2min 48 4-sth sec, and in the final went off at a tremendous pace, making what was then the record for a starting quarter—--40 3-sth sec. It seemed as if ho would succeed in making a record for the mile, when in passing a man in front of him the latter tried to hold him, and cutting too close knocked Brown over, and fell himself. Brown fell on the palings and cut his face seriously—so seriously that nothing but his excellent health and great care and attention could have enabled the wound to heal so satisfactorily as to leave but a slight scar. His various spills this year had knocked him about, but ho made a big effort to hold English in the Crystal Palace Cup, and got off even faster than that crack starter; at the mile being about twelve yards to the bad. Mr Brown has been in Australia for about two years past, and has raced there, his best performance being tho winning of the Drummond trophy, value L2OO, at the Melbourne Bicycle Club meeting. He came over with Fred Wood to race at Christchurch, but the heavy wind on both days

there prevented him showing his best form. On a good day he can still show that ho has not forgotten how to race. “Personally,” says the ‘Wheel World,’ “Mr Brown is one of the best men on the path ; quiet, modest, and unassuming, a thorough sportsman, and possessed of undoubted pluck and determination, he is a good companion for a spin on the road or a race on the path. He is always ready and willing to help others who arc training, and the London path will lose one of its truest and most popular frequenters when Will sees lit to retire from racing,” Mr Brown is a member of the Brixton Ramblers Bicycle Club, under whose name he always races.