CYCLING. WHEEL NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 1805, 25 June 1886, Page 22

CYCLING. WHEEL NOTES.

By Demon.

Most of us have now laid by our wheels for the winter, which, so far, has been unusually severe. Just as we are going into a state of torpidity, however, our antipodean friends are waking up, under the genial influence of spring, and already when the mail lef b, both touring and racing was in full swing.

The popularity of the sport is greater than ever, and the manufacturing firms are turning out thousands of machines every mouth. The history of cycling, indeed, bids fair to furnish a page of no small importance in the chrouicles of the niueteenth century. Go where you will all over the world, and you will fiud the steed of steel gliding noiselessly along among the green lanes of Merrie England, over the prarie land 6 of the great American continent, wobbling over the rough macadam of colonial uplands ; and far, far away, even in the wilds of Central Asia, among robber bands and strange peoples, the wheelman goes on his way rejoicing. Vorily, the modern sport which we call cycling, is destined to play an important part in the development of the race, hardening as it does the thews of our young men and women, and fitting them to meut dangers and hardships with cool heads and undaunted courage, while straightening body and mind alike.

The Safety machines are already very popular at Home. Great numbers of them were met on the English roads at Easter, and their good points were emphasised by an incident recorded by the cycling editor of Land and Water. "In company wibh a friend," he write-, "on a marvellously light roadster by Travers, weighing ' all in ' but 331b, we rode out to Dover up the longhill towards Folkestone. Some short distance out we overtook a local rider on a Safety bicycle of the Kangaroo type, who commenced racing us. Naturally we could not resist a spin, and very soon disposed of the dwarf rider, and, running right away from him, forgot all about him until half-way down the long and dangerous hill into Folkestone, which we, of course, walked, when the Safety man came by, with the remark that his machine went well ' down hill.' We did not feel happy at that moment." When the mail left the professional championships were exciting much attention, and the professional riders were getting themselves fit for the work. Howell had run off some of his weight, whilst his mo.-t dangerous competitor, Fred. Wood, had been putting in some good work in London, and looked fit and well. De Civry and H. O. Duucan arrived from France, bringing with them another of those dark horses we often hear so much about, whilst the rank and file were also rubbing off their superfluous flesh ■with a view to one or other of the handicaps iv which they intended to compete. An augmentation of tha professional ranks being imminent, the year bids fair to prove most interesting, and from one of the hotbeds of professionalism comes a rumour of a cartel of defiance which a leading pro. intends to forward to a leading maker's " amateur."

Mr Heury Irving has given a cup to the London Cyclists' Club, value 50 guineas, and it has been decided by the committee of the body in question to throw it open to amateurs. Capital, says an exchange, will be sure to be made in anti-cycling quarters out of the death of the uutortuuate young man named Kirk, who only dismounted from his bicycle to die iv the arms of his companion ; but it is almost certain to transpire that he suffered from heart disease

and might have died running upstairs. That there are persons cycling at thn risk ef their lives there can be little doubt, but precisely the same remark applies to every other sport and pastime, and isolated instances, such as the case referred to, should not be taken as a sample of the whole.

The decision regarding makers' amateurs at Home seems to have good results. In America there is also great, need for reform. The Mirror of American Sports, a very well informed paper, asserts that the Pope Manufacturing Co., makers of the Columbia bicycle, paid one " amateur " 2000d015., or £400, for riding that machine last season. It is supposed that this "amateur" was W- A. Rowe. If, under such circumstances, Mr H. E. Ducker succeeds in checking the action of the racing board of the league, the sooner our national body refuses to accept American cyclists as amateurs the better. The whole position is false, and we hope that all amateur cyclists in America, as well as in England, will uphold the powers that be in their action against the salaried representatives of makers posing as bonafule amateurs. " Laud and Water " has the following remarks about time-keeping : — " Men accept official posts without an idea where the watch is coming from, and perhaps borrow a stop watch on the ground which the owner may have been winding up with the corkscrew the night before. The Union's official timekeeper, Mr Gr. Pembroke-Coleman, whose accuracy and reliability are well known, has just given something like £150 for a watch for timing purposes, which has, of course, obtained the necessary certificates ; whilst Mo George Atkinson, of the Sporting Life has a very high reputation as a timekeeper. These two gentlemen officiated at the great walk to Brighton on Saturday last, both being present at the start, after which Mr Colenian took the train to the fiuishing post, whilst Mr Atkinson went down in the wagounette which accompanied the leaders. At the finish both timekeepers stopped their watches as Mackintosh touched the tape in 9hrs 25mm. Bsec. from the start, and on comparing found a difference of one second only, a result which would have been impossible with any but first-class watches and fknt-class watchholders. It will be remembered that it was Mr Coleman on whose authority the times in the ten miles — George v. Cummings — match were established, and the cycling world is to be congratulated upon the position held by its foremost timekeeper in circles outside the sport.

H. O. Duncan ■won the 50-mile professional championship of England in 2hrs 49min. 353-sth sec. The following is a list of winners : — 1883, March 24, F. de Civry, Paris, 3hr 13min 14sec ; August 4, F. Wood, Leicester, 2hrs 48tnin lOsec ; 1834, April 12, T. Bat'ensby, Newcastle, 3hrs 3tnin 26 2-sth sec ; July 5, F. Wood, Leicester, 2hr^ 47rain 20;>ecs ; 1885, H. O. Duncan. Montpellier, 3hrs 7min 14|secs; August 1, ditto, 3hts smin 42 3-sth sees ; 1886, April 24, ditto, 21irs 49mins 35 2-sth sees (absolute winner).