WHEELING.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1649, 7 October 1903, Page 47

WHEELING.

(By “Austral.”) (From Our- Own Correspondent.) LONDON, August 7. The much-advertised C. \V. Bouffe of (Vfo,o-0 dots net apnear anxious- to exhibit his skill M ft cyclist hi .the Old Country IDs name has figuied in the entries at several sports meetings - during the past few weeks, and we have heard of ins being seen training on this track and that, and also that he lia-d met with a slight accident. He was to have been one of the “attractions” of the Putney Meeting on Bank Holiday, but did not put in an appearance unless it was among the spectators. According to the cycling o-ossip of the “ Sportsman,” it was freely suggested at Pudne-y that Bouffe was akin, to the- immortal Mrs. ’Arris. “Major” Taylor paid a flying visit to London last week end to take- part >n a triangular duel with Ernest Piard oi Paris* last year’s winner of the International Sprint Championship, and Sidney Jenkins of Cardiff, a prolific prizelifter and winner of nearly all our professional championships'. The trio met in a series of three mile matches at the International Meeting held at Canning Town last Saturday and in each instance Taylor proved successful. Apart from his riding the “nigger” created a most favourable impression on those who met him for the first time, and as one rare old “sport” remarked to me, “ He’s a trifle dark outside, but I’m thinking he’s more of a ‘white: man’ than most-of those he meets on the track.” In the first match the trio indulged in the far too usual “ crawl ” for three parts of the distance, with Piard as—ahem ! —- pacemaker. Theu Taylor went to the head of affairs, pursued by Jenkins ahd Piard hanging on. The three had a fine sprint for the last 250 yards, Taylor winning by a, wheel from the Welshman, with-Piard a like distance behind Jenkins. Time, 3min 41 l-ssec.

The second race opened with an attempt to see who could go slowest, but When the bell rang Jenkins started a sprint and with Taylor hanging on made the best of his way home. The Welshman led till 50 yards, from the post, when the negro forced hi® way to the front and won by a length, Piard, who came with a wet sail in the last hundred yards being close up. The exhilarating pace of the journey may he guaged by the time occupied by the winner for the mile, viz., smin 22 4-oseo ! The third event produced better sport, for Jenkins set off at a fair pace and all three had a turn at pacing. Entering the home straight Piard poached a five

lengths lead, hut Taylor put in a magnificent sprint, and; catching the Parisian near the line won by a length, with Jenkins a similar distance- behind Piard. Time, 2min 29 4-ssec. _ The German crack rider, Thaddeus Bobl, who has seldom shown, anything like his true form since he visited Australia, came out of his shell in startling fashion last Saturday afc the Hanover Velodrome, when lie attacked the world s hour record recently set up by Ben iviunroe at. Boston at 49 miles 210 yards. Rot only did the German rider heat the Yankee’s figures, but be- succeeded in topping What has been the summit of most distance riders’ ambition, namely, to cover 50 miles inside the hour. Grandly paced by motor tandems Bob! commenced breaking tli© recent record of Contend and Dangla at five 1 kilometres and in the hour rode 50 miles 222 yards. After this performance Bobl should stand an excellent chance of winning the 100 kilometre world’s professional championship, down for decision at Copenhagen on Sunday, for the third time running. His principal opponent will be Henri Con tenet, whose ride of 80 kilometres in 62min 29 sec Bobl beat in his hour ride by 2min 58sec. LONDON', August 21. “Noirs contr-e Blancs” was the chief event of the Buffalo Velodrome’s evening cycling programme on Thursday fast. ’ The “ Noire ” were Major Taylor and Willie Hedspath and the “Blancs,” the French riders Jue and Burotte, and thanks to the magnificent riding of Taylor, the blacks defeat whites by a very narrow- margin. The three matches scheduled were a scratch race of 1000 metres on single machine a 1000 metres tandem race, and a pursuit race to a finish, but as there was a possibility of the opposing lorces coming out equal on points in these events it was agreed that the decider should take tbei form of a time trial over 300 metres (330 vards or thereabouts). As it happened the foreseen came to pass and the sprint was necessary to arrive at a decision. In the first race the Frenchmen cut out a very fast pace, hoping to drop the coloured cracks, but Jue was the first to cry enough, Bourotte led at the bee], followed by Hedspath, with Jue last. In the back straight Taylor toon second position and paced Hedspath as far as he dare but bis colleague could not go the pace, so “Major” put m a big jump thirty yards from home, and) iron by a length and a-lialf from Bourotte in lmin 42 i-ssec. As Jue finished third and Hedspath last the teams secured five p-oints each. In the tandem event, Taylor and his colleague cut out the work from start to finish, and stalling off a desperate challenge in the home stretch won by a bare length in lmin 24 3-ssec. The “Noirs” thus led by one point and excitement ran high when the rivals took up their stations for the pursuit race. During the first few laps the blacks had , a slight advantage, but the pace proved too hot for Hedspath and he was soon overhauled by Jue and Bourotte. Then some exciting racing was witnessed, the two Frenchmen pacing each other in turn, Taylor held out for a good distance. .but ultimately was caught after a chase* of 3min 33sec. On reckoning' up the points both teams were equal so a. decider was necessary, and this took the shape of a lap time trial against iho watch, Taylor and Jue fighting for the verdict. The “Major” made the_ fi'-s-f essay, and succeeded in covering the 3;()

metres in the new world’s record time of 18sec, Walter Butt holding the previous best of 18 4-ssec. Jue then endeavoured to equal it, but failed by 4-ssee and thus the Taylor-Hedspath combination were declared the winners of & very exciting match. The in k with which I penned particulars of Thaddeus Bobl’s hours record last week was hardly dry before the German crack’s figures were beaten, by that fine rider Paul Dangla in an. 80 kilometre race at the Parc des Princes, Paris, in which the Frenchman was opposed* by T. Hall, the unlucky Britisher; Bruno, Bac, Gongoltz, and Bouhours. Hall took the lead at the start, and! easily following tlie fast pace set by Cissao, on his motor cycle, reeled off the first ten kilometres in 7min 49sec, and was gradually getting away from the field. At twenty kilometres he was only 4-ssec outside Bobl’s world records, and five kilometres further commenced to set up new figures, but lus old luck dogged him. The axle of his motor broke, thus letting Dangla up into first place. Biding well the Frenchman got inside the world’s record at thirty kilometres and kept inside up to the: end. covering the remarkable distance of 50 males 715 yards in the hour, as against B-obl’s previous best of 50 miles 262 yards.