SPOKES.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1248, 30 January 1896, Page 19

SPOKES.

By "Cyclometer." At the meeting of the Sports Committee of the Wellington. Cycling Club last week, Messrs W. P. Salmon and J. Harker were elected members of the Club, which brings the membership up to OS. Mr A. do B. Brandon forwarded one guinea to the sports funds, and Mr W. F. Christie donated <£l 10s to the same puroo.se. The engagement of a band was left in the hands of the secretary. Messrs Brand and Castle were appointed an advertising committee, and, in conjunction with the secretary, were authorised to canvass for advertisements for the sports programme. The names of Messrs J. D. Avery and R. Steele were added to the Sports Committee. After further detail business was transacted, the meeting was adjourned until this evening.

Mr Martin, S.M., gave judgment last week in the case in which J. Hodgson claimed damages from the Gear Company for injury done to his bicycle through colliding with a cart driven by a man in the Company's employ. His Worship said there was negligence on both sides, but the cyclist should have seen the cart before he did see it, and ho should give judgment for defendants. Each party, however, would have to pay his own costs. Mr Wilford appeared for the plaintiff, and Mr Treadwell for defendant.

An interesting contest was decided at a meeting of the Australian Trotting Association in Melbourne on Friday last in the shape of a match between A. W. Harris, the English champion cyclist, and Mr Robertson's wellknown trotting mare Mystery for =£so and a purse of X'2s given by the Association. The race was run in mile heats, the winner of two out of three to secure the prize. The first race was won by Mystery by G yards in 2min 2G 1-osec, and the mare also won the second by 10 yards in2min HO l-ssec. In both heats Mystery went off with the lead, and though Harris hung on to the sulky and made some fine spurts, he was never able to head his equine opponent. The betting in the first heat was G to 4 on the mare, and in the second 3 to 1 on Harris.

The following arc the results of the chief events on tin- first day at the Australian Natives' Association's Cycling Carnival, which opened at Melbourne on Monday, and at which some .£2OOO in prizes were offered. International Scratch Race —Porta (Italy) 1 ; Parsons (Victoria), 2 ; Martin (America), 3. Parsons had obtained a long lead at half the distance, but the Italian put on a splendid spurt and cut him down amid great excitement, winning by a few inches. Time, 2min 44 l-ssec. Five-mile Championship of Australia —Martin finished first ; Lewis (New South Wales), second; and Porta, third. Lewis lodged a protest against the American, on the ground that he had unfairly interfered with him. The protest was upheld and the race awarded to Lewis, with Porta second. Parsons started, but dropped out at the end of a mile.

R>. McKenzie, of the Invercargill Cycling Club, last week lowered Shorland's DunedinInvercargill record from 10 hours 50 minutes to 10 hours 3i- minutes. A later telegram states that on Monday McKenzie succeeded in further lowering the Bunedin-Invercargill record to 9 hours 54knin. I take it that the first figures are for his ride from Invercargill to Dunedin, while the second figures are for his retuin journey. On the petition of a larp-a »»avKa* «*p xaam.

! hovs of the League of Wheelmen, the League I has removed the disqualification cf Megson I from the end of the present month. i The following' are the world's safety ; bicycle path records asked for by " Eecord- | breaker" last week. Johnson is said to have improved his one-mile figures recently, but I do nob know whether his later figures have been passed by the authorities. His records were all made at Louisville, U.S.A. Stocks', Platt-Betts' and Gibbon-Brooks' times were made on the Catford track, Barden's and Huret's at Bordeaux, France, and Lesna's on the Buffalo track at Paris. The figures are—

Those who intend competing in the fiftymile championship of the W.C.C. are reminded that entries close with the secretary at 9 o'clock on Saturday night next. I hear that a medal will be given to the rider who secures third place; in addition to those given for first and second places. The Chri«*tchurch Cycling Club's big carnival commences at Lancaster Park on Thursday next. Entries close on Saturday. Cyclists who have had occasion to ride out to Petone during the past few days have been deeply gratified at the tact that the loose stones on the road between Kaiwarra and the Thorndon Esplanade have been collected and thrown into heaps on the roadside. On Saturday last H. G-. Smith and W. McCallum left by the Manawatu train on a bicycle tour to the Hot Lakes and Auckland. It is probable that a sports meeting will be arranged for next month by the Palmerston North Cycling Club, at which Harris, Martin, Pither and Parsons will compete. Mr C. ~R. Wilson, who is managing the team, has written to the Club offering a checpae and a good programme for the local riders, the Club to furnish, timekeepers, lap-scorers, &c. "Why, the English fellows never rode like that; they invariably waited for Zimmerman to make his great sprint, and then chased him, hoping to beat him or ride in second. They never attempted to run him off his legs." Such was the ejaculation of the astonished A. W. Harris after witnessing the double defeat of Zimmerman at Melbourne by Pither and Walker. The League of Victorian Wheelmen's Cycling Carnival will open at Melbourne on Saturday next, and concludes on the following Saturday. W. Martin, the American crack, says the Ballarat cycling track, laid down at the expense of the city council, is the best he has raced on in Australia. The threatening aspect of the weather and the heavy gale which was blowing no doubt were the main causes of the small attendance at the Wellington Cycling Club's run round the Queen's Drive on Saturday afternoon. Only nine riders turned up, and these, notwithstanding the frowning sky and the blustering wind, decided to carry out the run. Councillor Barber is not a cyclist, but he nevertheless knows the value of good roads, xnd with this end in view he is moving ;hat those streets in which drainage operaions have been completed shall be placed in proper repair. That he may succeed in lis endeavours is certainly the wish of all ocal cyclists. That stupid American hoax about a ' nonoplet"—or a bicycle built for nine s still going the rounds of the press, and lome have even gone so far as to produce :utsof this alleged 4' latest American wonier!" The "nonoplet" or " nonocycle " las arrived "-at just about the same is perpetual motion has. The proposal to pave Wellington streets" vxtb. wood has again been revived—only I ear, to end with the proposal, like all hose winch have gone before Tricycles and bicycles ridden by iniliary men firemen or policeman, are .the £ly cycles allowed in -■ the P&teets''' of torlm, although it is. thongfctfii£± 'the

Mis. Time. Holder. Date. i 0 0 241-5 J. S. Johnson 21,1095 ! •1 0 0 28 ; ? 21/11/91 1 0 0 551-5 21/11 94 T 0 1 243-5 T. Gibbon-Brooks 15 10,95 *1 0 1 411-5 J. S. Johnson 21/10 95 1 0 1 521-5 5 21/11/94 5 0 9 49 C. F. Barden 11 5/95 10 0 20 101-5 J. W. Stocks 14/10/95 25 0 51 27 4-5 ii 50 1 48 38 2-5 J. Platt-Betts 10/ 9/95 100 3 52 93-5 M. Lesna 11/ 8,95 * Flying- start. Time Distance Holder. Date. lhr 29mls. 45yds. J. W. Stocks 14/10,95 Ghr 150 884 C. Huret 7-8/9/95 12hr 282 488 24hr 529 895 " »