THE WHEEL.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1197, 8 February 1895, Page 25

THE WHEEL.

W.C.C. RUNS AND RACES. February 9. —Fifty-mile Club Championship Road Raco March 2. —Run to Seatoun March 16.—Run to Porirua March 30. —Handicap Road Race, Taita to Telephone Exchange

SPOKES.

By ic Cyclometer.” The following entries have been received for the Wellington Cycling Club's Fiftymile Championship Road Race, which takes place to-morrow afternoon: —A. H. Hunt, L. T. Herbert, F. B. Muir, A. Nieoll, H. Gr. Smith, T. M. Lucy and F. Fabian. The first prize is a gold medal, and the second prize a silver medal. On his present form, Herbert should win the race, with Rucy second, and Smith or Muir third. J. McQuistan won this event last year, J. Becldnsale being second. The race is to start punctually at 2.30, and the course is from the Telephone Exchange to Mungaroa and back. Those who wish to see the finish should be at the Exchange by 5.15.p.m. At the Napier combined cycling and amateur athletic sports test meeting last Saturday there was but a small attendance of the public, but the sport is reported to have been very good. The following are the results of the cycling events: —Halfmile Roadster Handicap—H. Jacobi, scr, 1; J. Swindley, 30yds, 2; James Caughley, scr, 3. Time, lmin 17 3-ssec. Mile Test — J - . Cowell, 1; James Caughley, 2. Time, 2min 30sec. Mile and a Half Roadster Handicap—H. Jacobi, scr, 1; W. Jourdain, 50yds, 2; J. Swindley, 3. Time, 4min 10 4-ssec. Three-mile Roadster Handicap— F. Fraser, 1 Jacobi, 2; J. Jourdain, 3. Five-mile Test —James Cowell, 1 ; James Caughley, 0. These were the only starters. At the last lap Cowell had a lead of about 20 yards, but Caughley, with a grand spurt, was almost level with his opponent 3, at the home turn, when he ran into the fence at the outer side of the course and smashed his front wheel. Caughley was

uninjured, but the accident put him out of the race. Cowell’s timo was 15min 5 l-ssec.

On Monday next two members of the Wellington Cycling Club, Messrs N. Bell and W. Castle, will leave on a bicycle tour down the West Coast of the South Island, starting from Pictou. They will proceed as far as Springfield, and will then commence the return journey, thus getting a view of the magnificent scenery from an easterly and westerly direction. The trip is expected to occupy a fortnight, and no records are to be broken, the journey being taken solely with the object of viewing the splendid scenery to be met with on the ride.

The Wellington Cycling Club’s run to the Taita last Saturday afternoon was poorly attended, notwithstanding the fact that the weather was very favourable for riding. Those who took part in the run had a very good time, and were able to obtain a splendid view of the yacht races from the Petone road.

H. Q-. Smith has just imported a light Raglan roadster through Mr Fear. He intends riding this machine in the race tomorrow, and as he is in very good form, I look upon him as the most likely one to foeat either Herbert or Lucy.

The Cycling Club have asked the committee of the Athletic Club to add a fivemile championship roadster race to the programme for the Club’s meeting on the 2nd of March. The committee of tho Club, however, are unable to accede to the request.

To-day (I am writing on ThursdayJ the Christchurch Amateur Athletic Club and the Pioneer Bicycle Club are to hold a combined Test Meeting at Lancaster Park, and the competitors to represent Christchurch at the Championship Meeting at Napier will bo picked on their form to-day. There will be a One Hour Bicycle Test Race and three distance bicycle races — Half-mile, One-mile and Five-mile —in which the competitors will all start from scratch. The entries are large, and the sport should be first-class. The Pioneer Club has had 3000 ladies’ eomplimentai'y tickets printed for this meeting.

After all there is a probability of Zimmerman visiting these colonies. A Chicago paper states it is proposed that the large-hearted " Zimmy ” and Wheeler shall come to Australia on a racing trip, under the direction on Mr W. J. Walford, of the Nimrod Cycle Company, Bristol England.

The Feilding Cycling Club (Cash Amateur) will hold their first annual race meeting on the 20th inst. A programme of seven events has been arranged, and over .822 will be distributed in prizemoney, in addition to which there will be trophies valued at over =B4.

Wheelman says : —“A lady in ‘ rationals ’ bobbed up serenely in the South the other day, and her appearance tickled some of the rustics of the Taieri immensely. She was accompanied by a gentleman who was rigged out in a touring costume which resembled that worn by the lady. . . . She wore nickers and dark stockings, and evidently had a lofty disdain for the cloth leggings' that are worn by some ladies. The costume looked nice enough, but the attention that it attracted must have been far from .pleasing.”

A cyclists’ tent to be erected without poles has been designed by a Glasgow inventor. Six ribs of canvas tubes with inner rubber tubes comprise tho supports, and another tube runs round the base of the tent. To erect the tent these tubes are inflated with air in the same manner as a pneumatic tyre, and the tube at the base is then pegged down.

The world’s record for 50 miles has been reduced to lhr 51min 49sec by Dubois, the French champion cyclist.

Two Masterton cyclists were fined last week for riding their machines along the footpath. Serve ’em right! If the roads in the Wairarapa are nob good enough for the cyclists in that district, they should try some of our city streets. They would then be able to better appreciate their own roads.

The Christchurch Cycling Club intended to hold a sports meeting next Thursday, under the rules of ihe New Zealand Cyclists’ Union. The committee, however, have decided to postpone the date in order to ascertain whether there is a probability of some of the Australian crack riders being present.

A French cyclist named Lafargue is reported to have recently rode about 19 £ miles backwards in one hour at Bordeaux. What next?

J. Boyd, H. A. Soanes and A. R. Barker, three crack members of the Christchurch Cycling Club, intend to compete at the cycling meeting in Sydney next month.

A ladies’ bicycle track is to be provided near London.

A military oycle has been constructed to carry a squad of ten riders.