CYCLING WHEEL NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 1874, 21 October 1887, Page 27

CYCLING WHEEL NOTES.

Bi Demon. The Dunedin Cycling Club had a run to St. Clair on Saturday afternoon, about 18 bicycles taking part. At St. Clair the Bicycle Grand March, which is to take place at the Athletic Club's sports, was practised on foot. The club returned to the Triangle, and again went through it on the bicycles. The committee are arranging a series of fortnightly country runs. I hear Cantrell is again to appear on the track, if he can get the training. If he does, some of the present men had better look to their training. The English professional riders seem fully determined to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs, and that, too, as quickly as possible. The accounts of the vagaries of the men at the Aston meeting are not very creditable. There were plenty of riders on the ground who resolutely stood down because they were not paid for competing. Under these circumstances, therefore, it is not surprising to hear that the proprietor of the Lower Aston Grounds is so disgusted by the treatment he has received that his efforts to revive professional racing in Birmingham have come to a close. This is stated authoritatively by the Birmingham correspondent of the Sporting Life, so that it can be taken as definite. Osmond recently made an attempt to beat the five miles' record on the Crystal Palace track. A heavy, gusty wind prevented him doing anything out of the common. His mile times were as follow: — Onemile,2min4s3-ssec; two miles, smin 38 2-ssec; three miles, Bmin 31 l-sseo; four mile 3, llmin 27 2-ssec; five miles, 14min 18 2-ssec. He will, however, make another attempt;. ■' Wheeling is responsible for a rather our,ious statement. After one of the heats in the .professional race, which gave rise to so rnubh dissatisfaction, the professors themselves had had a slight difference of opinion. It appears that there had been a bit or an arrangement made, hut one of the men, for reasons best known to himself, thought fit to upset this by coming in first. High words, it appears, were followed by hard knocks. Towards the end of August Purnivall was at work in view of the raoes for the Kildare and Surrey Cups, and he would have to be riding his best to get home in front of W. A. Illston, one, five and twenty-five miles champion. Mr Hillier openly confesses the sorry state of cycling at both universities, but expresses himself as being hopeful in the future. I (says a writer in the Athletic News) am not so sanguine. During the course of a very cosmopolitan career, I find myself rubbing shoulders with Varsity athletes of all classes, and when I mention cycling the answer is invariably the same, " Ya-as riding on the road is very enjoyable, and when cycle racing was an amateur sp.or.b we used to go in for it. Now, a\\ the best riders, with very few exceptions, are professionals, and we don't care to mix. up with such." This, lam certain,, i& the real reason of the decadence of university cycling, and all the sophistry of those who try and make out that'the sport is gui teas pure as amateur athletics and sowing, will not convince the young scions of the v Upper Ten " otherwise. We find lords taking part in cricket, rowing, footballi and athletics, especially the first-named, but oyoling — what little there is— seems confined to the "pariahs;" the Brahmins think it beneath them to touch it. At the Norwich meeting, Buckingham won the prize given by the Prince of Wales in rare form, whilst L. P. Wood, who declined his handicap and went back to scratch, covered the mile on grass in 2min 46 2-ssec, which is a best on record, knocking out G. L. Hillier's 2min 51see, made on July 21, 1881, at Chichester. G. P. Langridge, on a tricycle, covered the mile in 3min 19 l-ssec, another best on record. The Crystal Palace Challenge Cup has been finally won by J. H. Adams by a yard from F. J. Osmond — who is pronounced by public opinion to have thrown away his chance by riding previously in the heat and final of the Open Mile Handicap — J. E. Fenlon being third, D. M'Rae fourth, L. P. Wood fifth, L. M. T. de Montesiuna sixth, G. R. Adcock seventh, C. Potter eighth, J. B. King, P. A. Nix and W. J. Lewis giving up. All the men who finished secured time medals for beating 46min. Temple, the " tricky" little American, managed to knock all the stuffing out of Fred Lees, who was so much afraid that the Yankees should leave the country without having given him a match. The pair met in three races — quarter, half, and mile — at Grim9by, and the ease wi^ which Temple ran away from the Leicester rider must have astonished him i^ofe a little. Provided Lees was riding r\t> &£ best, there is now very little doubt that Temple is fairly entitled to be te;caea the second best rider from a m\\e downwards. If he goes on improy'wg, the great Howell will have to look to his laurels. The Americans are still rather sore on tb,e piracy of their L.A.W. badge by the Cyclists' Touring Club, which that body have registered as their own design. It wouki, r>©rve the C.T.C. right if some " piratioa,^ English house would copy the badge^ w,h«ch, by the way, is anything but pretty. T,&e iiffeboat Fund has received £SCO. An* other £150 is still required before the orde? for the boat can be given.