CYCLING.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 11122, 14 January 1899, Page 4

CYCLING.

[NOTRS BY "CYCIiIST."] Now that Christmas has passed, the autumn season of cycle racing will soon be commencing. The start of it in the North Island frill be the New Zealand championship meeting at Waneanui on Thursday and Friday, the 23rd and 24th February, when the following programme of events will m Contested;— Amateur races '•■ Half itfle, one, mile, three miles, five miles, and ten miles championships, and one-and-a-half mile and three miles handicaps. Cash events ; Half-mile, one mile, three miles, five nvijes; and ten miles championship, a twft miles tandem championship aha half-mile, one mile, and two miles handicaps, while the Koyal Enfield Challenge Cup, valued at .£75, will be ridden for in a five miles scratch race. In addition there will be a 100 yards, 220 yards, quarter-mile, and half-mile amateur running handicaps) so that there will be some splendid racing to be seen. Owing to several reasons it is doubtful if Napier will be represented at the meeting by its best riders, but as the Wanderers' Club has now such a large membership probably some of its younger and rising cracks will make the journey, across. The following programme of race meetings, to form a North Island circuit, was presented at the last meeting of the Wanderers' Club's committee, and will probably be adopted by the various clubs : — Wanderorn' (Napiel 1 ), Wednesday, March ists Wellington, Saturday, Maxell 4th t Wairarapa (Masterton), Wednesday, March Bth s Manawatu (Palmerston North), Saturday, March 11th; Danevirke, Wednesday, March 16th; Hawera-, Saturday, March 18th; New Plymouth, Wednesday, March 22nd ; and Auckland, Saturday, March 25th. I understand that the Wanderers' and Wellington Clubs have already applied for the dates, and Auckland has signified its intention of doing the same. A big programme of first-class events will be submitted" by the local olub for its autumn meeting on March Ist, andjas the data is immediately after the championships, doubtless all the cracks competing in them willvcome over to Napier. Mr A. J. Pocock, a prominent member of the Wanderers', is now enjoying a three months' holiday, and has gone over to Australia to see the principal cities. He will consequently not be a competitor at any more meetings this season. Mr K. P. Paterson, a former keen racing man in Napier, was married a month ago in Auckland, where he has been living for the past two years.