WHEELING

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXVI, Issue 5294, 4 June 1904, Page 14

WHEELING

i I (By ' Austral.”) It is reported that the Melbourne pro- ’ I moters ol cycling racing may secure for next season the prosonco at ivramur, tlie 1 lightning sprinter of America, -n pre--1 sent, negotiations are in progress, and * there is every probability that the American champion may bo seen out here next year. Kramer has in his day deloatod ! almost all the best European champions. ! Ho has won -The American championship \ tor some years in succession, and has on • ' several occasions beaten such well-known riders as Major Taylor, Ivor Lawson and : MacFarland in match contests. , Orlando .Stevens, the American racingi cyclist, who camo to Australia with Lawson and MacFarland some months ago to > compete in the Sydney Thousand, loft Sydney by the Ventura for tho States. i Stevons was .accompanied by F. H. i Soheps tho South Australian crack, and : also by VV. Palmer, a rider who has i shown up consistently in races for some i time past, and who visited New Zeai land early last year. It is just possible • that Scmeps will take MacFarland’s place, and be a team mate this season for Lawson. In an interview with Major Taylor, the . world's champion says he has definitely , decided to leave Sydney on tho 6th inst. 1 for his home in America. Ho travels by the Sierra, and will be accompanied f by his wife and daughter. The "Nice Week.” an annual automo- . bile carnival held in Italy, has been responsible for some remarkable bursts [ of speed, and gives a foretaste of what . is to ho expected in the way of speed in [ the Gordon Bennett Cup and its elimiL nating races. The hero of the Italian . carnival was Rigolly, who won the three big events bn the programme, on bis j 1 100 h.p. Gobton-Bnllie. Rigolly drove , his Gordon-Bennott Trial Car and won 1 tho Mile Standing Start Competition in 1 53 3-osec (equal to 87 miies an hour) — world’s record. Jenatzy. winner of last ’ year’s Gordon-Bennet Cup run in Ire- , land, ran fourth in the event in 59 l-ssec. : Rigolly also carried off two races for the 1 Rothschild Cup. run over a flying kilo- ’ metre (1094yds). In both these contests ! new world’s records were established, * viz., ‘2 b-ec in the first race, and 23 3-5 J seo in the- second. The latter drive J equals a pace of nearly ninety-five 5 miles an hour, which seems almost in- * credible. Mark Mayben—a well-known [ Rnglish motorist, and a probable mom- ' her of the British team for tho Gordon--1 Bennett Cup next month—ran third in bo--* races for the Rothschild Cup. 1 i A very large number of motor cyclists 1 1 attached to the Christchurch Cycling and . Motor Club took part in a run on tho ■ 22nd ult. to Amberley, returning to ‘ town via Rangiora. The distance cover- ; e d was about seventy miles, and all though some twenty-five motorists took ’ part, it is significant as to the perfection ' j of the present motor cycle to know that 1 ’ the whole number returned in good' ' jtime. 1 j It is reported that Andy Calder will be 1 a competitor in the Timaru-Christchurch ) Road Race, and that be is already in • fair form’. Should he face the starter ■ additional interest will be added to tho 1 evenf as a comparison between the old 1 stager and the young blood will be in- ’ teresting. Calder. in last year’s event, ■ was given an impossible task by the i handicapper, as he was the sole repre- • j sentative on the scratch mark and was > called upon to give away good starts to I such champions as the Arnst brothers. ! -\Vo are in receipt from the Dunlop i Tyre Co. of a copy of their annual booklet. “All about Dunlop Tyres for 1904.” This year’s brochure comprises some 48 pages of matter of interest to all cyclists, whilst motorists will find much valuable information concerning the proper handling and repair of automobile tyres. The r booklet is worth obtain ng for its artistic merits alone, apart from the valuable information contained therein. The Dunlop Tyre Company. 123, Lichfield street Christchurch, w.d forward a copy upon recipt of name and addre.ss. An early application is advisable to ensure obtaining a copy of this fine production. ' I ft has been decided that an entrance ■ I fee of five shillings will be charged in i the Timaru-Christchurch Read Race. The whole of the money received from ; entries is to be allotted to the sending 1 of a team of the fastest riders (exclusive I of the rider establishing the fastest time) to Melbourne, to compete in the Warri nambool-Melbourno race on Saturday, August 20th. It is expected that by

adopting the use of entrance monies for this purpose .New Zealand will be represented uy a team of not less than tour of our best road riders in the great race in Victoria.

The Federal Cycling Council will bold its annual conference in Melbourne at the end of this month. The secretaries of tho N.S-W. and S.A. Leagues have been appointed to represent their respective bodies. Several other States w,ll also be represented at the conference.

The Paris-Roubaix Road Race, one of tho most coveted road contests of Europe, lias again been decided over tho line stretch ol road lying between the two French cities named. This event, by a strange coincidence is exactly tho same distance (IGS miles' as Uio now famous JJuulop Road Race held over the Victorian course from Warrnambool to Melbourne. Tho event under notice attracted a large Hold of sixtyjfour riders, including most ol tho crachCroad riders of the Continent. Like the Dunlop Kace, the French one is uupaced; in fact, it is practically a duplication oi the Australasian Line Riband Road Contest. Raniciilars of the French race just to hand show that exactly similar conditions wore experienced as those met with by the Australian cracks last August, when heavy rain fell over 7b miles of the course, and the riders had the assistance of a strong favourable wind. Such being the fact, a very interesting comparison cun be made between die performances of tho winners of both - events. -jo French race, a scratch one. was won by Aucoutourier, tho champion road rider of Europe, in tho record time of Blvr 1-Rmin, bis average pace being slightly over twenty miles on hour throughout. He also won this event last year. The winner’s performance is claimed by the Continental press to bo a remarkably lino one. Now let us compare die performance of J, Arnst, the neiv Zealand representative, who carried off last year’s Dunlop Road Race from scratch. Arnst rode the 165. miles 111 7hrs 43min, some thirty minutes faster than Aucouturier, his average pace being over a mile an hour bettor than the French crack’s performance. J. Arnst on .nose figures would probably more than hold Ids own against the ci-oam of European road riders. Two other Australasian road men also bettered the Paris-Roubaix lime, vis., R. Arnst Shr omm 52sec), and C. Gee (Bln- 6min 25 S eo) —further evidence that Australasia can produce road riders of endurance and stamina equal to any in the world. It’s a pity that the same cannot bo said of our track racing men. When all is said and done, road racing produces the bettor stainn of riders. while it , p . o the fore men of the calibre in Calder Carpenter. Ralston and Arnst. It goes without say. tig that this year’s Timaru-Cliristchurch Road Race will eclipse any cycle event over held in this colony, and it is even expected that last year’s enormous entry of one hundred and sixty will be beaten. In cycling circles/irom Auckland to the Bluff. the big event is the solo topic of conversation. The prize list is the richest ever offered, and it is expected to reach £IBO. The allotment is sure to meet witb the approval of the competitors. The Automobile C lub of Victoria has been fortunate in securing His Excellency, Sir Reginald Talbot as patron of the club. His Excellency is an enthusiastic motorist, and already has one car in .Melbourne. We believe that two other fine cars will shortly be landed to his order in Melbourne. The motor bus has made its appearance in Christchurch, and one is now plying for hire between Cathedral Square and the railway station. From appearance it is evident that the experiment is bound to be financially interesting to the proprietor, as the ’Las has been splendidly patronised so far, and it is safe to predict that at no very distant date the motor ’bus will become so common in the City of the Plains as to create little or no comment.

The Melbourne Cycling amateur authorities have decided to allow a team of amateur riders to compete in the Victorian inter-club road contests over 25 and 50 miles, to be held on the Sydney roads in July. This is the body that two years ago refused to allow their riders to compete in the Warrnambool Race for trophies. , The probabilities are that the amateur authorities will yet allow thoir road cracks to compete in the greatest qf all Australasian road events —the Warrnambool to -Me 1 bourne Race.