WITH THE WHEELMEN

Evening Star, Issue 21623, 19 January 1934, Page 5

WITH THE WHEELMEN

CYCLING NEWS AND NOTES [By Pistol.] FIXTURES. January 20.—Southland amateur cycling championships. January 22.—Dunedin Amateur Cycling Club sports. , January 27.—Otago Amateur Athletic Centre evening meet. February 5 and 6.—Otago amateur cycling championships. Amateur Jottings. J. Brown found it well worth while to come up from Milton on Saturday, as he collected first place in both the quarter-mile and the mile. He is riding with great judgment, and showed his capabilities as a sprinter by heading Smith in both events. Unfortunately, he was inclined to wobble slightly, as the result of riding a strange machine. L. Fagg is another Milton rider who rode well to gain first in his heat and third in the final of the mile. He does not seem to be riding with the same dash as he did last season.

G. Smith seems to have a penchant for second places, as he has secured four in the last two meetings. _ Smith is inclined to leave his final sprint too late, and might alter things if he were to take the initiative instead of letting someone else lead out each time. Arthur Blackie rode well on Saturday for his first race this season, to collect places in the heats of both races and third in the final of the quarter-mole.

C. Gilchrist seems to be holding his form, and was unfortunate in being blocked in one race last Saturday evening. V. Laws won his heat in the quartermile in great style, but seemed to fade out in the final. This rider is inclined to bo a little stale.

B. Oakes was riding well, but had trouble with his machine. He should make sure that it is in good condition before he goes out to race. L. Schmeltz is riding well, and with Arthur Blackie, had some good struggles for first place on Monday evening. Their sprinting was good_ and well-timed. Indeed, these two riders are so evenly matched that more finishes of this type should be seen. A Blackie has struck form remarkably quickly, and will be a hard man to head at the next month. C. G. Lucas, who is riding off the back mark on his own, does not seem to be in his best form just now. Perhaps it is due to lack of training.

G. Sinclair, who recently mot with an accident on the track, was out on Monday evening, and it should not be long before he is active _again ; H. Mussen is improving with every ride, and if he keeps up his training, will soon be on his way to better placings. He should steady his riding, being inclined to plod too_ much. G. Foster is out again, and should have learned a lesson by being left

without a sprint ■ through making too hard a race of it on his own. This rider would be well advised to take things easily between now and the championships if he intends competing then. Hansen’s Success.

C. Hansen, cycling from the scratch mark, can now be ranked among the champions (says a writer in the ‘ Southland Times ’ in regard to a professional cycling meeting at Gore). He has an amazing facility for wearing down almost any field, no matter what he has to give away, and it must indeed be a problem to know how to handicap him without being harsh on him. He won the mile race from R. A. Knowler, who started from 50yds, C. Knowler being third off 100yds. He was second in the two-mile event to C. Knowler, who this time started off 220yds. A. B. Shepherd was third off 90yds. In the one and a-half mile race Hansen was, only beaten by 2yds after giving the winner, S. Heasley, a start of 140yds. D. O’Brien, off 130, was third. Excellent times were recorded. It was indeed a fine day’s performance on Hansen’s part.

Otago Amateur Championships. The Otago track cycling championships are to be staged by the Dunedin Amateur Cycling Club, and permission has been given by the Otago Amateur Cycling Centre to this effect. With the permission of the centre the Dunedin Club has decided to depart from the old style of championship racing, and has elected to adopt the suggestions brought down by the pre--sident of the club (Mr A. Ockwell) and Mr C. G. Lucas. The recommendations of these keen cycling men necessitated the abolition of the half, one, and three-mile paced events, and the adoption of a quartermile, five-mile, and a kilometre time trial.

it is proposed in the quarter-mile event to have heats of three men only, and to give each rider two lives. This will give every rider a fair chance and greatly' reduce the possibility of a rider being blocked on such a narrow track.

' A field of eighteen riders will entail the decision of about fifteen races before the winner and runner-up have been selected, and these two riders will have competed five, or at the most, six times.

The second event, the kilometre time trial, is the means adopted, at the Olympic Games of finding the champion sprinter, and is a recognised championship event in many other countries.

In this event each rider goes on the track alone, and rides one kilometre (about' five-eighths of a mile) against the stop watch, and the rider returning fastest times becomes the winner. ■ The five-mile event, which displaces the three’ miles, is considered more suitable for a rider who, although fast,; has not that outstanding sprint which is necessary to win a race such as the quarter-mile. In recommending these events, Messrs Ockwell and Lucas have undoubtedly * recognised the important fact that to be a success a cycling meeting must appeal to the public as well as to the riders themselves.

That the championships will be more attractive from the, public point of view should be fairly obvious, as the quarter-mile event will provide an abundance of closely-contested spr nts where the winner will be in doubt till the chalk line has been crossed. The kilometre time trial will be a novelty, to the Dunedin public, and with the assistance of a large blackboard the officials will keep before the spectators the times of all the riders. / As - these three events will entail a considerable amount of riding, the Dunedin Club has booked the donian Ground for the evenings m Monday and Tuesday, February 5 and, 6, and as these dates immediately follow the athletic championships it is hoped to obtain. the permission of the Athletic Centre to stage attractive running and field events, in which some of the visiting athletes may compete before they return home. Notes.

The following events.will be held at the Dunedin Club’s meeting on Monday evening:—One and a-half miles elimination race (invitation), half-mile president’s cup, three-mile cycle, one and a-half mile, and 100yds runnipg handicaps. . Cycling, has become a craze in the Chinese city of Canton, where British, machines are the most popular,' because they are light, cheap, and strong. A most welcome reappearance was that of Jack Stauden, _ who made a come-back with E. Greig as partner 1 (says the Sydney ‘ Referee ’ in commenting on a recent meeting). The combination collected on three sprints, 14 miles, 26 miles, and 36 miles, while on five occasions they rode into second position. Standen rode very strongly, and it was hard to believe he had been off the track for a couple of seasons.He also showed that the speed- is still there, by “ breaking on several occasions in an endeavour to regain the lap lead established by the WalshPianta duo. _ , ' A big sports meeting is to be held at Blenheim on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17. Cash cyclists are well catered for and liberal prize money is offered.The three miles St. Patrick’s wheel race is worth £25, the winner receiving £17.Other events are; Half-mile (£8), one mile (£10), two miles (£10). Nominations close on February 24. Tommy Wallace, the Queensland eye- • list, who has won nineteen championi ships from half a mile to twenty-five miles on various kinds of tracks, has announced his retirement, and will not . ride in the Australian track championships next, month, for which he was certain of selection (says the 'Sporting Globe’). His brilliant career of fifteen years has been ended by the expansion .of ;his business as bicycle builder.

Prepared to come to Australia to compete in important road contests in connection with the Victorian Centenary; celebrations, Andre Leducq (Prance),twice winner of the Tour do France, has named his fee—first class return fares for himself and wife, and £SOO. in cash (says a Melbourne writer).It is thought here' that, _ though his terms are exceptionally high, his trip would pay its way -if the cost were divided among the promoters in different. States. The news was made available by Mr Bruce Small, who has received a cable from ! his brother Frank,who is in Europe on a business trip and also negotiating for a team of Continental riders to come to Australia. Admitted that his fee was a big one, the biggest ever paid to any visiting road rider, Mr Small said that there was no reason why steps should not be taken, to secure "Leducq and another wheelman, possibly Josef Mauclair, as a companion. Mauclair won the Malvern Star road race from Sydney to_ Melbourne three years ago. Leducq is the outstanding personality in European cycling and is twice winner of the world-famous Tour, de France road race.: In both track events and in the gruelling road contests, particularly the Tour do France, the Frenchman has proved himself to be almost peerless.