CYCLING. WHEEL NOTES BY DEMOS.

Otago Witness, Issue 1928, 2 November 1888, Page 26

CYCLING. WHEEL NOTES BY DEMOS.

The Dunedin C.C. had the fortnightly club run on Saturday. The day was windy, a stiff sou'-wesfcer giving some trouble till the Saddle vas reached, bufc by 5 o'clock the "rind dropped, and a beautiful calm evening was all the more enjoyable by tLe contrast with the early parfc of the day. The rain lasfc week had improved the roads, and on the plain they were very good. Seven riders started from the Octagon afc 2.ls— three safeties and four ordinaries— and after three hours' easy riding Oufcram was reached. A regular cyclists' tea was supplied by Mrs Mackay at the Railway Hotel,. now the D.C.C. headquarters afc Outiam, and it is hardly necessary to say thafc ifc had full justice done to ifc. At 6.30 the bugler sounded the mount, and the party in graud style wheeled off for town, which was reached afc 9.15 p.m. Several small delays took place on the way out, the longest through a mishap to the "Skipper's" machine, the result of a spill, and on the return journey the darkness coming on forced the riding to be very slow. New riders need not fear the pace on club runs after this sample. The use of a club run is to provide a sociable outing for all members, and the pace has to be accommodated to the slowest rider. Saturday's ride was voted a mosfc enjoyable one by ail, even though six hours were consumed in riding 34 miles. The Amateur Athletic .Club sports meeting on the 9th has drawn a fair number of entries— nine for the ons-mile roadster, eight for the three-mile, six for the five-mile, and four for the safety race. For so early a date in the season the entry is not bad, and several more new men would have gone if only they were supplied with machines. The track on the Caledonian ground has been greatly improved by the curves on the ends, and with the attention the ground man is giving ifc should be in good order by the day. The Caledonian' Society have included in their programme two bicycle races, and are giving their usual handsome prizes. The distances are three and five miles, and safeties are barred.

This does seem a hardship, but is unavoidable, and by adopting the practice we are only following the rules of the other colonies and England. The steering of safeties of the RD pattern, when driven at high 6peed, is rather erratic, especially round corners, and the agony a man on an ordinary light racer suffers when spurting oue of the little machines is enough to turn his hair grey. The number of rear-driving machines is fast increasing, and there will aoon be enough to make a large field of them only. The NZ. Cylists' "Alliance held the adjourned meeting at Ohristchurch last week. The report and balance sheet were adopted, and amongst other things ifc was decided to establish local centres which wouldhave charge of provincial championships, and to appoint consuls for each district, who would assist travelling members as much as possible. In this last connection it may be mentioned that the Dunedin club are in the habit of giving any of their own members travelling a circular letter of introduction .to other club?, which' has been found of great advantage, and the club are always ready to do anything possible for any visiting cyclist.