SPORT OF CYCLING

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21939, 24 October 1934, Page 18

SPORT OF CYCLING

LABOUR DAY RACING The road season locally was officially closed last Saturday, while the track season was commenced on Monday with indications of good competition for forthcoming events. The annual Labour Day sports at the Auckland Domain grass track were undoubtedly tho best held for many years. Brilliant sunshine prevailed, a large crowd attended, the track was dry and fast, while the close finishes in all the eleven cycling events, heats included, left little to bo desired. The races were efficiently dispatched to schedule, a fact fully appreciated by the big gathering. Members of the Manukau Club were prominent and won three of tho four events for which they were eligible, while a Papatoetoe Club rider won the other race. G. H. Cunningham, a short, lightly-built rider, won two races, tho half-mile off 65yds. and tho one mile oil* 140 yds , in close finishes. Since it was his first attempt at track racing, his successes were remarkable, for in the qualifying heats he was placed after staving off challenges from experienced riders in bunched finishes. His judgment was rare for a beginner. Ho pedalled a fairly low gear of 77 inches. F. R. Markham, 90yds., sprinted hard when ho defeated D. N. Pinfold, 80yds.. the virtual scratch rider, to win the two-miles by two leugths. Markham is a tall, wiry type of pedaller with a particularly neat style of tinkling. During the last month he won the 15 miles road race for the Cotter Cup off 2m 30s. The final event of the afternoon, the "miss-and-out" race, in which 19 riders started, created the greatest interest. On each lap the rearmost rider of tho field at the finishing line was called off 1 ; and naturally each lap terminated with a terrifically fast sprint. When the bell indicating the final lap took the riders by surprise, only four riders, R. Taylor, D. N 1 ? Pinfold, A. M. Keith and J. W. Clark remained. On the back straight Taylor accelerated swiftly, but Pinfold brought the crowd to its feet when he accepted the challenge, and with a great all-out effoit passed Taylor on the finishing straight to win by a length. J. Vv. Clark, who had obviously tired himself by sprinting hard at the back of the field for ten laps, was a close third The ladies' half-mile event drew six starters and provided Miss G. Lorigan, 60 yards, with an easy win from Miss N. Elwin, 50 yards, in tho good time of lm 23 4-os. Miss V. E. Baird beat the other scratch rider, Mrs. E. Harrison, by a length to fill third position. .