WHEEL NOTES.

Gisborne Times, Volume IX, Issue 804, 20 January 1903, Page 3

WHEEL NOTES.

(Sydney Paper.)

Monday night’s cycling saw 10,000 on Sydney Cricket Ground. “ Major ” Taylor heat of the half mile handicap was a revelation. Starting five yards behind scratch ho flashed along and won—UDpaced at any stage—in 06 1-s—a world’s competition record. jßosehill handicap (a halfmile dash) saw Wilksch (S.A.) boaton by Mutton (N.S.W.) in an exciting finish—57sec dead. Don Walker, from “five bohind,” only gathered up tho next with a very, desperate offort —4-ssoc slowor than Mutton’s, but a harder tussle. “ The Major ” shaped in tho third heat from the same mark as Walker. A crash—and a rider shot into the air minus his wheel, while two more were spread-eagled on the track. Drinkwater had fallen, and Hardy, shooting over tho prostrate man’s machine, was hurled against an overhead lamp, afterwards falling heavily. Drinkwater was uninjured, but Hardy, without having any bones broken, suffered much from pains round the loins and back. A splinter of tho broken glass cut a lady’s forehead badly. Taylor, who was slightly in front of the bunch, hearing the crash swerved in, and Larry Corbett finished first, bringing world’s record figures (56 1-5) into existence. Taylor's showing was wonderfully good. Taylor and Walkor caught half tho field together. Walker got hopelessly blockod and Taylor also looked inextricably so, but ho literally wedged his machine through in a startling fashion. Fifty yards from the ond the raco seemed a “ moral ” for Italian Soldi, but Taylor streaked up and won by inches amid wild applause. Time, 57 3-ssec-Bike marvel Taylor is a full-blooded negro, about average height, powerful, and cle'anly put together. He keeps low on his machine, and, through rolling some wants a bit mor9 of the track than most of his oalling. He is as an every-day waterman was to champion sculler Hanlan compared with Don Walker in point of grace. Tho Sydney public’s distrust of profes. sional cycling is not yet allayed sufficient, ly to let it unquestionably believe that tho cracks are giving them an unreservedly air go. There is far too much unconcealed anxiety about the “ gate ” to please the rank-and-file. They would roll up far better if they did sot know that the

I first object of the carnival promoters was the recovery of the £ISOO spent in inducing Taylor to “ appear,” even if this is a higher figure than Harry Rickards gives his star performers. An exhibit with such j a price on his head must, of necessity, bo treated gingerly. For example : The official programme for the first day of the meet announced that the Federal Cycling Council of Australia had allotted to the N.S. W. Loague the contest for the QuarterMile International Championship. Now a championship is an event in which all should start fair, with no chances given in or given away. But tho League’s firet idea was not to find the quarter-milo champion of Australia. It was to provide a druw for tho public. So the League kindly “invited ” Taylor and W’alker to take part in the semi-finals, one in each, to secure their meeting in tho final. Not I to enter for the qualifying heats, of courso, where either might be blocked or get tired. In consequence the various competitors in the qualifying heats were just dummies, prizes not even being given. Naturally this series of events was a fiasco, and might have damned the first day’s racing. I The crowd had to find most of its amuseI ment for itself on the first day of Major Taylor’s cycling carnival. It got some fun out of ono beat of the quarter-mile event, when but two competitors startod. One of these only went 100yds. or so i I when his machine went wrong, and be retired. The other, unaware of this, gathered himself together half way from home, and hit hor up. The ciowd “ dropped ” and began yelling like mad. The cyclist, thinking his rival was on his wheel, put in a noble spurt to the accompaniment of great chooring, finishing, with a fino sprint, a proud man.