fIIfihCYCLING EsraMßr&"l NU ■ La.

Otago Witness, Issue 2533, 1 October 1902, Page 51

fIIfihCYCLING EsraMßr&"l NU ■ La.

BY DEMON-

The officials of the Otago Cycling Cljib aTe'now somewhat easy in their minds, the ceremony of opening the cycling season having been successfully accomplished on Saturday afternoon. From half -past - 2 o'clock riders began to arrive at the Octagon in small batches, and just before 3 a goodly muster was ready for tlxe run. There was a slight delay, and it was not till a quarter past 3 that a start was made, to the accompaniment, it may be remarked, of a passing shower of raift. As the riders .proceeded along town, the numbers were augmented, and by the time tho Octagon was reached on the return from the north end of the city the muster had assumed a good proportion. The destination of the run was St. Clair, and on arrival there the cyclists — some 80 odd — were immediately formed into a group by Mr Sprosen, who took a photo of the wheelens. A number of lady cyclisrs who had joined the procession partook of the Otago Cycling Club's hospitality at afternoon tea, and that part of the afternoon's proceedings passed off very pleasantly. Now that the weather gives promise of being settled the Track Committee will no doubt set about the top dressing of the cycling truck. The work that has already been done was only of a temporary nature, and the committee hope shortly to have the track iv t first-class ordeT. The Otago Cycling' Club are deserving of some praise in endeavouring to revive the custom of an opening parade ofc the oyoling eeason, and, all things considered, they may be well satisfied with the muster last Saturday afternoon. There is a strong- disinclination among cyclists to turn out to an opening run through the city, and no amount of persuasion will induce -these riders te;-overoome their prejudice and-swell the lumbers of riders who do take part. I would suggest that next year, -if the O.C.C.iaW still ready to hold an opening run, 'an K effort be made to unearth some old ordinaries, and haye them ridden alongside the natty maohihe of to-day — by ■way of contrast, and to lend a change to the sameness of watching the present safety wheel go by in the parade. The many cyclists who- now and again ride over the Queen's Drive, Musselburgh, will be pleased to hear that that portion of the drive from Market street to the Ooean Beach Hotel, which has always been rough to ride over, is soon to be made into a smooth surface. The Cycling Track Committee have arranged with the St. Kilda. Borough Council to have the bad part of the drive put into good ridmg order, the Track Comfittee contributing towards the cost of the work, whioh I understand is shortly to be taken in hand. The muster of the fair sex on Saturday afternoon was most creditable, and a word must be said for their punctuality, for while male riders came easily along after 3 o'elsck, I did not notice one lady 'rider arrive late. A Fact.— Quite recently a party of cyclists were walking up the short cut past the abbatoirs to Lookout Point, and one of the number, espying a man walking up the main road ahead, in a spirit of mischief gave a coo-ee. The man, on turning round, could not find anyone calling on him, so he Teaumed his walk. Soon another coo-ec came to his ears, and after further turning round he could not see that anyone wanted him, for the cyclists in the distanoe seemed absorbed among themselves and not wanting him. A little while after the cyclists, having reached the summit of the hill and indulged in a seat, were about to mount, when the farthest back man, who, strangely enough, happened to be the one who Iklcl coo-eed, in the act of mounting, turned round to answer a coo-ec that seemed intended for I him. The cyclist, on looking aiound, saw that there appeared to be no one in sight, except the pedestrian, and lie did not give any sign of wanting anyone. The bicyole [ was again got into position for mounting, and the step reached, when there sounded again a coo-ee. This riled the cyclist, who waited for the pedestrian to come up to him, and on his approach the cyclist asked if he was wanted. "Oh, no!" the pedestrian replied. "You 000-eed on me foT nothing; I'm doing the same on you. It'a all right — take it as a joke. Good morning. lam informed that th« take down was complete, and the neatness of it was a source of intense enjoyment to the other wheelmen, who had waited developments. Such is Fate. — Laat week a wellknown cyclist and J.P. had to sit on the bench in judgment on some cyclists who had been caught riding on footpaths. This week the aforesaid J.P. is to have judgment pronounced upon him, for on Saturday afternoon he was nabbed by a vigilant constable for trespassing on the footpath. I must say that this time my sympathies go out to the trespasser, for the road at the point of trespass Is simply unridable owing to mud and metal, and I myself had longings for the footpath in place of the road. In most places where metal is laid down, a narrow strip is left for cyclists, and there is not then a forced choice of riding over rough metal to the detriment of the tyrea or a diemount and a walk over the metal, or on the footpath. The third alternative of a ride on the footpath hag proved to be too dangerous, and is now looked upon with & very doubtful €ye. «**.NefOfckti«M ox* «9X going QP with

regard to the putting of the road at the back of the racecourse, from the • Racecourse Hotel to St. Clair, into good order for cycling. The Cycling T.rack Committee, recog- 1 nising that this part of a well-used road is sorely in need of improvement, are devoting their energies to the accomplishment of this good work, and I trust that they may be successful in their efforts. The Otago Cycling Club's billiard tournament was concluded last week. The winner proved te be K. Begg (scr), with X Dunne second. Bland Holt in running in Sydney a, lively drama called "Riding to Win," and cycling is a strong element in the play. It had been arranged by the cyclists of the city to have, on Tuesday evening of last week, a, "Cyclists' Night" at the theatre. In the drama itself, Megson, Mutton, Payne, Boidi, New, and Kett, all well-known wheelmen, take a nightly part, and on the "Cyclists' Night", their brother wheelmen in the audience had arranged to take a hand in amusing the public with a programme of their own during the intervals. Two patentees in Adelaide are maleing application for protection for ''improvements in attachments for bicycles, vehicles, and boato for use as a 6 hade and sail, and applicable also for steadying and supporting cycles and for advertising purposes. At the hill-climbing cycling tourna--ment at Ohristchuroh the-jßn«t' heat- wes won by E. Ritchie, beating R. J. v Martin. Time^lmin 30 l-seec. -Some of the contests were exciting. Martin's time was the best, and he secures' the Dunlop Tyre Company's prize for 'the fastest time." E. Ttitehie takes th§' championship medal of Canterbury, and 1 Martin "alao receives a gold jnedaL ■ Frank , who ia with 'Martin in. -America, has writ-ten another Siteresting letter. At the time of writing, August 5, they were at Ottawa, Canada. The following is extraoted : — "Martin and I have raced here three nights, and I wsfs lucky enough to open the ball by winning the biggest handicap of the season (200dol), distance two miles. I also ran third in the three miles handicap, teaming with first and second men, which is allowed here. I also took Fenn in a scratch race, which he won, so altogether I had a good meeting. Martin ran third in the scratch race in record time, after doing a lot of pacing. Martin had a fall training yesterday, but was not severely injured. Ha was working out behind 'Major' Taylor, who did not know that 'Bill" was on his wheel, the result being that Taylor ran out wide, Martin crashing into the fence. I got a great reception when I won. on Friday, on account of being an Australian, and under the same flag as Canada. Some of the same feeling of jealousy exists between Canadians and United States people as with Victoria and New South Wales. . . . Martin and I travelled, close upon 2000 miles last week, following tho circuit. I ran a. second in a half-mile in 553©c. Martin also scored several plaoes. . . . The mile handicaps here' are usually run in lmin 54sec, and -then the scratch men often win. . . . 'Major' Taylor is the fastest rider in America. The riders her* don't him inucb chance, blocking him wherever possible. . . . The. Anierioan championship is run en. different' lines to the -s^niight-out Australian style. A- champion race is held at every meeting, on the circuit, generally l-3rd mild, two taken in beate, same semi-final, four qualifying, for final, whteh is a big draw, every meet. The winner, second, third, and fourth men score .so many points for each final event,' the .rider scoring the highest aggregate number of points during the season winning the title of champion of America. This arrangement is very fair, and popular with the cracks, the best man generally coming out on top. This style of deciding championship honours should be given a trial in Australia; it ia not ap misleading to the public as the series of championships (over separate distances), held in the Commonwealth. Over 20 good riders follow circuit. No professionals in country towns; all amateurs. Paced riders and sprinters follow different circuit; tha> former run matches, tjv« programme being filled up with amateur events. Many of the amateurs make more money than the professionals. They have some fine handicap riders here, W. Fenn being one of the best. He has ridden five miles from scratch in a handicap race, and giving «>way big starts, winning in lOmin 15sec, equal to 2min 3sec a mile. Again, I saw him win a 10 miles handicap (before we left New Yorkfl, in 21min 53 l-sseo. Martin received 160 yds start and ran a fine race, running fourth. Fenn's average pace was a little over 2.11 a mile for the 10 miles. . . . Martin and I leave to-night for Buffalo." ; — — A crack American handicap rider, F. A. M'Farland, has definitely decided to visit Australia this season. Mr M'Farla-nti is the tallest racing ryclist in the United States; being 6ft 4in. high. He is only 25 I years of age. Entries for the Austral Wheel Race close at Melbourne on 25fch October.' I Taken right through, the racing at I Bandigo last Saturday (says "Fortis" in the Australasian of the 20th ult.) was satisfactory, the only incident of any moment being during the running of the fourth heat of the handicap, when L. Corbott and A. C. Forbes were each fined 10s for not taking their share of the pace. C. E. Burton again rod» well, but was out-generalled by the other riders in both event". R. Connell, a New Zealander, is a promising man, finely proportioned, and he performed creditably in his heat of the two miles, and was very prominent all through in the scratch raoe. He lacks experience and judgment. Chalmers is steadily improving, as are Levey and A. E Champness. At the big Railway Picnic sports at Bendigo on Saturday, 13th ult., the Wheel Race, two miles, was won by Ch.almera (New Zealand) from Murphy and Levey. The Five Miles Scratoh resulted — Morgan 1, Walne 2, Walker 3. In the six-hours race at Berlin, Robl cove-red 358 kilometres 544 metres (about 222 miles 1410 yds), and beat the world's record by some 15 miles. The six-hour race for the "Dibble" ' ehleld at the Crystal Palace track on August 4 was witnessed by 30,000 people. G. A. Olley covered 151 miles 1705 yds in. the aix hours, and won by nearly two miles from '< Daymond. ' Bert Andrews is the second Welsh ; rider to attain national (amateur) cham- | pionship honours. He is a product of the | Carmarthen cement track. Three years . ago, when the Carmarthen path was opened, j Andrews took to racing. In this ehort time ' he has captured prizes valued at over £300. ; This season he has done remarkably well, > being "placed" 19 times — 5 firsts, 9 second?, < and 5 thirds, all of which were secured on 1 South Wales tracks (says the Cyclist). Last 1 I Mmoa be 70a 11 handicap*. Naturally be, I j

: and, in fact, all Wales, is proud of Litf- : achievement in securing « national ch&m-t pionship (25 miles N.0.U.), especially con- • i eidering the "quality" of the other contest* : ante. Andrews is 23 years of age, and ha* a bright racing career in store, judging from; , his present success. In addition to cycla ■ racing, Andrews is prominent as a Rugby footballer and a clever cueist. % Sydney Jenkins, of Cardiff, is th« only British rider who scored 1 a win againstf the negro flier, "Major" Taylor, during tha latter's racing season in Europe, says" anf English exchange. Jenkins has talked o£ ' coming to Australia to raoe. During a recent 25-mile motor-paced; match contest at Boston, in which the riders were travelling at a pace equal to lmin' 25sec per mile, one of the competitors had a rtost sensational" fall." The' chain of. his pacing, aiaohine-rbroke, • and, colliding, witA ■the- motor, tKeAi'idgr 'was- thrown *inio the air over the "i'ead of Tiis'near peacemaker. His machine sjijot.'over the fence, \fhile! the- rider slit- and bounded along, the track. Although! but. and", bruised' badly, no .• bones ' were broken,. and""the race,, stopped immediately after .".the -'fall, was ' decided on the following, evening.- ' ~ . " . ' -7— — Almost," since the commencement ■o£ the season ' frequenters of 'Hern© Hill hay^ noticed- each evening a little" woman taking her practice spfns\ quietly, and- coached by - .her husbatid^ Tins' Jady; i* Mrs A. Andrews^ who;' in -the .days -'.when, indoor, path 'racing flourished at Olympiad . held Jier -"own andbng "the mainy fair riders . r who came over- from" la 7b»lle '^ancej • says "Cyclist • (England); HayL ing-,dcrie j3O .well in' her training; 1 and \trials> Mra^Andrewa was^ldviße_d",to try^wHa%^ Shb cqulct do m. tKe* hour ; witk tiindeim-pacing'. "* 'Starting a few 'minutps-b&fore.oV^wMphY'by the way, was a much too *'lata_ hour* -fop record riders, when chill -atmosphere _ and "fading- ligbt -are considered— the" lady "cyclist ~ was sent on her journey, paced by Bert Howard and H. Lee (who will be remembered as "champion of the press", some few years ago). The first "mile, was negotiated! in 2min 18 4-ssec, and averaging a' 2min 28s«e "clip," the fifth mile was clocked ati 12min 20 l-ssec. Between this and the tenth' mile (24-min 52 3-ssec), with a change o£ pacers, Mrs Andrews varied her mile tiniee, slowing and speeding alternately. - Tn# eleventh mile' was- distinctly the fastest of the series, the time panning out -at 2miri 17s6c. After this she was a trifle slow agaiif 4 and the fifteenth mile was recorded at 37minl 34 3-sseo. Twenty miles figured out.ati 49min 35 3-ssec. Considerable, improvements in the pace-wae maintained, in *he. next four", miles, but with only 18seo to complete thei hour, Mrs Andrews' unfortunately touched! Hie back wheel of her pacers and fell, having ridden in the shortened hour 24- miles 280 yds. • i Road-riders in England had * busy time just of late. The best performance is undoubtedly R. "W. W. Knipe's 409* mijes in the' Ahfield 24-hour race. ■ In 12 hours Knipe rode 217£ miles, ' beating, Northern, record by three miles and a quarter, whilst his full distance beat Northern record by, no less, than 24 miles and a-qumter. Knip« is the first rider to cover over 400 miles in the" day on .a Northern. ..qouTse.. ■;....„_ - :<PhtepieoJ9 de resfsUnoe.atthe.Buffala . ■yolodrome-on'j^ußu' 8 * 3 .w^a a 100-kilometrja- n paced ■ r»oe r between ; the ,- old' rivals^ Lintoti, and *pujtouisi w^th.Ev a;«ylor r thrbwririn^ make the third competitor... 1 The race wa». . full of inoiderite, Boqhour«;and r ; ing in turn,' but Linton's-bad) luok;<loggea feim one© .again. »fe-*; oritro^!; mpment-^-yitiv five, kilometreß from the fipiah, y.wheiv.he. wap. leading by two laps, his-^pkeer's ,back L tyrp giving out, -and thus coating -him the raoe. I/inton, however, brok« the 50-miles world's record, doing the distance in, lhr 9min 2/ 2-ssec. * • '■'-.': . At Cologne on August 3, EUejraardi again proved his superiority oyer the European cracks by winning thriee-in succession. The management decided that' the three qualified men in the final should ride three races (sprint), and the one returning fewest points to be deolared the winner. Tne places were filled' a« follows:— Match. .'l~Ellegaard 1, Riitt 2, Momo-,3. - Won bar half a length. Match '2— Ellegaard 1, Ruttt , 2, Momo 3. Momo sprinted first, theu, v ßutt attacked him. but the Dane, with' a fin© turn of speed, oame at the right moment and woii by a wheel. Match 3— Ellegaard 1,, Rutfc 2, Momo 3. Ellegaard won' sonfowhatf easily, and was accorded a fine reception. • The single motor oycle has made great strides in America, and some fine performances are frequently reported./ The' latesta 1 * is to the oredit of A. Hansen, who covered 1000 miles on the road in 72hr 26min 50seo, including stoppages. Actual .riding time was 54hr 59min 30seo. The American correspondent of Bicycling News reviews the -trade in this style :-r-"Busmess..ia motor. »arriages.is on the .increase, and. the demand is now reported to be particularly- brisk: for light oarriages of .all -kind* as a resulb of -comparatively repent reductions in price-r^ in steam and gasoline, machines to 650d0l- ia some instances, and in electric, road waggpna to 850dol— and the trade in these is expected! to continue active. The light, road waggons —usually spoken of in the United States as "runabouts" — are especially attrafetlve owing to their small initial cost, and the moderate; expense at which they can be maintained and run. =" The larger machines seem to be in demand chiefly for racing purposes, and a number of these have been imported from France at an average price of 8000dol, although prices have in some instances run aa^ . high as 14,000d0l and 25,000d01. So far as racing ifl concerned, the large French machines occupy the leading position in the very high horse-power class, but to the I casual observel these expensive automobiles do not present any distinguishable, difference to the American models of similar type costj ing from 1800dol to 3000dol. One striking I feature of the increased use of motor ; vehicles is their adaptability for industrial I purposes, and several automobile manufacturers are planning to devote all their attention to these industrial vehioles. At the 1 present time there are five heavy electric trucks in use by a Now York brewing company, and two of these have a carrying capacity of five tons each, while the otherf: are of throe tons capacity. A dozen Ojj more electric 'buses that have been in service in New York for several months pasb appear to have proved satisfactory," and the company which owns them is now testinjt two new ones, to hold 42 passeng^rs&each." A motor race decided in Belgium a< few weeks 'ago, won by C. Jarrott, an Englishman, on a French ear, was contested!" over a circular course 50 miles in length.-^ The total distance of the competition was 321 miles, and was covered by the winner inrj 353m in. The cars were started at intervnlft-t of 2min, and as Jarrott started 32nd, he had>! to pass 31 others, some of which were over« ( taken more than once. He had some thrill-* ing hairbreadth escapes, chiefly is regard Mi

Anting iharp corners, or running into the ' •Host-cloud of other motors without being |&)e to se* the cam The pace at times was -terrific, a speed of 70 miles being attained ;where the road allowed of it. Average time per mile throughout wa» lmin 6sec t. —Is many parts of Italy railways are Scarce, and the poat-coaoh is still the sole foedium of communication with, the world, ffo improve these conditions the Post and Department is about to introduce tootor-car services, and by way of beginning k concession has been granted to the Italian - company, L' Automobile, for an experimental *ernce of a year's duration. It i» intended to work every line with eight motors, each »f »bontr 35-norse power, which will have » /speed of 10 to 13 miles per hour, and * tarrying capacity of 24 passengers with laggrffce per oar. i ■ The Mayor of New York haf made a Record motor-car ride through a quarter of a' )nile of the comj/leted part of th© big Bay Ridge sewer. This sewer is, of course, the largest in the world. Entrance was effected /to it through a great hole in the street. £fwo racing autocars were lowered by means of 'a derrick,, while the mayor, comptroller, [and the Commissioner of Public Works scrambled down on ladders. The brick tube jras Righted by a row of thick candles on cither side. It is about lSft in diameter, _»nd perfectly cylindrical. For 1200 ft the party spun along at top speed, and' then dashed back in equally fine style. ' At St. Germain, .near Paris, oil wa* [»imnklfldr<nrer l iiie dusty Toad, which ,1b much tied by cyclist*. The oil proved very effec--;tive Jn keeping the dust- .down, anct further ■:: experiments will be made with it. 1. There is quite a rush of lady inven--.*ors to the Patent Office in Paris just now. Airs Blackwood, an American, has applied 3or a patent for "an automobile grass-cutter "for lawns," etc." A New York paper has the following ito say m'figaxding the redoubtable Bill Martin :— j I "I want to win that big Australian handiveKp," 'TMf" was wont to say. It was part i of his life, thia thought of some day succeed- i ing to an honour in the far-off island to j ..which many English cycle-racers had tra- i veiled many times to be disappointed. One day a ship .sailed, and "Bill" with it. That mi'wven jeans ago last winter. He •mm on his way to Australia. He did not | mm th« Austral raoe. He came back to j {America, butterly disappointed: They could { mot •tump "Pltigger BUI." He wa» game. •Be went back the next year, and again was *e»ten. TH h»Jv« Hyet," «aid "Plugg« BilL" - -*Tlugger Bill" persevered- Six y«ars ft* entered for the great raoe, the one athletic «vent in all Australia that brings out the 'greatest syble-Tacers inth« country. For %he yean be was beaten. Last winter he 'entered for the seventh time. The odds , Wainst him were 7to 1. He had xnved SOOOdol by careful financing. He wagered '*y*ry cent he had in the work! on himself, Ifeijd drew down 40,000d0l w&en. he won it. ' 4' To-dajr, ~at 42 years of age, he is riding . %v& racee In tw& about New York. :y : ir ij| ,-JKv* Y«k,«§auy sa«s that Martin $tas aeon the modern small and sfceepijrrs»nkeci oysl tracks, and ha* been won over ~ .o tfcem. He h*s had * t«dk with "Jack" '- ?rinoei tne.~.tetenui. /»oei, and more lately M mieoessful '^tournament promoter, and fas ■ itaieß, that, nothing will now stop Prince ■ Toni making a. trip to Australia. Martin ' i Vjf " pphuon that motor-paced racing would 1 Inpr a 'gate of 30,000 in Melbourne' arid ' Sydney. H« ft. anxious to have Prinoe return with him in September and build one if these small tracks in Melbourne and Bydwy «t once, in order that American riders . may* start for the- antipodes and have a track 'Completed for them when they arrive on "4)eeember 1. , ": To those who suffer any annoyance Etoo freely perspiring hands while rldthe following method of treating them obviate it. A Frenchman advises that after washing the bands quite clean, and rinoing them in cold water to get rid of ail graces of soap, they should be rubbed with m piece of alum as though the rider were ifcgain soaping them. This should: be rejpeated once or twice in the course of a long nay's ride, and it will largely prevent the 'discomfort. Handletips of various materials 4utre been tried to obviate the trouble, felt ¥ei»f the most absorbent, but even this becomes hard after continued use.