A CYCLING RECORD.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 17289, 3 October 1916, Page 11

A CYCLING RECORD.

HANMER AND BACK IN FOUR HOURS FORTY-FOUR MINUTES

Some remarkable travelling on a mo-tor-cycle with side-car was done, by Mr H Jones, of Messrs Jones Bros., yesterday. Ho had a seven horso-powei llariey-Davidson machine, which is standard in all respects, and ho took Mr W. Jones as his passenger. His journey was to Hanmer Springs and back. Mr Jonea left the corner of Gloucester Street and Oxford lerraca sharp at 5.30 a.m Tim time was ra*en by two members of the committee ot the Pioneer Amateur Bicycle Club who despatched the rider and recorded h w arrival. The total distance of the tup is about 174 miles. The weatner conditions were good, there being bngn sunshine and little Find, lhe loafs o-ncrally arc good, but tho water-races uevo high, and past Ciilverden there was a vc/y bad stretch of cut-up road. The journey to Hanmer was done m two hours thirteen minutes. Mr Jones arrived at the post office there at 7.43, and had his time recorded by the postmaster in a book supplied by the timekeepers in Christchurch. Ho stayed there for three minutes, and then started out on the return journey. Up to the concrete culvert, about .half a mile north of White’s Bridge over the Waimaknriri, the return journey, like the outward journey, was freo from incidents. Just there, however, when Mr Jones was trying to get round a corner at speed, the outfit swung wide, and tho machine, the rider and the passenger w-ere thrown into a deep ditch. About fifteen minutes wero spent in getting things together again, but nobody was hurt, and the machine practically • was undamaged, and a start was made again for Christchurch, which was reached at 10.14 a.m. Tie whole trip, therefore, was done in 4 hours 44 minutes, running time, ft performance which it will be difficult to boat. It is believed that if the accident at White’s Bridge had not occurred the return journey would have been done in slightly less time than tho outward journey, but even as it is the pace was slightly over 36 miles an hour.