NOTES BY DEMON.

Otago Witness, Issue 2456, 10 April 1901, Page 49

NOTES BY DEMON.

The favourable signs of good Easter weather induced many cyclists to make short tours during the four days, and from all Bidea one hears of most enjoyable cycling. But for a downpour on Monday morning tho weather was perfect, and the pleasures of Easter,. 1901. will be of long remembrance.

A half-mile race at the Adelaide Wheel Race meeting, held last month, was ran under the designation of Whirlwind Flutter. The race was run in heats, and the fastest time recorded was 58sec. in the first heat, L. Oorbett (70yds) bein& first and W. Martin (scr) second.

George- Sutherland, New Zealand's well-known champion rider, who since he won the Christchurch Wheel Race in 1897 has been in the forefront of New Zealand cyclf racing, left by Tuesday morning's south express for Invercargill. en route to Melbourne. Sutherland intends to compete at the big cycle lace meeting to be held in Melbourne at the end of this month. George saj*3 it is very doubtful if he will return to New Znland.

The Massey-Harris "Boys"" Annual Road Race took place on Saturday 30th tilt. O.i good roads and under a scorching sun. The course of 22 miles was from Mosgie^ to Allanton. via Outram, and back, finishing at Mosgiel The result was as follows: —

J. Gordon (I)— Started 3hr 28min 30soc, finished 4hr 32mm 58sec.

J. Hamman — Started 3hr 30rtun, finished 4hr 37rrun 20f^c.

O. Bush— Started 3hr 25sec, finished 4hr 37mm COsec.

C. Pcakc— Started 3hr 31mm 45sec, finished 4hr 38m in.

J. Gordon, who won the Massey "Boys' " Road Race cut out the distance in the smin actual racing time. As Gordon i* practically a novice, his time is a truly big performance. Gordon was too well treated by the handicapper with 13min 30bCC. A. Sangster put up the fastest time with 55see ; he finished in lhr 55sec.

The usual number of spills attended the Mass^y-Harris Read Race on Saturday. Two of the victims were in bed for a day musing their injuries, but are now about egain as usual.

Valdarc. thf> American trick cyclist, informed me that hid most remarkable feat since he could straddle a bike was the riding of one-third of a mile on the hind wheel of a " jigger " in lmin A remarkable performance truly, and one which will take a lot of beating.

Stackwood, Scorcher Jone?, Ernie Wall, Plunkett, Thompson, and Poole are promising cyclists who have gone to fight tho Boors in South Africa.

W. L. Stannard.of Springfield, Mas« . rode 38,869 miles during 1900, an a\erage oi over 106 miles per clay.

During a fix day's race at Boston, a German rider named Karl Kaser. after sustaining n. broken wrist, continued and covered 100 miles in 4hr 27min 21 3-s?ec.

Maran writes that ho will endeavour to establish a five-mile record behind motor pace on the first day of the Adelaide Wheel Race meeting. He has purchased the American motor brought out by Law son. Martin thinks he can cover a mile on the Adelaide Oval track in lmin 30sec. or less.

Duimg an interview this scribe had «ome months ago with Mr Valdaie, the cle\er trick oycliat, he- a«ked : "Have you e\er mot with any serious accident, Mr Tald.ire'" "Nothing more serious than an iniu<^|l apinp. It happened this way. Once in New York I was riding down a 40ft ladder on a cart wheel, when the wheel, instead of turning round, started to slip. However, I managed to keep my balance till i was near the bottom, when over went the show, and I was thrown some 20ft, landing on my back. Luckily, I only sustained, as I said, a slight injury to my spine, which laid me up for about a month. Thrt. I think, was pbout tho worst fpll I e\er had Of course Mrs Valdare and myself have had many falls when practising, bat beyond brui°es ha\e not sustained any s°rious injury. In learning our tricks, one of the most important facts to observe ib to loam to fall mi as not to iccotve injuries 1 1ns piccauliun 'vis no douht saved 111 ofien. I thmk the hardest is getting through

the frame whilst the bike is in motion, on account of the fact of having to avoid tho pedals and to keep the bike in motion. It has been our plan to always u&e bikes, of regulation size, so that in case of a breakdown we could go on with the performance on an ordinary roadster."

A Christchurch telegram states that at a meeting of the Council of the League of New Zealand Wheelmen a letter was read from the New South Wales Cyclists' Union stating that Turnbull and Kershaw would represent the union at the New Zealand League Championship meeting. The New South Wales League wrote insisting on the recognition of its amateur and cash riders. If this were not done, it would retaliate, and see that no. New Zealand riders were allowed to compete m Austialia. Action was deferred.