SIX DAYS' CYCLE RACE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 14934, 6 March 1912, Page 5

SIX DAYS' CYCLE RACE.

AN EXCITING FINISH. The Melbourne six days' race terminated very excitingly, and after a slashing sprint over two-thirds of a mile Goullet fairly flow over the lino, a winner by a length from Ivor Lawson, with A. J. Clark trailing his wheel third. The pace at the finish was a revelation, for when Grenda unwound a two laps' sprint, followed up by a magni* fioent 300 yds dash by Goullet, the pace was so hot that riders like Clark and Lawson had all they could to hang on, and they had no jump at the finish. When the race terminated at five minutes past tea there wero still seven teams in the contest, and one of them, JDotzauer and Bell, wore a lap to the bad. At the finish of the 141 hours' ride a total of 2026 miles had been ridden, with the following teams level:—Goullet and Hchir, Olark and McNamara, Lawson and Mitten, Grenda and Walker, Gascoyno and Lloyd, and Yeend and Crook- To decide tho prize-winners a three laps' sprint was determined on, the six teams that tied being represented by Goullet, Lawson, Clark, Grenda, Lloyd, and Crook. Olark and Goullet were equal favourites for the deciding event. Tho final eprint race appeared to result in a terrific struggle for £600 between two combinationsGoullet and Grenda and Clark and Lawson. Starting off, all six riders orawled around the track, whilst 20,000 spectators stood expectant and silent, waiting and watching for the final jump, upon which so much depended. At half a milo to go the pace improved. Grenda being in tho lead, with Goullet trailing his back wheel. Lawson came next, with Clark following. At two laps to go (704- yards) thousands roared " Grenda's off," and so ho was. He streaked out at a pace of 35 miles an hour. Goullet jumped after him and so did Lawson and Clark: the rest were dropped. At a lap to go (352 yds) the pace was terrific. The positions wero still the same; everyone stood up and roared. Entering tho back straight Goullet's light blue sweater was seen to flash out from behind Grenda, and in an instant he had passed the Tasmanian crack, with Lawson and Clark close behind in hot pursuit. Bound the bend into tho finishing straight the bluo sweater led by a length. Lawson gradually crept up, 'dragging Clark with him, 'but Goullet sustained his* magnificent sprint, and flew over the line a length winner, with Lawton and Clark close up. Grenda finished 25yds furthor back, fourth; then came Lloyd and Crook. Tho last two laps (704 yds) were ridden in .42 3-ss.won-derful pace after a week's riding. Goullet's win was exceedingly popular, and he received a tremendous ovation as ho was carried shoulder high off the ground. To win both tho Sydney and Melbourne six days' race is a wonderful achievement for the Goullet-Hehir combination to bring off. The winning team rode Dunlop tyres in both events- '• ... # The total mileage scored Is 60 miles behind the Sydney figures, which is rather surprising, considering that the smaller; and better protected track at the Melbourne Exhibition Building should have made for, a better mileage. .-• Again, the . weather all through the week was almost perfect. ' The mileage for each 24 hours of tho race is interesting:—First 24 hours, 456 miles; second, 363 miles; third, 348 miles; fourth, 430 miles j and fifth, 299 miles. Appended are the prize-winners: First, £500, A. 0. Goullet and P. Hehir; second, £200, L Lawson and W. Mitten; third, £100, A. J. Olark and R. J. McNamara; fourth, £75, G. Walker and A. F. Grenda; 'fifth, £50, T. J. Gascovne and A. G. Lloyd; . sixth, £25, P- Yeend and A. L. Crook; seventh, £25, G. Dotzauer and G. Bell. The promoter, Mr. J. D. Williams, is to be congratulated on the sporting and financial suocessf of his big undertaking, but it is doubtful whether a similar event will again dra"w such attendances. The track ij too big for this olass of racing, thus minimising the chance of exciting racing. The contest thus decided was deadly monotonous most of the time, for no determined efforts were mate by the cracks to gain a lap, and the only exciting incidents of tho race came from secondclass men losing and regainingT laps. If any furthor six days' races are contemplated later on, something more than this will bo necessary to maintain the interest ; that the first event of its kind stirred up in : Melbourne. As showing , the difference :in American and Australian; conditions, only 2026 miles were ridden in Melbourne, as' against 2718 miles •in the recent six days' raco won 'by A. J. Clark in New York. The record for this class of event is 2737 ! males, to the credit of Macfarland and Moran, so there is just cause for calling attention to tho slowness of the Melbourne event. This class of racing requires special tracks.