CYCLING.

Otago Witness, Issue 2051, 15 June 1893, Page 33

CYCLING.

NOTES BY DEMON.

At a meeting of the Timaru Tourists' Cycling Club held on the 2nd inst. it was decided to vote the sum of £5 towards defraying the expenses of the New Zealand team to be 6ent to Sydney in September. It was also decided to hold a road race to Winchester aud back on Thursday, July 13. • The members of the Southern District Cycling Club team which won the recent iuterclub premiership medals, have written to the Managing Committee, stating their willingness,!owiDg to the funds of the committee being locked up in one of the banks and not at present negotiable, to accept 2g medals instead of 3g ones, as the conditions implied. JThe comniillee have decided to realise on their bank book and raise the balance of the requisite funds by subscription. The trophies were gained after a great amount of hard work, and the good spirifc in which the winnera have met the committee and assisted them out of their difficulty is worthy of menticn. W. C. Thompson, of Jarrow, has declared his intention of specially preparing for, and making a big attempt to secure, the 25-five mile championship of Bugland this year. It will be .recollected that this cham.pionship was won last year by the American, A. Zimmerman, and the advent of a rider likely to wrest the laurels from the American is hailed with delight in Eoglish cycling circles.

A report of the race meeting of the Surrey Cycling Club, held at Kensington Oval on Saturday, April 22, is to hand. The meeting was very successful, good weather playing an important part in making everything go off so well. Big entries were the order of the day. The action of the handicapper in placing an individual styling himself Don Serra Oto, amateur champion of Mexico, on the scratch mark was comem nied upon by the public. This man, who claims that by virtue of a certain pill of his own invention he can, untrained, ride a mile in 2min ssec, did not turn up at all during the day, notwithstanding his previous boast of winning the three races right off the reel. The first-class handicap was won by A*. F. Lynch in 2min 33 4-ssec.

The Mile Race for the Surrey Cup secured 25 entrants. A. W. Harris, a man from whom some excellent performances are expected this year, secured first place in the first heat in 3min 17 3-ssec. T. Osborn won the second heat in 3min 21 Jsec, and in the third heat Lambley won easily in 2rnin 48 4-ssec. The final heat was interesting, and after a sharp tussle Harris cime in a winner in 3min 4- 3-ssec ; Lambley being second, and Bradbury (who was second in his heat) third. The Ten-mile Scratch Race secured 33 starters, and was a fast race throughout. Harris managed, after a tough fight with Fowler, to secure first place, covering the distance in 29min 3fsec. Summing up the racing, Bicycling News says as follows: — "The times are nothing out of the way, as the track was very dry, and consequently fast. Harris rode a good race, but unquestionably under-rated Fowler's ability. The latter's form was a surprise after his defeat in the Sydney Cup, and may be ascribed' mainly to position and pluck. The man whofintde the bigge&t impression on those competent to form an opinion was M'Laren. He is obviously green as to racing tactics, and pocketed himself deliberately on the assumption .that a general like Harris would give away feet on the corner, but his pace over the first 150 yds of the last 200 yds was very noticeable. We do not attach much value to the form revealed in these races. We don't want to see 6in wins. Our only hope is in a rider who can consistently win by yards in the best company. Then, and then only, can we feel sure we have a champion." Record breaking has already started at Paris. A cyclist named Huzolstein has succeeded in doing 100 milts in 4hr 49min 16fsec, thus breaking the world's record made by Dubois in shr 2min 47§£ec. As the cycling season has fairly set in at Home and abroad, we may expect to hear almost daily of record breaking. The French manufacturers are determined to advertise their machines, and that by record breaking. Zimmerman has already landed in England, and we may soon expect to hear of his performances on the track. The cycling papers some time back in giving Zimmerman's movements state that the biggest raciDg day of 1893 will be June 10, when the London County Club hold their meeting, and Zimmerman takes part in this meeting. P. W. Browu, an English rider, has equalled Zimmerman's rec.rd time of 32_sec for the quarter mile. A aeries of articles headed "A Doctor's Tribute to Cycling" has bsen appearing in CycliDg. The concluding portion of the closiDg aiticle is as follows: — "The chief affections which are likely lo be benefited by cycling are those connected with sluggish liver, such as hemorrhoids, varicose veins, bilious dyspepsia, depression of spirits. Cycling may also be advantageously prescribed for functional affections of the heart and circulation, such as palpitation, habitually cold extremities and weak action of the heart with feeblo circulation, but in organic diseases of the heart it is not to be thought of. Incipient consumption may be benefited by a course of exercise on wheels, though it 13 strictly contra— indicated in advanced pulmotnry disease. Tho greatest; benefit, however, is derived in the class of affections due to deficient nervous power, notably in nervous dyspepsia. Tor imparbiDg nervous energy and dissipating those thousand-and-one vague conditions associated with nervousness, such as groundless apprehensions of impending daDger, indecision, diffidence, blushing, las&itude, &c, there is absolutely no exercise like cycliDg. Sculling comrß very near it, but is disqualified by the hardest portion of the work being wrongly apportioned to the weaker muscles, while horse-riding errs in the excessive shaking and jolting it causes the rider, which sooner or later brings on exhaustion. Stiff joints, whether resulting from disease or accident, are also greatly benefited by a judicious course of cycliDg." In answer io an advertisement of tho sale of a reeond-band machine, a would-be purchaser sent a lisb of requisitions in legal phiaseology, and tho would-be seller, being bimsell: in the law, answered the fellow according* to his folly, citing cases and using technicalities of a most obscure character. "I hope," be said, speaking of the affair, " that the other man is in Lhc law, or he will take me for a raving lunatic," which, being interpreted, means that a man may seem to be an idiot to an average man,

while to a man of legal mind he is intelligble and wise. — Bicycling News.