THE WHEEL.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1192, 4 January 1895, Page 27

THE WHEEL.

W.C.C. RUNS AND RACES. January 5. —Run to Makara January 19. —Handicap Road Race, Lower Hutt to Telephone Exchange January 26.—Fifty-mile Club Championship Road Race February 2.- — Run to Taita March 2. —Run to Seatoun y March 16.—Run to Porirua t y March 30. —Handicap Road Race, Taita to Telephone Exchange SPOKES, By “Cyclometer.” I must congratulate L. T. Herbert on winning the two bicycle events aPfche local Caledonian sports on New Year’s Day. The form'he showed in the Twenty-mile Club Championship a short time back surprised many, and as he has been training very hard since then, he was greatly fancied for these events. The four-mile event he won witli ease by more than the start he received from Lucy, viz., 100yds, but in the five-mile event he only managed to beat Lucy on the tape by a yard. Herbert rode a 231 b Oates’ “Zealandia” racer, which appears to suit him admirably.

The Wellington Cycling Club will hold a run to Makara to-morrow afterfiOon, starting from the Clubroom (opposite Martin’s Fountain) at 2.30.

An instance of the total ignorance which some wheelmen display in regard to the mechanism of the machines they ride brought under my notice the other djiy. A Wellington cyclist decided to take a trip through the Manawatu district on his bike, fitted with ’94 Dunlop tyres,, which are exceedingly simple in their working. At a small township near Palmerston his tyre became very slack, owing to the valve leaking. Instead of pumping more air into the tyre, this cyclist packed himself and his machine on the train for Wellington, cursing his fate and pneumatics generally. It would save cyclists a great deal of worry and expense if they were to take the trouble to make themselves acquainted with their' steeds before undertaking long-distance journeys.

The following are the results of the Four and Five-mile Handicaps run at the Caledonian sports on the Basin Beserve on New Year’s Day:—Four-mile Handicap—L. T. Herbert, 100yds, 1; T. M. Lucy, scr, 2; A. H. Hunt, 100yds, 3. The other competitors were —J. D. Avery, 150yds; D. Brand, 200yds; E. A. Fisk, 300yds; A. Nicol, 400yds. The three placed men made the running, and the interest centred chiefly in these men. Herbert won by about 140yds, and Hunt and Lucy were making a good race for second place in the last lap, Avhen Hunt fell. He quickly remounted, but he could not catch Lucy. Time, 12min 5 T l-sseo. Five - mile Handicap Herbert, 125yds, 1; Lucy, scr, 2; Hunt, 150yds, 3. Also started—Avery, 200yds; Fisk, 450yds; Nicol, 600yds. This was the best race' of the day, and was very exciting. When three miles and a half had been traversed Lucy and Hunt were racing together, and a hot contest between them resulted in Hunt coming a good third. About 150yds from home Herbert collared Lucy, and won a grand race by a yard. Time, 15mm 52 4-s*ec.

The handicapping was not satisfactory in the above races. The limit men were riding roadsters, while the others Avere riding racers. Six hundred yards may appeal - to be a big start, but when it is remembered that Nicol’s machine was nearly twice the weight of some of the others, the seemingly big start vanishes. But I suppose it will always be an unenviable task to handicap for races in which both roadsters and racers are ridden, and it would be more satisfactory to have special races for roadsters. At the Wairarapa Caledonian Society’s sports last Tuesday, L. Caselberg won the mile bicycle race and G. Cooper the twomile. It is probable the Wellington Cycling Glub Avail hold their annual sports meeting on the 16th February, With the view of catching, some of the Southern cyclic/ o on their way to tho Championship Meeting At Napier.

James Bis?ell, the Napier cyclist, has so far recovered from his illness that he has left the hospital.

Cycle-racing is becoming very popular in this Colony, and at the sports on the Basin Reserve on Tuesday last there seemed to be more interest taken in the two bicycle events than any of the others. The crowd became very excited during the progress of the five-mile race, and a spectator was heard to remark that it was more interesting than horse-racing.

The Invercargill Cycling Club held their first sports gathering on New Year’s Day, and the attendance was fairly large. Hayward won the Provincial Championship, Harraway the Edmunds Challenge Cup, and Cuthbertson the Ten-mile Handicap.

J. W. Parsons, of Victoria, who holds the Ten-mile Championship of Australia, has lowered the half-mile, one-mile and tenmile Australasian records. His times were: Half-mile, lmin 6 l-ssec; mile, 2min 14 2-ssee; ten-mile, 23 58 4-ssec.

H. J. Pither won the Five-mile and Three-mile Handicaps at the Dunedin Caledonian sports on Wednesday.

Two Otago cyclists who are touring in ,the Lake district of Otago have reached Lake Te Anau on their bikes. Writing to ‘‘ Demon," of the Otago Witness, they state that they found good roads to Mossburn, while the other roads were in fair order.

At the Feilding athletic sports on Boxing Day J. H. Mingins won the Mile Bicycle Handicap from the 130yds mark, R. P. Clarkson, scratch, being second, and S. Thacker, 30yds, third. Time, 2min 56 2-ssec. Mingins also won the three-mile from a .start of 37oyds, Clarkson again -being'' second from scratch, and J. B. Glarkson, 110yds, third. Time, 9min 25sec.

'Parsons, who won the Ten-mile Championship of Australia at the Melbourne Club's meeting on, December Bth, created an Australian ten-mile grass lecord of 26min 15 3-ssec.

During the Chr'stmas holidays a Wellington cyclist had a narrow escape of going over the edge of the cliff in the Manaw-atu Gorge while riding through without a light.

On October 23, at Buffalo, four riders named Murphy, Callahan, Saunders and Kennedy rode a mile on a quadruplet in lmin 41 4-ssec.

At the Pioneer Club’s meeting at Christchurch on Boxing Day each heat in the Half-mile Handicap was run within the New Zealand record time, which is lmin 10 4-ssec.. The final heat, in which the

scratch men were competing against each -other, was rather slower than the other beats, but was quicker than the record * time. Reynolds, the Auckland crack, rode splendidly throughout the day, and showed a good turn of speed,. A. H. Hunt, the Wellington rider, was not very successful. .He came third in his heat for the half-mile, -'from the 65yds mark, and second in his . heat and the final, heat for the Ladies’ Bracelet, for which he received a start of ■& 140yds. Pither beat the New Zealand record by 5 3-ssec in the Two-mile Handicap, his time being smin 4 4-ssec. The meeting was th 9 most successful yet held in the Colony. At Lancaster Park on December 21st 11. ■/; J. Pither reduced the mile amateur bicycle record of New Zealand to 2min 24sec, from j a standing start. The previous record was 2min 26 3-ssec, and was held by A, C. > Wilmot, i':.; CYCLING SPORTS. . v - Christchurch, December 26. ■: At the bicycle races to-day under the auspices of the Pioneer Bicycle Club, the One-mile Provincial Championship of Canterbury, for gold medals, was won by E. Reynolds (Auckland), who also won the Half-mile Handicap. Cameron (Otago) J won, the One-mile and Three-mile Roadster : Handicaps; C. .F. Smith the 220yds Flat Handicap; J. B. Norris (Pioneer Bicycle Club) the Ladies' Bracelet, A. H. Hunt (Wellington) finishing second; H. J. Pither the Two-mile First-class Handicap ; J., B. Norris the Five-mile Handicap ; and S. MacDonald the Visitors' Handicap". Dunedin,. December 29. The Otago Cycling Club’s sports took place to-day on the Caledonian grounds. The Three-mile Championship of Otago was won by H. J. Pither, C. E. T.- Hall being second, and F. G. Simpson third. " L. Barclay won the Five-mile Open Handicap, Ri Emerson the One-mile First-class Handicap, and C. E. T. Hall the Three-mile Open Handicap.