CYCLING.

Otago Witness, Issue 1970, 22 August 1889, Page 27

CYCLING.

WHEEL NOTES BY DEMON. The roads just now are in glorious condition, and those riders who can take advantage of it are enjoying" the excellent riding. The j Maoris, it is said, are now prophesying a dry summer, so we had better make the best use of our present opportunities, as later on in the : season we may have a repetition of last summer's stone nuisance. ' , The Dunedin C.C are commencing, the season well, the membership roll now numbering over 70. ' ■*- — The club committee have under consideration the programme for the season Which I promises to be a busy one. ■ , —^—Matters in connection with the Dunedin I Amateur Ground Company are . progressing favourably, sufficient? shares having been taken' up to guarantee the successful floating of the company.- Cyclists are doming fairly well forward; having subscribed some 110 shares. A I little more pushing and the racing' track will be an accomplished fact. 'With" the track and a club room the club will get a push off this season which should send ' it along for many a lap to come. ■' j ; Seeing that the usual annual race meeting' of fcheDunedin is so late in the'season, would it not be worth while to hold a spring meeting, say in v November or December, or whenever the track is finished, to inaugurate the new ground 1 ? Plenty support could be reckoned on, and the, provincial championships i and club championships could be run ' at it, making a very good meeting. ' The Melbourne Bicycle Club Spring meeting is a advertised. It will be, as usual, the biggest meeting of the season, the first prize ! for the principal race alone being value £20,0. ■ The Victorian Cyclists Union have passed over Busst this time when selecting the representative for the championship races, and chosen a young and as yet untried rider, Lewis. Considerable, fault is found with tb,e selection, it being freely said that influence was brought to bear on the choice. At the Kildare sports on June 15, a, record was made ip the Two-miles Safety Bicycle Race by W. C. Jones, who, although not .winning the race, finished in the splendid time of srain 26 3 sseo. This reduces by sseo the 1 previous beat time made by H, E. Laurie at Long Eaton* on August 31, 1883. and is nearly 2?eo Blower than, the professional time of smin 24 2 sseo, by S. G. Whittaker at Long Ilaton on.September 11, 1888. j -—^ Another record wad made at the same sports {or tandem trioyles over a quarter of a i mUe.-with a flyiuf? start, by S. F. Udge, Akerley 8.C., and J. F, B. Aroher, Brixton Ramblers 8.0,, in the lime of 35 2 sseo ; previous record 38sec, held by Dr B. Turner and P. E. Kiderlew at Long Eaton on July 8, 1887, On June 20, at the Belgrave grounds, Leicester, R. Billsdon, a veteran amateur, lowered the 50 miles .amateur bicycle record to 2hr 89min 45sec, being 48 3 Sseo faster than the previous record made by C. Potter at Surbiton, in September 1887. On June 18, at the Payuton track,. G. R. Adcock rode 30 miles on a bicycle in lbr SSmin 35 3-ssec. ——The Thirty-miles Professional Championship was ridden at WalJsend in June, 1 and was won by. A. H. Kobb, with R. H. English second and W. Wood third. Time, lhr 38min 31 4-sseo. ' On June 15, H.Synyer, of Nottingham, succeeded in an attempt to lower the grass track record for half a mile. Wood, of Brixton, made the running in the first lap, and took the champion alonpr at a rare pace, but on G, W. Howard, of Ilkeston, taking up the pacemaking mission he nearly allowed Synyer to overhaul him before be got speed- up. However, Howard set to work hard, and brought Synyer out to his fullest extent, with the result that the watch gave the time for the complete distance as lmin 12 2 fjseo. ——In the Mile Tricycle Handicap, held at the Irish Championship meeting, R. J. Mecredy broke the Irish record with 2min 44 2-53ecfrom eoratcb, and could have done better ; while at the Scottish Championship meeting J. Carriok reduced the mile tricyole record for Sootland to 2min 58 8-5360, ,N. uT~T. 8. -—Good luok to the rear-driver dwarf safety, and may its shadow never grow less, fllorenqw «

men are taking to rldiag through its agency than ever before in the memory of the oldest cyclist. The Dunedin Club has got some 16 to 20 new members, most of whom ride the R.D. machine. The ordinary riders will be in the minority soon if this rush for rear-drivers eontinnes. -Onr local builder and re«builder of bikes has this year been exercising his powers on all the old crocks, I think, that could be found in the district, and after seeing the rebuilding process on one machine I Jcease to wonder at tbe length of time some bicycles lat,t. ;Thi£ machine came into the shop looking as antiquated a specimen as ever was owned by the most ignorant of novices ; built about the | year 1 of cycling, with the latest improvements by the village blacksmith. The machine went out of the shop spick and span, tight and true, amended and brought up to date, aad the proud owner vrould think himself in clover as he bestrode the old bika renewed. The old club pony is still alive— shall I add, and kicking ? As I gaaed on the dear old crock the other day, visions of first -lessons came back to mo. The wearisome attempts to climb into the saddle, the frantic lurches to keep out of the Oval fence, the rush to the side as some pedestrian approached, with the following spill in the damp grass at the edge of the track. That old pony had a playful habit of turning its front wheel round till it almost seemed as if the rider would be pushing the front wheel backwards while the back wheel still went forwards, but just as that point was reached the inevitable spill took place, and the rider either hung himself up on the picket fence ,or went rabbiting in the grass. The old pony did good work iv its time, ! and as it stood with its socket head and great bow spring and high handle-bar alongside one of the latest build, it showed in most striking way possible the strides cycling has made in the past 20 years.