CYCLING.

Otago Witness, Issue 2205, 4 June 1896, Page 37

CYCLING.

NOTES BY DEMON. — " Glorious weather ! " is the daily greeting of cyclists nowadays, and full advantage is token to cycle as much as possible before the good spell breaks and the winter comes hard upon us. At the-week-end a number ef riders vent south, Outram, Milton, and Henley being visited. The roads are in excellent condition for riding, and cycling at the present time of the year is without a doubt a pleasure to be experienced to be appreciated. Mr C. Yon Ledebur, a member of the Dunedin Cycling' Club, started at 12 o'c'oek on Tuetday evening from Chiistchurch to'fcttempt the lowering of the Christchurch to Djm&liif cycling record. He made excellent time to Ashburton, where a pedal broke and necessitated easy Tiding until Oamaru was reached. At Oamaru the attempt at record was abandoned, and eavr riding made to Palmerston, where the train was boarded. Mr Ledebur is confident of his ability to lower the record, and will have another try in the early spring. Mr B. Dutbie, representative for Mr S. R~ Stedman, has just returned from a threeweeks' business trip round the goldfields district, and he informs me that cycling is going »head very rapidly in Central Otago. In all the places " visited while journeying from Middlemarch round to Lawrence cycling has taken on, and not a few of the best riders are possessors of road-racing machines. The'roads round the goldfields just now are in good order for cycling, and Mr Duthie is of opinion that now is an excellent time for touring. - — — The monthly committee meeting of the Dunedin Cycling Club was held on Monday night ; present — Messrs W. Melville (in the chair), Sullivan, Speight, Boot/ Minn, M'Kechnie, King, Bell, and Crow (hon. secretary). As there were four olaimanls to the medal presented by Dr Fulton for the best attendance at club' runs, the secretary was instructed to asocue four iilrer badges to be presented to

each claimant, and to allow tho medal to stand over until next year. The Hon. Secretary of the Ambulance Association wrote forwarding particulars for the formation of an ambulance class in connection with the dub; The Secretary intimated that 30 members had promised to join the class. It was decided to add two extra rooms to those already occupied by the club, and to havo them suitably furnished. The conditions, ice. drawn up by the subcommittee re the Dresden Pianoforte Company's trophy were approved. The follow iog new members were elected : — Messrs C. F. Edgar, T, Ooutts, D. Reid ]un., and A. J. Bloxani. Twenty members of the club meet a like number of the D A.8.0. in a cribbage tournament; at the boalitig sheds on Wednesday night, to which all' members are invited. ■'' The billiard tournament among members of the Dunedin Cycling Club, which bns been watched with some degree of interest for about; a month, was concluded lasb week, and resulted as follows :—: — R. Young (15pts behind scratch) „, 1 G. Butlin (45pt8 behind scratch) ... 2 G. Ciow (lOpts behind scratch) ... 3 The Otago Club's billiard table ia now fitted up with pneumatic cushions, and a, billiard tournament is being worked up among members. Tho Pioneer Bicycle Club's 50-mile road race, run on May 25, was won by S. H. Wellington (16min) in 2hc 38min l«ec, H. Amos (18min) 2hr 51min 30sec and t. Arc'ser (SOixiin) 2br 53miu 35- ec being second and third lvs pectively. — — The Otago Cyding Clob held an enjoyable smoke concert on Wednesday evening of last week, S. M'Donald, till recently a member of the Dunedin Cycling Club, succeeded last week atChristchurch in lowering the mile and a-half j record. M'Donald rode the distance in 3min , 263 ec, thus lowering H. Thompson's previous ' record by £sec. On the same (ky H. Thompson, paced by a tandem, succeeded in further lowering tho certrd, iaigg feK^sfeaucft-ifc latin

24 4-s?ec, which now stands as the record tirue.

At » meeting of cyclists held at Naaeby I on" April -28 it was resolved to form a cycling club, to be called the Maniototo Cycling Clcb. The following office-bearerß were elected ;— [ President, 3. M. D«lgJei?h, E*q. ; vice-presi-dents— Meesra Lundon, H. Wilson, B3vin, W. : GufSe, aud Dr Church ; secretary and treasurer, P. O. Hjorring ; captain, R. Keel« ; depwtycaptain, B. T. Bateman. Tho getioral committee counistfl of the following :— W. F. Inder, T. Costelloe, W. Gnfflo, captain, and deputycaptaio. R. Keele, W. F. Inder, and W. Guffie were elected a sub-committee to draw up a code of rules to be submitted to the next general meeting. It was resolved that the club'a colouro should be grey eoafc, knickers, cap, and heather stockings. A new club, called the Hampden Cycling, Riding, and Driving Clab, has been formed in Sydney. At the meeting called for the formation of the club Mr Bucdekin spoke of the pleasures derivable from cycling and the success of similar societies in other parts of tho world. The object in view was, he said, the formation of » society which would afford them opportunities for meeting to spend an enjoyable afternoon by having a social gathering. It was intended' that they should have those gatherings once a week at a pavilion which, they had every reason to hope, would be provided for them at the Centennial Park by the Government, the society paying a rental. It was houed that by those meetings they would ba enabled to secure all tho benefits deriv&blo from that most healthfnl recreation. What was aimed at was the bringing together of their nicest people in the nicest way. Lord Hampden, the Governor of New South Wales, is patron of the club. Two machinists of Berkeley, Californ'a, have perfected and patented a racing machine, by the us« of whioh a oyclibt may reel off 11 centuries " in & bedroom, or a series of racas may be held in a drawing room. The machine affords every opportunity tor the scorcher to getia all his fine points of manipulation, and he is able to do all the hard work and experience all the sensations that he would on a circular track or a country road. Of courso, a scorcher does not care for scenery, bub only for " centuries." ' I The racing machine, or " bicycle track," as the inventors call it, consists of a eet of three hardwood rollers secured in a frame. The rollers are 4in in diameter aud 2£ft long. Two rollers are placed s£in apart, and the third roller is placed a bicycle length further ahead in the frame. The hind wheel of the bicycle rests on the two rollers sst together, and the fore wheel on the first roller. The lower part of the tyre, of the hind wheel sets about lin below the level of the upper surfaoa of the rollers. Thi« prevents the bicycle from slipping. The rollers are connected by a strong rubber i band. -The bicycle is placid on the rollers, the cyclist is held up until he has scoured a good start, and then he and his machine are released, and ho can pedvl away for deiir life, reoling off miles of revolutions, but not advancing an inch. The wheels hold their position securely on the rollers, and are subject to the same conditions as they would be on an ordinary read. The apparatus is exceedingly simple, but mhny experiments had to be made before the proper size and exact adjustment of the rollers could be fixed. The trapk is »übstauti*lly the same as that on which horses race at recoid pace in a theatre. ' | In front of the rider is a dial, which is connected with the rollers on whioh he is riding. As he pedals the finger on the dial rerolves, accurately marking the distance the rider has travelled. For racing a double machine is made. Two sets of rollers are set in a frame facing each other, and the riders pedal* head on to each other. The machine has been tested by bicycle experts aud under the auspices of bicycle clnb3, and is said to be entirely successful. The extraordinary succeis (says the Field) which has attended the operations of the Pueumatic Tyre Company is unexampled in the history of bicycling. The company was started in 1889 to work the patent granted to Mr J. B. Dunlop for his. adaptation of ths pneumatic principle to the tyre of the bicycle, It; commenced with a capital of £25,000, and paid 8 per cent the first year. In 1893 the dividend had risen to 200 pec cent. The amouut of sbare c\pi al fu^sccibed reaches a total of £260,000 ; against this the ehiU'eholders have received no less than £653,123 in dividends.. An extraordinary meeting of the company was held in Dublin on April 13, for. the purpose of placing before the shareholders an offer received to purchase the entire property of the company for £3,000,000, and the parties making the offer deposited £100,000. The chairman explained that, if the proposal were accepted, there would be a sum of £2,887,500 to divide amongst the shareholders ; and this, in addition to the dividends already received by tasm, would give a total of £3,545,623 in exchange for the £260,000 subscribed by them as capital. One gentleman was ungrateful enough to say that £3,000,000 was not enough ; bub the resolution was carried. It is understood that the object of the purchasers is to form a. new company. ' A foolhardy cycling feat, undertaken ■ by a youug Englishman im<ied Ftencb, waft recently accomplished afc Monaco for a bet o^ £100. 'J ho object to be accomplished was tho' deccsnt from Moatico proper to the Condamine quarter on a unicjcle. When, the reader U informed that not only is the path very steep, and has three turnings, but is broken in several places by steps, the difficulty of taking a unicycle over such a course without the rider falliagwill.be appreciated. "Lex" in tho Melbourne Sportsman says :— " Though not much notice is being t»£en of P&yne oufesj^a New £k>o& Waits in

bis trip to tbe old world on a racing tour, there ara many who would not be surprised to flud him coming out right on the very top of the Australians. Payne at hoarfc is one of the most decent fellows who «ver crossed * wheel ia the colonies. He is but a new rider, sits his machine beautifully, pedals as clean as Zimmerman, is splendidly built, has a stout heart, a long head, aud a fine dash. What more does the erifcit! require P j The League of Victorian Wheelmen has I completed arrangements with an accident and' guarantee fond whereby in the event of death, loss of two limbs or both eyes, the sum of £150 will be paid ; £100 for permanent disablement, and £2 2s a week for injuries which prevent the cyclist from following bia occupation. Cyclists have much reason to rejoice at the minor part they played in the list of fatal accidents for 1891- . Out of the 1592 fatalities on the road only 30 are attributed to oycliag, which is less than half per cent, of tho whole. This number includes both those riding cycles and those ridden on by them. Pursuing the statistics vein we (Bioycling News) find that perambulators were responsible for four death*, traction engines 15, tram cars' 55, other road vehicles 1166, and howca nlone 252. What's the matter with cycling after this P and where are the alarmists now P The bloycle face, the bicycle back, and other afflictions have had their quota of space in the cycle press and in the dailies, but *ra (Bearings) have heard little of the bicycle hand. This alleged disease is a numbnevs of the fingers nsaie»t to the ends of the handle bars. Tbe JiauibneGS is due to the vibration, and it is alleged that the hands were not affected by the - old style solid or cushion tyre, so it must be asoribed to the pneumatic ; but riders of the ordinary and of the safety, before the advent of the air-shod machine, will remember that the bicycle hand was acquired in less time than it in now, and as pneum&tioef aie likely to be larger in diameter before tbe season ii over, wo think there is no need for serious apprehension, E. O. Bald, one of America's fastest riders, who lately turned provisional, is said to have piqued contracts worth £2000 for the present racing season. Michael, the feather-weight, Welsh flier, and John S. Johnson, the faraou3 Yankee, now on a visit to Europe, havo been oip.tcbed to run six r&oes on a European track at the end of July over the following distances : — Ono, five, and 10 miles, five, 20, and 30 kilometres. In o&se of the men tying with three wins each, a seventh match will be run off. The stakes are' £soo a-»ide. The cycle track at Athens on which the Olympic gomes were run' is made of cement, and measures 1094-ft par lap. Its average width is 23ft, with 32ft at the tape. • The maximum bauking on the turns is 4ft. Six thou&ond spectators can be accommodated. Seats are reserved in the centre for the Greek Royal Family and invited guests. The racing quarters include storage for cycles, massage and bath rooms, and even bedrooms. The track is lighted by electricity. An intetvSsfciDg 100-mile paced race took place at the Agricultural Hall &t Islington, with the following reGulfc :~Prizes, £30, £10, and £5.— A. V. Linton (Wales) 1, A. A Chase (in place of J. Platt-Botts, in cousequ&nce of a fall) 2, J. D. Lumsden (Scotland) retired. Linton was firsb on to tho taudem, followed by Lumsden and Chase in that order, the opening mile occupying 2min 15 4-ssec. Chase was dropped in the second mile, and lapped in the third, the pacing interest, being too strongly developed on one tide (and that not Chase's) for the North road flyer s to keep his place. < Five miles were reeled off in lOmin 57$ sec, and Chase was' lapped for the second time in the eighth mile. The. pacing of the leader, under Choppy Warburton's direction, was superb, the changes being effected without the loss of an inch of grouod. Ten miles occupied 22min 9£seo, Linton leading". Fifteen miles were notched in 33min 29§seo, the leadert failing to leave Chase, whose supporters cheered him lustily. Twenty miles occupied 45nun 15 3-ssec. In the hour 26miles 660 yards we're covered, Shortly after the hour Ltnton made a big and successful effort to get awfcy, gaining a lap on Lutycdeu in the next four. The operation was repeated shortly afterwards, and Lunisden, evidently disgusted, gave up the race in the twentyeighth rnilo. Chase was hanging on to his work in good style. Thirty miles oocupiecl lhr Bmin 20 4-saeo, s - and 40 lhr 33tnin 2£sec. Tho half-distance was covered in 2hr lmin OJs?c. In two hours Linton covered -49, mi! eu 1230 yards, Chase being about 'seven, laps to- thebad» There were moments of monotony oit repeated during the concluding, sti>gas of the ride, only relievad by Chase's g^irttad sprinting behind the WaltonWheelock jijiddg machine, and when the end came Li h ton had won with a margin of 14 laps in hand, his tttal time being 4hr 12oiin 31 4-ssec. The times of each fire miles are appended, Linton alw&js leading : — m. s. I h. m. s. h. m. s. 5 ... 10 57 1-545 ... 1 <6 6 4-5 85 ... 3 32 4 4-5 10 ... 23 9 1-5:50 ... 2 10 1-5 90 ... 345 54 1-5 15 ... 33 29 2-555 ... 2 13 42 3-5 95 ... 3 59 30 2-5 20 ... 45 15 3-5 60 ... 2 2« 85 4-5100 ... 4 12 314-5 25 ... 56 58 2-565 ... 2 39 24 4-5 30 ... 08 20 4-570 ... 2 52 40 3-5 Chase's time : 35 ... SO 6 75 ... 3 545 1-5 4hr 16min 58sec 40 ... 93 21-5 80 ... 3 18 571-5 j i Liuton covered, in one hour, 26 miles 660 : yards ; two, 49 miles 1230 yards ; threes, 72 mile's 1540 yards ; four, 95 miles' 335 yards. Someone has poiated out that a good dancer travels an extraordinary distance ia tho ' duration of a ball, and the statement; is substantiated by a laborious calculation. It is I ra*har extraordinary that some men will readily ; accept an invitation to a dance and scout the idea of riding 20 miles on a bicycle as something beyond their strength ; yet I read that in a programme of 20 waltzes, two quadrilles, and four polka*, the dancer coven close upon 12

rnitc*. No*, if a roat^ cSn forayerge this disc t»nce with eim and grate, he dan tfrirely ride 20 miles on » bicycle without feeling more tired than he would at the cjjose or a ball. Then, as regards walking. A man may Walk 10 miles and feel absolutely done up at the finish) while be oan ride 20 miles and feel that be has only gone through a mild exercise, The halfroom efforts are obscure, ot neatly s,o, aad in thp buzz of the busy whirl they »re almoib forcott^t but the force expended is afc least equivalent tjf> driving a biojqle a longer distance than many think their strength is equal to.-^-North Londos 0.0. Otozatte, About three yeara ago a wandering cyclist threw a whole district; of the Transvaal into a paroxysm of eupersfeitious frrrd!?; Travelling by night, his advent would haVd been unnoticed if two ycting^ Boere, enrfy abroad in search of strayed bulfooW, had n$ seen the " spoor " or track of the wheelman With the curiosity of their race, the/ followed it for some miles, being anxious, to tfee '• iM man who could trundle a wheelb»rr6fr so far' withont a rest." After an bout's tracking ono remarked : '• This fellow mus* be a thief; &t us go and tell the lftnddrott" (oo»gf|trate). Accordingly the worthy Dutch "besk" wi* brought on the scene, and he was accompanied by a score of armed Boerg, The " ftbple parly followed the path taken by oar oyclUt. Halt* ing at noon whiiuft the hones 'grazed, thomystfy rious trail was tho otsjsofetof much sonitiai. Suddenly one farmer exolaitned ;— " Look h6W, landdrost, if it was a barrow,' 'where iff the ' spoor ' of the man who wheeeled it ? " "My goodness ! " exclaimed that official; " I never thought of that. Lot's see— ye?, heri is the wheel right enough t but where is me Ivw" pjfefc Plt is, ift mußfc bQ— yea, yes ; ride, bora: side ; it's a b j>ook 6rho*t) I " To thte d»y that portion of tho ro«4 is uoc traversed by my of the Dutoh farmers. ! A well-known physician hsa sftitj, !n regard to the effect of cycling on tbe ftfjfiafo sex :•— " gome women are more fatigued fey .W miles' cy ciiog than others are by 50, Tiio golden rule in this matter is .to let tha souse pi fatigue gore/Q the amount of woik dons; -• I{j is gQod For women as it U for men to dismount' occasionally and walk, and it ia 'always good £or them to do co wbeu they ari climbing long, steep hills."