GRUELLING CYCLE RIDE

Evening Star, Issue 21582, 30 November 1933, Page 8

GRUELLING CYCLE RIDE

FASTEST TIME ON RECORD CHRISTCHURCH TO DUNEDIN The fastest time on record for an unpaced ride from Christchurch to Dunedin was bettered yesterday by the Christchurch cyclist, L. G. Fleming, who completed his gruelling journey in 14h 25min, the previous best for the distance of 243 miles being 14h 52min 51see, established by W. L. Oldman, of Oxford, Canterbury, in 1911, and unattached since then. Fleming is well known as a long-dis-tance rider, and two years ago won the round-the-mountain race in Taranaki. Last winter he was a competitor in the Otago professional fifty-mile road cycle championship, occupying a prominent placing. Fleming left the General Post Office at Christchurch at 4.5 a.m. yesterday, reached Geraldine 4h 48niin later, and arrived at Timaru at 10.13. The wheelman was very sick at Timaru and Oamaru, which was reached after he had been on the road 9h 13min, but the beneficial effects of a meal soon began to be noticed, and he was riding more strongly after leaving Palmerston. Head and side winds wore encountered as tar as Palmerston, but conditions improved after that. Messrs C. Gilchrist and Xi€sli6j Otago evcling enthusiasts, met Fleming and his party at Evansdalc, and from Waitati to the Junction the rider maintained a steady clip of ten mi es an hour. A6B gear was fitted at the bottom of the Kilmog Hill, in place of the 75 gear Fleming used from Christchurch to the Kilmog. . . ~ , The rider reached the 1 ost Uihce, Dowling street, at 6.30 p.m., the journev from Christchurch taking 14Ji 25min, which lowered the previous fastest time on record by nearly thirty minutes. ~ ~ „ . , On the journey south, the official car that accompanied the party 'y i as ,.,J. lven by Mr F. Wilson. Mr Phil 0 bhea, the famous cyclist, was a mombei or the party, and the North Canterbury Centre of the New Zealand Athletic and Cycling Union was represented by Mr P‘. C. Lucas. m Some time ago Fleming rode from Blenheim to Christchurch,- a distance of 225 miles, in fifteen hours.