SPOKES.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1194, 18 January 1895, Page 25

SPOKES.

By “Cyclometer.” There arrived in Wellington on Sunday last by the s.s. Penguin two cyclists, Miss Alice Mitchell and her younger brother, who is about 17 years of age. They are members of the Gore Cycling Club, and their sunburnt appearance showed that they had travelled a good deal recently. They left Gore on Saturday week, and arrived in Christchurch on Friday night. During the trip they experienced very unfavourable weather, rain falling continuously for two days, which made the roads very heavy and flooded the rivers, two or three of which they had to wade through. An average of over 50 miles a day was made on their journey from Gore to the City of the Plains, the distances travelled each day being:—Saturday, January 5, Gore to Balclutha, 52 miles ; Sunday, Balclutha to Dunedin, 52; Monday, Dunedin to Waikouaiti, 36 ; Tuesday, Waikouaiti to Oamaru, 52; Wednesday, Oamaru to Timaru, 53; Thursday, Timaru to Ashburton, 52; Friday, Ashburton to Christchurch, 58: total, 355 miles. They proceeded to Petone on Sunday to stop with some friends, and went on to the Wairarapa next day, and, should circumstances permit, finish tip at Auckland. This ride serves as a capital instance of what can be accomplished on a bicycle by any young lady with a little pluck and energy, and who is not afraid of a sunburnt complexion. I am sure the cyclists of Wellington will join with me in wishing Mr and Miss Mitchell a pleasant trip through the North Island. The following handicaps have been der

c lared for the local Cycling Club’s road r ace, which takes place to-morrow : Weight of Machine. Handicap.

The course is from the Lower Hutt Kailway Station to the Telephone Exchange* a distance of about eight miles and a half. Messrs McQuistah and Wright* the handicappers* have done their work so well that it is a difficult task to pick the winner, and should the 12 men start* there should be a close finish. However, I think Lucy, Chegwidden, Brand, or Fabian should get home first, and I will place them —Brand, 1; Lucy, 2; Chegwidden, 3.

The Manawatu Amateur Athletic Club’s annual meeting will be held on the Show G-round at Palmerston North on Anniversary Day. Three "bicycle handicaps will be run, the distances being one, three and five miles. v, .

Last Monday evening H. Y. Edmonds met with an unpleasant accident on Clyde quay. He was passing the Corporation yards at a quick pace on his new machine, when a large dog ran into his wheels and upset him. Mr Edmonds received some nasty cuts and bruises, and his front wheel was buckled.

Very good entries have been received for the bicycle events at the United Friendly Societies’ sports on the Basin Reserve next Tuesday. The Three-mile Roadster Race has received the largest number of entries, which shows the wisdom of having races specially for this class of machine. This race will no doubt be the best-contested event of the day, and I think the result will be —Herbert, 1; Muir, 2; Lucy, 3. Herbert should also win the five-mile race, and Lucy and Muir fill the second and third places respectively. I also fancy Herbert for the two-mile, with Lucy second, and Fabian or Hunt third. The following are the entries for the various events :

A man named Alexander Galbraith was recently charged at the Invercargill Police Court with upsetting two cyclists off the footpath, on which they were riding, and also with having afterwards assaulted them.' The Bench considered there had been an unprovoked assault in both cases. There was nothing to prevent defendant keeping his side of the footpath, and he could have laid an information against them for riding on the path if he felt aggrieved at their doing so. The defendant was fined 50s, in default 14 days’ imprisonment in each case, the sentences to be cumulative. Galbraith’s manner of guarding the public footpaths of Invercargill is evidently more forcible than polite, and he will no doubt seek redress through another channel from the next offending cyclist he meets. At a committee meeting of the Wellington Cycling Club on Tuesday night, the date of the Fifty-mile Club Championship road race was altered to the 9fch February. F. Toms, the Adelaide champion cyclist, sails for England this month. While training on the Basin Reserve on Monday night, L. T. Herbert ran over a dog and strained his machine badly, the handles being also considerably bent. The Australasian and the Bulletin both deplore the increase of betting at cycling sports in Australia. Referring to the recent Austral Wheel Meeting, the latter journal says the most objectionable feature was the “ hoarse-throated ring-men.” Over 100 bookmakers were turned out of the ground, who, on payment of another 2s 6d, were again admitted. One bookmaker was taken before the Court as a test case, and was fined <£s. The Ashburton Cycling and Athletic Club will hold their annual races on Easter Monday. The programme consists of nine bicycle and five foot races. • ' • • T. Clarkson, of the Ariel Bicycle Club, Ashburton, who won the Fve-mile Championship of New Zealand at the Christchurch Club’s sports on December 17, lowered the three-mile record of New Zealand on the 7th inst. His time was 7min 27sec. The New Zealand Times has the following paragraph "In a Nutshell”:—"ln a run from Inglewood to New Plymouth on Saturday night, the railway train finished an excellent second to a cyclist, Mr Forbes, The train was only a few

minutes behind, and must have been going at a good pace.”

J. O. Shorland was unsuccessful in his attempt, at Lancaster Park on January 5, to lower the 100 miles track record of New Zealand. He succeeded, however, in cutting down the 25 miles record by lmin 55sec, doing the distance in lkr llmin. The weather was not at all favourable, a strong wind blowing, and at the 76th mile a drizzling rain came on, which caused him to retire. The record time for the 100 miles is shr 50min 45sec, and is held by K. Lewis.

lb. Min. Sec. T. M. Lucy ... 33 0 0 W. Cliegwidden... 35 0 20 D. Brand... 33 0 20 J. Brodie... 32 0 35 H. G. Smith 30 0 40 J. I). Avery 37 0 40 Henry Jessup ... 35 1 0 Herman Jessup... 34 1 30 A. Nicol ... 40 1 50 F. Fabian ... 31 2 0 F. Arnold 37 3 0 M. R. Herbert ... 33 3 30

Weight of Two Five Machine. Miles. Miles. lb. Yds. Yds. T. M. Lucy... ... 25 0 0 F. B. Muir 25 0 0 L. T. Herbert ... 23 40 100 A. H. Hunt 26 85 200 T. H. Dacre ... 31 150 — E. A. Fish 31 250 — F. Fabian ... ... 30 300 — A. Nicol ... ... 40 350 700 Three Mires (Roadsters only). Weight of H’dic’p. Machine. Yds. T. M. Lucy ... 33 0 F. B. Muir 31 0 L. T. Herbert 33 60 A. H. Hunt ... 30 125 T. H. Dacre ... 34 150 D. Brand 33 270 J. D. Avery ... 31 270 E. A. Fisk ... 31 290 F. Fabian ... 30 290 A. .Nicol 40 350