NOTES BY DEMON.

Otago Witness, Issue 2010, 1 September 1892, Page 31

NOTES BY DEMON.

Cycling in town is pretty quiet just now. The weather of the past few days has been sufficient to damp the spirits of the most ardent rider, and all that cyclists now can do is to console themselves with hopes of better weither to come. The all-absorbing topic among club members at present is the club social and the opening run. The social, now eagerly looked forward to by members and their friends, is fixed for the evening of Friday, the 30th September, at the Choral Hall. The opening run takes place on the afternoon of the day following. And at this early date I would impress upon members and non-members the necessity of putting in an appearance at this parade. There 13 nothing like a good opening parade to encourage the officers of a club and stimulate them in their desire to forward the interests of th»club.

I have to acknowledge the rsceipt of a song, "The wheel's the life for me," from Messrs C. Begg and Co. The song is eminently suited to wheelmen, and is likely to become popular as a cycling song. The air is tuneful and of easy compass ; and there's a fine Bwing about the chorus which given with full force from the lungs of a body of cyclists out on tour should rouse the enthusiasm of the most despondent rider. The Bong is written and composed by Mr Ernest Mansfield, of Wangauui, and is dedicated to E. A. Mathiers and all fellow wheelmen. — — Mr W. B. Eyre has been elected captain oE the Pioneer Bicycle Club. A thorough good fellow, and in every way worthy of this high office. ifjj The first round in connection with the Road Premiership contest between the different cycling clubs of Melbourne was run off last Saturday. The afternoon's proceedings were opened by a parade of cyclists through the streets of Melbourne. There were nine clubs represented by 168 riders, who rode to the starting point of the contest. The distance to be travelled was 26£ miles, and the result of the race was that so far the Southern District Club holds first place with 36 points ; the Suburban Club being well up with 32 points. The quickest time was made by C. Greenwood, of the Suburban Club, who covered the distance in lhr 48min 41sec. One rider ran into a ilock of sheep and came a cropper, damaging himself and his machine. There were a number of machines damaged during the race, the iujary iv almost every instance being to machines under 301b, showing that this weight of cycle cannot be used with safety on anything but good roads. One of the competitors rode a 54-in preumatic ordinary, and ano her rode a geared ordinary (pneumatic tyres) scaling 29£lb, a colonial made machine. . The '■ Theitre Night" of the Meli. urne cyclists passed off very successfully, and tue management of the Bijou Theatre were very enthusiastic in their appreciation of the orderly -conduct of the cyclists (old and new) who ■thronged the upper circle. — After all, Zimmerman, the American, had to leave £ho shores of England without meeting Osmond.'- „ He did not ride in the Brixton Cup race, 10' miles, which was won by -Osmond in 28min 40 4-ssec. Commenting on this race and the absence of Zimmerman from the track, the Bicycling News says :—": — " Zimmerman when he wok the 50-miles Championship, two days ago, rode his first race over 25 miles ; in fact be had never ridden over 25 miles before, and this necessarily had stiffened him a bit ; but as M. B. Fowler, who did plenty of hard racing in the 50 miles, ran Osmond to inside a length in the Cup race, there is no doubt at all that Zimmerman would have won easily." — —Frank Waller, California, is credited yriCh riding 303 miles 1590 yds in 2> hours.

. The world's record for five miles is 12min 14 4-ssec, secured by Charron in a 6^-mile race on the Buffalo track, Paris, but the event was won by Fournier in 15miu 14 4-ssec.

The Philadelphia Sporbing Life of a late date contains the following :-— " 2.14- 4-5. The fastest mile ever ridden on a bicycle. Berlo, Banker, and Taxis do it upon a triplet at Hartford. Special to Sporting Life. Hartford, Ct., July 4. — At the races of the Colum-bia-Colt Bicycle Clubs, held this afternoon at Charter Oak Park, in the presence of 5000 spectators, 2min 14 4-ssec, the fastest pace ever travelled on a bicycle, was covered by P. J. Berlo, South Boston, and George A. Banker, New York, Manhattan Athletic Club, and W. W. Taxis, A.C.S.N., Philadelphia, these three men driving the machine at a rate of speed never before equalled by thews and sinews. Taking a flying start, and without pacemakers, they rode the quarter in 32sec, the half in lmin 7sec, three-quarters in lmia 43sec, and tho mile in 2min 14 4-ssec, thus failing to beat the trotting record, bufc doing a grand performance nevertheless. Had it not been for the wind, it is thought that 2min lOsec would have been done." This ride was evidently done on a triplet safety. • P. J. Berlo, whose name has come so prominently before the world through his wonderful quarter-mile flying start record, is one of America's fleetest rider 3. He is one of the Zimmerman and Windle class. In a public competition he has done the mile iv 2min 18 l-ssec. In a two-mile safety race, run at Hartford, U.S.A., September 9th, 1891, he finished the last quarter in 30 3-ssec, his time for the full distance being smin 22 l-ssec.

My recent notes have perhaps been too full of the American A. A. Zimmerman, but a man that invades the shores of the home of cyling, and while carrying off the English championships takes with him on leaving the goodwill of his fellow wheelmen, is a man out of the ordinary, and I might be pardoned for quoting from Bicycling News, a Home cycling paper, th« aw revoir to England's visitor : — " As the present issue of Bicycling News is going to press, our five months' visitor from America, A. A. Zimmerman, is leaving our shores for his native land. He takes \iifh him three out of our four safety championships, tho honours of a few records, and some prizes manfully won in scratch races against some of our best riders. Behind him he leaves a reputation for modesty, pluck, and good sportsmanship, and in the memories of those who had the pleasure of meeting and associating with him a lively recollection of his kindliness and unobstrusiveness. The previous samples of American amateurism which had been shipped to these shores were not altogether desirable specimens, but Zimmerman quietly, yet successfully, lived down any little feeling of opposition which had been left as a trace ot their visits. He did more than this. Spite of ill-success at the outset in his competitions, he worked on pluckily and perseveringly, and adapted himself by degrees to the conditions of our racing path, until he was able to win for himself tho highest honours which our sport can give. It was no fault of his that he did not meet the man who has hitherto been, regarded as the pveux chevalier of our racing cyclists, tho man whom he had come thousands of miles to oppose. He sought him in match races, and disappointed in this direction, hoped to meet him in our championships, but in vain ; and his one regret as he leaves our shores is that Osmond is now only getting into. form. It was Zimmerman's intention, had the conditions been favourable during the latter portion of his stay, to have made a number of attempts on our record tables, but in this direction* also he has been disappointed. It is too much tp hope that the business of life will allow him to devote the best part of another year to a visit to England, but should he ever come to us again he may rest assured that he will receive on every hand the hearty welcome which good sportsmen deserve, and which sportsmen delight to give." At Herne Hill on Tuesday, July 19, A. A. Zimmerman and F. G. Bradbury on a tandem bicycle safety, lowered the one mile record for that class of machine by 18 4-53 ec, doing 2min 17 2-ssec against 2min 56 l-ssec, done by Wass and Newland on the same track. The first quarter eras done in 34 2-ssec, the half lmin 6 2-ssec, and three-quarters in lmin 41sec. They then attempted to break the five miles record, and succeeded, lowering it by 15sec ; also breaking the two, three, and four mile records on the way. The mile times were :— one mile, 2min 32 4-53 ec; two miles, smin 102-ssec; three miles, 7min 45 4-ssec; four miles, lOmin 22 l-ssec ; five miles, 12min 56 l-ssec.

There are degrees obtainable by cyclists which are well known, the M.A., who is the makers' amateur, the 8.A., his even less respectable companion, owing allegiance to a bookmaker, and now the title of B.Sc. is said to belong to that peculiar London producf known as the Bally Scorcher. Messrs Singer and Co. have 80,000 machines fitted with their patented wire cushion tyres, 22,000 with the steering lock attached, and 15,000 with detachable crank bracket.

Mr Gladstone has favoured a correspondent with his opinion on cycling. He says : "I have noticed with real and unfeigned pleasure the rapid growth of cycling in this country, for not only does it afford to many to whom it would otherwise be unobtainable a healthy and pleasurable form of exercise, but it also enables them to derive all those advantages of travel which previous to the advent of cycling were out of their reach. It is far more profitable than the luxurious railway journey from the city to some definite point along an unalterable route, over which the traveller is whirled with no time for observation and no opportunity of examining the district through which he is carried. I can only emphasise the fact that I consider that physipally, morally, and socially, t le benefits that cycling confers on the men of tho present day are almost unbounded. — Pall Mall Gazette.