CYCLING AND MOTORING.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLVI, Issue 119, 17 May 1912, Page 6

CYCLING AND MOTORING.

Considers tile interest is bejng tak^;i by road racing cyclists tKrougliout 1 !io wpi-ldvin the:forthcoming international- bicycle road "nibe.-.'to•■'be held on bun: 'dtiy, July 7th, in connection with this •.yeiu^k'OrympKJ^.G'siinjßs'/'.Tlie event is , >io be held, over a- i9P>;miles( coujso near Stocichblm, Sweden. Teams from England, Scotland, Ireland, Ouii- ' >adt,,: United States, j.nd-several Courinentul countries will take paa't in tho event, M rhich pomises to provide ti<e most intere.sting contest in connect- ; ion -with, this year's Olympic Oavruval. fJ3iis will be the first occasion or. ; which a cycling road race has been j held at this--classic meeting.. I i It is a. great, pity that Australnsl.i. | 'will'not b& properly represented by a ] team of ridei-s in this big event, vor j it is doubtful .if any country in the-: world' lias a finer lot of long distance j speedmen than Australia and New Zealand can produce. The trouble i? that the Olympic ro;ud race is confiuocl to uiniiitour; riders, whilst most of ->Le longdistance riders in this country hiisve a-aoed for ciish and consequently were ineligible. As it is, Austruia may possibly be represented by en« crax3k N.S.W. ajnuteur track rider; E W. Schneider, who is now in Europe; but even if he rides, the chances ol success are very remote with one .rkites* pitted against oracle inter national teams. England Uone will send a, team of eight first-class riders. The .' contest is to be aai 'unpncod one, partly individ'uia.l arid partly amongst te^ams. To the indivK.lu.il winners, gold, silver, a-nd bronze medals will be awarded the first thvto men homo, 'whilst diplomas will }w presented to all rides finishing within 25 per cent of the fastest time established. In the team competition, 'he fouir riders makiiig the best times from each nation competing will bo considered t,s foraiing a team and thy aggregate times of various teams, will decide the winner. Road riders v/t'l be interested to lear- that the event starts, iit two in the morning, Wiien it will be quite light in S^"eden. Whii<t is the road surface of the future to be? This point extremely hi terestirig to cyclists and motorists, is now uadergoing n course of inyescigatiori at theiNational Physical iif.bora.toiy.Tlie ;test is ; by elimination, fflind isi being carried out > as ;fa'r. as possible^; by; refproducing the ' wear; tt^dtear of road conditions on varying surfaces, and comparing the results. For this purpose there has been vi. stalled a huge circular trough, ii which, in *i series of oohcentric rings occur specimens of: all the principal forms- of tarred and allied surfaces. Tliree-inch steel surfaced wheels, exerting a pressure of one ton, Nvi^l run on each strip, and presumably the one which I emerges best from th:i ordfesal' will be the one to gain ti>e favor of thie English lioad Boaixl1. "The Common Failings of Cyclists'' is the- title of an interesting article by the' well-known English cyeiinp; journalist, Hv F. T. BidlaJje. In it he refers to the failing many presentday cyclists hs.ve of 'neglecting the art of ankling. After pointing oiit that cyclists ivho do not pe>lvil properly ignoi'e the fact that tho humaii engine ha« v, valuable a*.u beautifully controlled liinge, missng in all steam engines—^namely, the anlde, he condemns the "wooden leg" action, rightly taking the vie <?■■' that the accomplished "ankler" . will easily accomplish journeys whioii would1 tire a stronger man who. lece iskilfully applies his superior fovoo. The-position he recommends for t<ie foot is that it should be placed &i. .that the centre barrel of _the pedal .Is athwart the w;ide;st portion of t1 c shoe. <; The ball of the foot, wliicti carries the load when walking, should take the thrust when pedalling, sac'v thrust being most advantageously applied over the . centre of the - pedul Another failing he lays stress' on Ithat of over-estimating strength and using an unduiy high geair. This mny seefn very pleasant in the eiariy stswes of an easy.' ride, but is a baffling and disabling defect when fetigue sets in. Here, in Mr Jiidlake's opinion, is where the ' advantage of the variable gear device «s----serts itself, in affording a ufieful means' of escape from the evils of a single excessive gear, piovided iJu* ■rider, cultivates,.;the ilse (of it, nl does:/ not expect fallacious resu^ s !fromvit. In'the case,' howevei, of a rider whose machine is not fitted with a Variable geaj' device, he thir* is that far more, enjoyment is to be had by the average cyclist, foi all-round purposes, from a gear of 68 inches or thereabouts than from the hhr,b. .eighties or nineties. He considers v wiser to under-gear than v over-ge:.r, as, the one error at worst only "Winds" a man, while the error c? over-gearing fatigues the. average rider completely, and may lead t:--exhaust ion a rad over-stra in. Road riders in general, ~ c'n-d "Warrniambool" contestants in particular, will j egret to hear of tho death of W. E. Knaggs, who won the Warrnambqol-Melbourne road race :ri 1909. Brain fever was the cause or death. The late W. E. Knaggs, wl 1 j was 35 years of age, saw service in the South African War, and was » good all-round athlete; but it was :r> a< long-distance road racing cyclist that he first <^ame into puo'ic prominence. In the "Wairrnambof-f' which he Won he put up a sterling performance by riding the 165 mili;s in the very .fast time of 7 hours ■#2 minutes 19 seconds. .

The record speed of 78-J miles an hour has, a/ccording to a cablegmm from San Francisco, been established in a long-distance road race.. Tbis wonderful performance was4 accomplished at Santa Monica, California by E. Tetzeloff, in an open road race over a distance of 303 miles, which w.as covered in 3 hours 51 minu+os. Previously to this record the fastest sustained pace in a long-distance :o-"l contest was 'an average of 74.6 miles per hour, accomplished in Indiana polis (U.S.A.) last yea-r.