WHEELING

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1695, 24 August 1904, Page 57

WHEELING

WAKRNAMBOOL-MELBOURNE ROAD RACE. VICTORIAN RIDER SUCCESSFUL. NEW ZEALANDERS RUN PROMINENTLY. MELBOURNE, August 20. The road race from Warrnambool to Melbourne (165 miles) resulted as follows : Wright (Victoria) ... 1 Larcombe (New South Wales) 2 11. Henderson (New Zealand) 3 The race was run under unfavourable circumstances. Heavy rains during the past few days made the road heavy. Owing to the weather conditions only twenty-nine faced the start. The nines of the placed men were':—Wright (38min start), riding time 7hr 52min 57sec; Larcombe (20min), 7hr 43min 7sec; Henderson (25min), 7hr 52min 29sec. Larcombe’s time is only seven seconds outside the world’s record established by Arnst last year. BY “ADVANCE.” Mainly through the efforts of the Dunlop Tyre Company in holding test races in the principal centres in this colony and Australia, the Warrnambool-Mel-bourne road race now takes a prominent place in the important sporting events of the year. Saturday’s event, over 165 miles for prizes valued at £1651, was the eighth occasion on which the race has taken place. A Melbourne bicycle firm, Messrs Scott and Morton, were responsible for instituting the race, in 1895, and it was then the first, as it is now die chief, long-distance race held in Australasia. Singular to relate, a New Zealander, Calder, was successful in the initial race, and his time for the distance was llhr 44min 30sec. The race was again held in 1896, 1897, 1898, 1901, 1902 and 1903, the Dunlop Tyre Company taking over tho control in 1898. Last year, J. Arnst, New Zealand’s—and, in fact, Australasia’s—road champion iecorded the fastest time, 7hr 43min' from scratch, thereby reducing the previous best, by Carpenter in 1896 (Bhr 40rnin ssec) bv about 57min. The greater merit of Arnst’s performance is noted by the fact that pacing has latterly been abolished, and riders can also only vise one machine during the race. Up till 1902 boidi these aids were allowed. The object of such a drastic amendment is very apparent. Riders of note had no difficulty in getting help from the trade in both respects, while the lesser lights in the cycling world had to take their chances. Therefore, to place all riders on the same footing, pacing and the right to make use of more than one machine were - prohibited. From Warrnambool to Campcrdowu (forty-five miles) the road is a good one. The next stage to Colac (seventy-four miles) includes what are known as the Stonoy Rises, which are short, sharp "pinches” with not too good a surface. To Winchelsea (ninety-six miles) and Geelong (110 miles), tjie going is generally good, but the balance of the journey to Melbourne is only fair.

Tbe following is the list of the prizes and conditions First prize, cheque .£3O and <£s 5s gold medal; second, Speedwell cycle: third, Keliow-Empire cycle; fourth, Charleston cycle; fifth, cheque .£3 3s; sixth, cheque <£2 2s; seventh, cheque .£2 2s. Special prizes: Fastest time, Massey-llarris bicycle; fastest competitor (receiving over ten minutes’ start, not winning any other bicycle), Huntley Special cycle; fastest unplaced competitor (meaning neither first, second, third nor fourth), receiving over twenty minutes’ start, cheque, .£5 ss; fastest unplaced competitor (meaning neither .first, second, third, nor fourth), receiving over forty minutes’ start, cheque 523 3s. Certificates of merit are presented to all competitors who cover the course in eleven hours and under. Special arrangements were made by tbe Dunlop Tyre Company for providing contestants with suitable food gratis at Camperdown, Winchelsea, and Geelong. Cheap railway fares and hotel tariffs were also arranged for competitors. Of tne eleven New Zealanders entered, G. Bradley, of Wellington, was the only one who did not make the trip. The following riders represented this colony: J. Arnst and R. nrnst scr, H. P. Arust and C. G. Smith Bmin, S. Barrow and C. Baker I2min, W. McKenzie 20niin, W. Cameron 22min, R. Jones and H. Henderson 25min

Previous winners of the race, with the actual riding time of each rider, are as follows:

J. Carpenter, who put up the record prior to J. Arnst breaking it, was paced the whole journey by tandems and fed from them.

The acceptances for Saturday’s contest numbered 124. The scratching of J. Stewart reduced the Maori] and representatives to ten. New South Wales sent five riders, South Australia three, and West Australia one. The limit men were despatched by the Mayor of Warvnambool at 5.50 a.m. The scratch men were given a hearty send-off at 7 a.m. A tremendous crowd, estimated at 30,000, assembled along the last seven miles of the course up to the llaymarket, Melbourne, where the last half mile was kept clear by a barrier. R. Jones (Palmerston North), who started off the same mark as Henderson, and finished seventh, covered the distance in Bhrs lOmin 33see. R. Arnst’s time was 7hrs 49min 22sec. J. Arnst rede poorly owing to an attack of influenza. It rained all Friday night in Warrnambool, and when the men were started on the long journey there was a strong favourable wind blowing. The roads were dry for the last seventy miles. T. Larcombe, the New South Wales representative, who put up the fastest time, has won the Australasian Blue Riband for 1904. Larcombe beat the time put up by It. Arnst by lmiu 15sec. J. Wright finished fourth in the Goulburn to Sydney Road Race (131.) miles) this month, his actual riding time being 7hrs 31miri 12sec. T. Larcombe (who covered the distance in 7hrs 36min ssec) was third, and H. Henderson (Thrs 36min losec) fifth. The latter finished fifth in the Timaru to Christchurch race.

1895—A. Calder (2 hours start) h. 11 in. 44 s. 30 IBS'S—J. Carpenter (scratch) ... 8 40 5 1897 —W. C. Jackson (lOmin) ... 9 51 9 1898—W. Collins (SSminj 9 20 40 1901 —A. Niou (40min) 9 20 40 1902—M. Chappell (55min) 9 0 3 1903—J. Arnst (scratch) 7 43 0