THE WHEEL.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXX, Issue 8623, 26 October 1888, Page 3

THE WHEEL.

Messrs Fenlon and Mayer, two* English amateurs, who arrived in this Colony some time back, recently left for Melbourne. At latest advices they were training on the Warehousemen’s ground for the Austral Wheel Eace. At Adelaide on Oct. 6, the Ten-mile Championship of South Australia was won by E. Davies in 28min 55sec. The Twomile Ladies’ Bracelet race was won by T. W. Busst, of Victoria, H. Black and S. Mills, of South Australia, being second and third. Time, smin 26sec. The Victorian Cyclists’ Union has (says the Australasian ) struck the death-knell of big prizes for amateur cycle races, and it is probable that the Austral Wheel Eace for 1888 will be the last .£2OO prize given by the Melbourne Bicycle Club. The Union held a meeting lately, when, amongst other business, the motion against prizes of high value for amateur races came on for discussion. A proposition was made that prize values be limited to £ 25, but an amendment was put and carried fixing the value at .£SO. The annoyance to cyclists caused by dogs running about their wheels is (writes " Philibuster ” in the Australasian ) often very groat, and not unattended by danger to the rider. An English cyclist once shot such an offender with a pistol, but ho was summoned and fined for the act. If wheelmen carried a few small papers of snuff when riding through the suburbs they might often teach our canine enemies a lesson, and deter them from chasing madly any wheelmen they see. T. P. Jenkins, Champion of New South Wales, has not been beaten in a scratch event this season, save in the Ten-mile Australian Championship by Buost, of Victoria, and in a race for a trophy. Jenkins is a native of Victoria, having been born in Ballarat in 1860, and he raced first in tb at town in May, 1882. He came into prominent notice on Sept. 1, 1883, when he won the Premier road race from Kynoton to Melbourne, fifty miles, in 3hr 53min, and twenty-eight days later he rode 100 miles, from Ballarat to Geelong and back, in 9hr 2Gmin, beating the existing record. Since 1885 Jenkins has been i-esiding in Sydney, and raced on and off ever since. E. M. Mayes, an Englishman, won the One and Five-mile International Eaces at the Danish Cyclist Union, held at Christiano on Aug. 18. A five-mile professional lap race at Leicester on August 18, was won by F. Wood, who secured ten laps and a dead heat, out of fourteen laps. Eobb won three laps and rode the deadbeat with Wood. Several new records are to hand by recent files. At the Finchley Harriers’ sports on August 18, G. L. Morris created a world’s amateur record on a safety bicycle, riding a mile in 2min 37-Jsec, the old record being 2min 44f ; sec. On August 20, M. Holbein (of the Finchley Hamers) rode 100 miles on the road in 6hr 20min 26sec. This beats the previous record by lOmin. Just previously, C. Hill (Finchley Harriers) also beat two records, as he rode 186* miles in twelve hours, and 294,V miles in twenty-four hours. Morgan’s American team of cyclists left England on August 11. Being interviewed before his departure, the manager said their seventeen months’ tour in

England and the Continent has been a grand success. Temple had won about one hundred first prizes during the tour, and had not been defeated from scratch six times. Wood aide had not been able to do himself justice, owing to his bad health. He suffered from rheumatism, but expected to be all right on his return to the States. The gross receipts of the tour was up to £20,000, but the expenses and salaries almost equalled that amount. Everywhere they went they had a most cordial reception, and received more favours than perhaps any team of athletes that had ever visited a foreign country. Ralph Temple, many of whose excellent performances in England havd been recorded in these columns, hails from Chicago. He completed his twenty-third year on May 19 last, stands sft Sin in height, and his racing weight is 10st 21b. Before going to England his cycling pursuits had been confined to trick riding, and not until after his arrival in the Old Country did he cross a racing machine. Still, his record is a marvellous one, and although space will not permit of giving a ■ detailed account of his many performances, it may be stated that from March 1 to the end cf December, 1887, he rode in seventyseven races, from a quarter of a mile up to fifty miles, winning sixty-five firsts, eight seconds, two thirds, and running a couple of dead heats; whilst this year he has placed twenty-four wins to his credit. In addition to this formidable amount of racing. Temple had given no less than 165 performances as a trick rider .up to January last, when a broken ankle put a stop to this line of business. During his brilliant career on the path Temple has accomplished several notable performances, viz., a 2min 36sec mile against a lot of wind round the Long Eaton track, and a 2min 39sec mile at the Brighton track. At Bridlington Quay Temple rode a 2min Ss£-sec mile, a 2min 37sec mile, and half a mile in Imin ISsec; while recently, at the Berlin International Tournament, he polished off two miles in smin 10sec., During his sojourn in England, he has experienced three ugly spills, the worst of which was in February, when a broken limbi laid him up for three months.