CYCLING NOTES.

Evening Star, Issue 9878, 14 December 1895, Page 3 (Supplement)

CYCLING NOTES.

flfr Rovafi.] \ . ■:..;.. Correspondence and queries are mvlted, and must be addressed to "Rover," editor: of Oycling Notes, office of this paper. i "■■:•:< " '■■' ''■' ; ■ ! •

> Last Saturday the weathefr waß of y the ' average iiud that has obtained during gflod- ' ness only knows how long. I ;tbysk(it rn,ußt' •} have been in Dunedih that "the'idea, pcourred to Rider Haggard to write ' The LancM'the Mist.' For the last two monthsl it. b&? boen the easiest matter in the World to pick but the devotees of ;'tho'wheel frtmi amongst the, rest of the ; citiziens, for disappointment and Soject misery is writ large in < their elongated' physiognomies. ,/ I hear that there isSometalkof the Q. O.C. Committee postponing their sports till, after, the championship meeting at' Christohurch, becuuso the date of the annual fixture (the 28th) is too close to that of the champion, ship meeting. , v. 8. M 'Donald has again returned to his old love the White City by the! sea,. It is possible that he may attend the Timaru meeting if he can obtain permission to get, away. I hear that he is very anxious to race against Bome of the Invercargill riders on Boxing Day, and that he means to give them a taste of his quality. The Oamaru cyclists will be glad to have bim again in their midst. The servioes of Mr O.'H. Moller have again been requisitioned by the Committer o: the 0.C.C., the demand upon the time of the present secretary beiDg too great at this season of the year. Ths combination of the powers of these two augurs.success for anything the club undertakes henceforth. "Rover" will be pleased to hear, as soon as possible, from any rider who is thinking of making an extended tour after Christmas. There is a party being formed by Mr J. A. M'Nickle. !for the purpose of either touring to the West Coast via Otira Gorge or making a trip to Sutherland Falls and Milford fc>oundAnyone who would like to join the party please communicate at once with "Rover,,' Star Office, or J. A. M'Nickle, D.C.C. : RoOms. , , , Riders should be very careful about leaving their machines against a kerbstone. The other day a machine was knopked down on to the road, and a horse in a cart near by took fright and innocently took one of the cartwheels over the prostrate "bike," to' its utter detriment, which fact caused the owner much distraction and discomfort.

Talkiug of accidents reminds me that I must congratulate "Demon" on his recovery and on the fact that he has got completely rid of the triangular bandages which were the consequences of a bad attack of dog "plague plus a fractious "bike." It gives his friends much inward satisfaction to hear that he has no longer to ask the tram conductor to stop the car while he (the cripple) " minds the step." An attempt will again be made by the D.G.C. to hold a club run. Weather per'triitting it will leave the club rooms, High street, next Saturday, iJUt inst., at 2 30 p.m., for Outram via the Mineral Springs, and returning by Greytown. Toe challenge issued by the Duncdin Cycling Club to the luvercargill Cycling Club for a team race of ceu miles, four men ■a side, has been accepted. The race will come off at Invercargill on Boxing Day, and should be well worth riding down to see. The !).C.C. have chosen three riders to represent the club at the Australasian championship meeting at Christuhuroh on 2ud and 4th January—namely, Messrs R. Crow, S. MaedonaM, aud W. Bell—and, provided the weather improves and allows them to put in some training, they should give a got-d account of themselves, more especially Crow, who is riding somewhat after his old style. On Wednesday evening, 18th inst., at 7.15 o'clock, on the Carisbrook track, the Ounedin Cycling Club will hold a trial race for a distance cf five miles, in order to pick a team of four to represent the club in the Team Race D.C.C. v. I.C.C. at luvercargill on Boxing Day. A club handicap for novices and-open only to roadsters (20'lb) will also be hell on Wednesday night after the trial. The diatai:C3 will be three miles, and the first prize is a handsome silver cup presented by Mr J. Lethaby, the second prize being presented by the club. Entries (b>) for this event clo3o on Mouday, 16th, at 10 p.m. The uncharitable state of our atmosphere has greatly interfered with training both at Carisbrook and the Caledonian Ground. In fact, there has been little or no track work done lately, and I am afraid our locvl men will suffer accordingly when they compete with the much more favorably placed Northerners. I know of a few who intended going to Tim.mt to-day to race at the sports on Monday, but they have not been able to get in any training, ao if they go at all it will only be as'visitors. The Carisbrook people carefully fjuard their traok during wet weather. The caretaker barred all runners and walkers from training on it while tbo Bwfaoe was soft. Caledonian Society pleaso copy. The straight is full of footprints. The South Canterbury Galedouian Society must bs a strong arid thoroughly progressive one. The society have their headquarters in the comparatively small town of Tiinaru, yet they havo constructed out of their own funds an entirely new track of 440 yds round, banked at the ends, and in the straight 2ft in" 25ft. The Committee of the society propose to hold a sports meeting on the Ist and 2nd of January, 1896, and offer ten events to be fought for by contentious wheelman. The prize money amounts to over £Bo—no " tin pots," but all open orders. There is a Grand Caledonian Wheel Race, of five miles (scratch), with £ll for the winner, £3 for second, and £1 for third, together with £5 for the rider who passes the post the greatest number of times firßt in the lap?. Fifty women, members of the New York Professional Women's League, headed by Miss Emma Carroll, have pledged themselves to adopt rational dress for wet weather. They intend to divide themselves into squads, and to appear simultaneously ii'alkini? antf cycling in various parts of the city. Thus they hope to force public opinion on "the rational dress question. In a recent balance-sheet of the John Griffiths Cycle Corporation the miin proportion of the profits shown was the result of their venture in Melbourne, Sydney, and Adelaide. £20,000 worth of English machines were imported in that yet>r, and the profit was equal to 20 per cent. When one reads 'of 20 per cent, profits for mere middlemen, he need wonder no longer why lie pays £3O cash for his machine.—' Argus.'

Walter Foster, an American, put up some astonishing records in San Francisco recently. Paced by a ' •' quad.," he rode a third of a mile in 30sec flat, beating Johnston's record by 2 2-53ec. Unpaced, he then rode a third in 32 2 ssec, breaking the unpaced record by 63ec. On the 16th October Foster broke the quarter record by doing the distance unpaced in 24 3 osec. On the same day ho beat a "quad." which was paoing him for a mile. The "quad." could not give him pace enough, and having ridden the first half in 52sec he passed the "quad,," and finished the mile in ltnin 48see.

The German Emperor has developed the cycling craze, aud in his peculiar fashion he has become abnormally enthusiastic. A private track is being constructed for him at Potsdam, aud all the officers of his household have been directed to acquire proficiency in the art of riding the wheel. An English rector has made arrangements for the safe custody of bicycles while the riders are attending any of his services. The verger has charge of the machines, "and patrons are reminded that tips are not permitted."

The ' Sydney Morning Herald' says :'—' "Dr Muskett, who has recently taken to cvcling, examined Megson, the Sydney champion, recently, and pronounced him to be a splendid specimen of muscular develop-! ment. The doctor found ih,at jKfegson. stands sfo 6Vtn, weighs 10st 121b, and has a ; chest measurement, uninflated, of 34in;-with, an expansion to37in. His biceps measure 13in, forearm H'iin, calf ISib, and thigh? 22in. '" "■' ■ ' : ' -'-••'. •'•' :