SPORT OF CYCLING

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21891, 29 August 1934, Page 18

SPORT OF CYCLING

CLUBS HOLD ROAD RACES PAPATOETOE CHAMPIONSHIP SURPRISE BY L. J. FOUBISTER With the 100 miles road race championship event only six weeks off Auckland cyclists are availing themselves of every opportunity to race, and, ill spite of the wintry weather last Saturday, good fields patronised the events conducted by the six local amateur cycling clubs. The Papatoetoe Club decided its annual championship over 20 miles under unpaced conditions. Each competitor had to ride the entire distance alone, and the result was arrived at from the actual riding times returned. This system places each entrant on his individual merit. Although L. J. Foubister has ridden well throughout the present season off handicap marks, his winning of the club title came as a genuine surprise. He just beat S. E. Pinfold, the scratch rider, by three seconds when he clocked the splendid time of 58m 535. A striking feature of the event was the performance of the three Pinfold brothers. S. E., D. N., and A., who were second, third and fourth respectively.

The Manukau Club's nenioi: race of 25 miles over the hilly Avondale South circuit was the hardest club race of the season. A heavy cold shower during the race caused more retirements than is usual, and of the 24 starters only 11 completed the full distance. Two of the club's most consistent starters, J. R. Hall and S. G. Webster, had a hard wheel-to-wheel finish to head off the leading group of five. Hall, 3m 30s, won by half-a-wheel to record his first win this year. L. H. Dwight rode his best race over the circuit this year to clock fastest time in 73m 14s off the lm 45s mark. Dwight is one of the scratch riders in the North Island championship event to-dav at Hawera.

G. Williams and R. Jones, scratch riders of the Takapuna Club, had another keen tussle for fastest time honours in their club's 26 miles event. On this occasion Williams triumphed to register a time of 76m 2s. but he finished over two minutes after the winner, R. Bassett, 9m, who displayed marked improvement. C. Gooder, scratch rider at Lynndale, won his club's unpaced championship event over 12£ miles in 39m 14s. Gooder had been riding prominently prior to the event, and his victory was partly anticipated. The Auckland Club's senior race of 11} miles at Te Atatu provided J. Price with a double win, first place and fastest time. Price made a sensational break away over the last half-mile. His time of 34m 28s was 10 seconds faster than that of M. Gamble, scr.

S. Hilder, 2m, had a hard ride in the' Beach Haven Club's 12 miles when he made the best time in 39m 40s, which enabled him to finish 2m 52s after the winner, A. Venables, sm. Last month Venables was first and fastest in an eight miles junior race.