CYCLING. WHEEL NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 1813, 20 August 1886, Page 27

CYCLING. WHEEL NOTES.

By Demon.

Two grown men astride of bicycles never meet •without inspecting each other's vehicles in much the same manner that two women, each fashionably attired in new and becoming dresses, hastily take in each other's appearance while passing on the street. The _ wheelmen look around as if half expecting a brick, and note the latest improvements on the machine. The wheelmen are conscious of their conspicuous appearances, and act as if they were half ashamed in playing the human grasshopper act. They know when they meet a man on a bicycle that he is one of them, and that all the world is against him. They always feel sober when three or more are together, but even then they glide along as noiselessly as possible, not wishing to attract any undue attention. No cyclist ever became president of a base-ball club, or a member of the city council, or had a band at bis funeral. They all know that when they take to the wheel they renounce all thepleasuresandhonoursof life. This fact makes them sad. It is a bond of sympathy between them. That's what our American exchange says. We don't believe it. The only thing that really makes a bicyclist sad, at least in our experience* is when he meets a flock of sheep or a drove of pigs on a steep downward incline and goes whizzing over the handle-bars to an affectionate embrace with Mother Earth. But even then he manages to recover consciousness, straighten up his machine, bind up his wounds, and go on his way rejoicing. It takes a good deal to kill a bicyclist, and a good deal to make him sad. There is a possibility of Fred Wood, who is one of the crack professional bicyclists of the world, visiting Australia with his bicycle before the end of the present year. A letter has been received by a Melbourne wheelman to the effect that, if sufficient inducement offers, he will pay the colenies a visit after the Springfield tournament. Wood holds the world's bicycle records for quarter, three-quarter, and two miles, being altogether a cyclist of the " first water." The 25 mile Amateur Bicycle Championship of England was won by J. E. Fmton, on the 14th June, m lh 19min 29 2-sth sec, which is the fastest time the 25-mile championship of England has erer been ridden in. Land and Water, referring to a recent road race at Home, says :— Perhaps the most wonderfnl show was made on a Marriott and Cooper Humber tandem, by T. R. Marriott and Major T. Knox Holmes, for, despite the heavy head wind, this couple rode the 50 miles in 4h 17min 2Oseo, beating (juite a number of other competitors. The major's great age (78) taken into account, we think >this performance, under the eiroumsfeances, the most notable of the day.

Mr P. T. Letchford effectually wiped out Kiderlen's two-mile tricycle record of 6min 15 4-ssec, by doing it in smin 58 3-ssec, at Cambridge ; his mile time waß 2min 56sec. He was beaten by Furnival in the championship; time, 3min 5 2-ssec. From all we hear, says Land and Water, it would seem that the Harrogate camp will be absolutely the biggest thing of its sort, taken all round, that we have ever had to chronicle — not in • mere numbers, perhaps, as a miscellaneous crowd would not be desirable, but in the general get up of the camp and completeness of the arrangements. Electric light will make the canvas town as light as day during the earlier hours of the night," whilst improved accommodation will be provided, and efforts will be made to keep the men more together than before. The evening visits to the Bodega will,' (Joubtless, be carried out as heretofore, but more fun will be indulged in hi the mess-tent after the " Camper's March" back to the football field. Mr Secretary Hickson and his merry men are sticking to it with a will, and we admit that, in common with many others, we are looking forward with very pleasant anticipations to the Harrogate gathering. James Lennox, of Dumfries, had a go at the Land's End to John o' Groat's record on a bicycle. The accounts of his ride are pictur-esquely-interspersed with allusions to fearful storms, drenching rains , thunderstorms, &c, and the path of the atmospheric outbursts must have been very local, to give this peculiarly unfortunate rider such a continuous benefit. Despite these drawbacks, however, Mr Lennox accomplished the following daily journeys : — Monday, June 7, Land's End to Gloucester, 160 miles. • Tuesday, June 8, Gloucester to Wellington, 140 miles. Wednesday, June 9, Wellington to Garstang, 105 miles. Thursday, June 10, Garstangto Selkirk, 144 miles. Friday, June 11, Selkirk to Dalwhinnie, 138 miles. Saturday, June 12, Dalwhinnie to John o' Groat's, 198 miles. Total distance, 885 miles ; riding time, 6 days 8^ hours, beating previous record by seven hours. Mr Lennox rode a Beeston Humber roadster bicycle. In professional circles the greatest interest centred in the Howell v. Wood match, which, however, ended in a dispute, owing to Howell going wide at the last corner, and, as it is asserted, interfering with Wood. After some consideration the referee declared it no race, and the men will meet again later on.