TIMARU TO CHRISTCHURCH ROAD RACE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2686, 6 September 1905, Page 60

TIMARU TO CHRISTCHURCH ROAD RACE.

The Dunlop Tyre Company's road race was- run on Saturday from Timaru to Christen urck, a distance of 112 miles, in drenching rain and alon& muddy roads, and was finished on the Metropolitan Trotling Club's grounds in the presence ot a large and deeply-interested gathering. Amongst oyel'ste and ' sportsmen generally it had been discussed for weeks, and the actual riding of the race was looked forward to by many people who were t-ot cyclists, but who caught the contagion of the enthusiasm that prevailed. The . limit njen left Timaru at 9.45 a.m., and the winner, P. M. O'Connor, of Crioklewood, South Canterbury, who covered himself with glory as well as mud, arrived at the winning pest at 47 minutes -past 4 p.m. -' Ore hundred and Feventy-one riders left their marks afc Timaru in drenching rain. Oil account of •the weather, it had been 'thought ifc.would be unnecessary to rope off 'the starting place; but, contrary to the official, opiaion, the streets were lined, and it is estimated that there were 20GQ people present. The road, however, was kopt clear, thanks to a posse of police, and the Tcindnes* of the Mayor of Timaru, who sent down about « dozen of the Borough Council's men under the charge of the overseer. A large smithy was secured for shelter for the men; and here all assembled until they were required on their mark's. The officials, under the charge of Mr H. Amos, worked -well, and not a hitch occurred in the ar raogenients, although ihe original arrangements had to be altered at the last moment. The largest group of men to leave were the 30 minutes lot. These, to the number o-f 59, left in seven ranks, and all got s.v&y safely. Several other groups contained between 20 and 30 riders ; but, notwithstanding this, there, was not one spill i recorded. The riders were cautioned by i the starter to talc© things easy until they -were able to "trail," and the competitors •obeyed the injunction to the letter. j When news came through to Christchurch from Geraldine it was found that rain had .fallen heavily at that place, and'isnat the Waihi River was overflowing the road near Winchester. Two -reeks between Win- . Chester and Geraldine provided some chains' of water for the competitors to cross. The roads were not very muddy, considering the amount of rain that had fallen. The first competitor arrived at Geraldiue a* 10.59 a.m. J. Arnst arrived 38 minutes ;later. The riders were covered with mud from head to foot, and there was a difficulty in deciphering the numbers. J. Arnst was cheered on passing. M'Clintock, Curtis, O'Connor, Saundi&rs, M'Gee, Blackmail, Scott, awd Butterfield ■were' the first -to arrive, and they came in at il a.m. Others passed through at different times up to 11.40. AT ASHBURTON". Despite the pouring rain, large crowds lined East street, Ashburton. P. M. O'Connor was the first to make his appearance, »t 1.10 p.m., and J. Ariiist passed 1 through at 2.7 p.m., going fairly strong. A num_ber of competitor arrived at 3.8 p.m., but retired, and several went on by the express. Following are the times of arrival of the principal competitors: — P. M. O'Connor, CrJcklewood (45min), 1.10 p.m. ; G. Oarr, Makiki (42min), 1.20 p.m.; P. Watson, (50min), -1.20 p.m. ; W. A. Bennett, Highbank (45min), 1.50 p.m. ; C. F. Baker. Ashburton (12min), 1.52 p.m. ; PL Henderson, Palmerston North (snr>n), 1.55 p.m. ; P. Jones, Mount Somers (30min), 2 p.m. ; 0. G. Smith,' Hastings, last year's winner (2min), 2 p.m. ; J. Arnst, Tima.ru (sex), 2.7 p.m. ; H. P. Arnst, Ashburton (3min), 2.10 p.m. AT DUNSAJNDEL. The weather at Dunsandei v.as very inclement; and sheets of water lay on the roads. The first riders were, expected to arrive about 2 o'clock, but word was received shortly after 1 that the Hinds was in flood, and that th© men had to make a detour by the bridge. O'Connor was sig.nailed before 3 o'clock, and passed exactly at that hour. He was rafher travel-stained, ■.but sfemedl wonderfully fresh, and was /travelling at a sound pace. Fifteen minutes elapsed before there were amy indications of otiher riders, and then Carr and Humm passed, Humm seeming to have more lifein him. G. Smith (Rieoarton) followed, with Parker and Bell, together, two minutes later. Stevens (Xhinsandel) arrived five minutes later,"" and received an ovation, but h<? was apparently "done." "Watson md Curtm followed 1 soon afterwards, pursued by Langford, and Walsh, Bennett, and But fcerfLeld were bunched 'a minute later. Cross was the first rider to fall out At Dunsandei, but other deserters then became frequent. JTeilson passed, going strongly, with Mehrtens and Lloyd 1 bringing tip the rear. Galletly and Rennie worn past by 3.45, and then the procession became slower, and many riders retired to catch the express, due at Dunsandei at 4.15. Dunsamdel was a "ticket" station, and a large red flag gave notice of this to the competitors, wjo were expected to hand in tickets revealing their identity as they passed. The tickets in most cases, however, had been lost, and' the number of each rirter was shouted by him as he went by. The Selwyn looked very uninviting, and 1 was rising rapidly and assuming a very muddy hue. so the riders "walked the plank" over ttfe railway bridge. The first express from Dunedin was conveying many of the riders to Christchurch, and as they passed their erstwhile fellow competitors on the road alongside the railway track, shouts of encouragement were hurled from the carriages. Altogether 31 riders passed through Dtuisandel up till 4 o'clock. AT THE ASYLUM. By 4- o'clock a <*ood crowd had assembled : in Lincoln road between the show grounds J and the asylum. Vehicles clustered at tLe oorner by the river, and people waited, with keen interest, for the finale. At 4.35 some small boys scamtvered into sight from the j bend in the Lincoln-Ricoarton Junction road, and then two or three horsemen galloped furiously towards the spectators. A mounted constable rushed up. "Give them a chance." he cried, and his words war© followed by a shout of "Here the,y_

come!" O'Connor pedalled in slowly, but not tirerlly. He was conscious that he was an easy winner. Be did not appear to be fatigued. He stesred his machine coolly through the mud, feeling that victory was assured. Faint echoes of cheers a long way up Lincoln road were the first intimation the watchers at the racecourse received that the leader was actually nearing the end of hi-* long, toilsome, and wearisome journey. The echoes of cheers from Lincoln road soon became more distinct. Then they wore taken up by the crowds that lined the approaches to the gates, and shortly after that a mudbespattered rider slowly and laboriously came along the grass lawn to the entrance to the course. From head to foot he was encased in an armour of mud. His features were quite unrecognisable. He might have been any one of the 170 who started. The mud, however, had not obliterated the figures on his back, and "217" showed plainly enough as the rider entered the track, and it was then known that O'Connor had scored a noted victory. There was a stipulation that competitors should go once round the course, which was in a very bad condition for cycling. He rode for a short distance on the track, through heavy mud, and then gave it up, and, getting off his machine, carried it along on the side of the track, i He walked all round the track, with his machine, sometimes carying it on his shoul- j ders, and sometimes pushing it along. When he neared the winning-post he seemed to be utterly spent. No sooner had he passed | the post than his machine was taken from his hand?, and he was raised shoulder high above the crowd. In response to the hearty cheers he languidly raised his hand and lifted his cap. The caked mud on his face cracked as he smiled a tired, muddy smile. He was hurried into the dressing room, but emerged soon after, and was taken quickly away in a motor car.

O'CONNOR CONGRATULATED BY i SIR JOSEPH WARD.

Sir Joseph Ward announced O'Connor's victory from the stewards'' stand. "I have very much pleasure." he said, "in announcing that P. M. O'Connor, No. 217 on the programme, has come in first in this road race.—(Cheers.) The time occupied is 6hr 47min to thegate. On your behalf and also on behalf of myself, I desire to convey warm congratulations to O'Connor for the feat he has performed and the meritorious work he has done on a day such as this is. It is a feat in itself. I think I am right in tendering to O'Connor the warm appreciation of cyclists throughout the whole colony upon tha splendid time he has rout up. — (Cheers). I hope that he may go on winning road races in New Zealand, and still more in other countries."—(Cheers.) Sir Joseph Ward called for three cheers for the winner, and they were given heartily. Cheers were also given for Sir Joseph."

OTHER RIDERS. !

Considerable time elapsed after O'Connor's a£nva4 r before anything else happened, and then Humm came along, and shortly after him Bel], and later on the others. In several instances -there were comparatively close finishes, and the progress round the muddy course was watched with great interest. The order or arrival would have been altered in some cases had not a stipulation been made that competitors should go round the course as some were beaten on the track by those who reached it shortly after them.

THE ORDER OF ARRIVAL.

«fTl € i oll°Ti n? as, the order oi arrival of the first 18 to finishTime | of arrival. ' Name- h. m. b. P. M. O'Connor (Cricklewood), 45min , 4 47 o A. Humm (Spreydon), 35rain [', 5 12 9 F. H. Bell (Fairlie), 42min .. .. 515 1 <J. Smith (Riccarton), 50min .. 5 05 13 W. A. Bennett (Highbank), 45min.. 5 27 25 <*. N Langford (Temuka), 42min .. 5 37 43 O. A'lelson (Dannevirke), 23rnin .. 5 29 18 C.H Butterfield (St. Albans), 50mm 5 34 56 il. .Lloyd (Wanganui), 23niin .. 5 36 25 H. Henderson (Palmers/ton Keith), sruin .. .. .. .m) .» 5 37 51 P. Watson (Papanui) 50rnin" „ 539 51 W. Walsh (Papanui), 30min „ 5 40 14 A. Birch (Fendalton), 35miri .. 5 46 46 W. Rennie (Invercargill), 23miB .. 5 49 16 R. Jones (Napier), 17min .. .. 553 20 H. E. Mehrtens (Spreydon), 25min 5 53 36 G-. Carr (Makikihi), 42min .. .. 5 55 25 B. Prestney (Rangiora), 30min ..6 0 10 The following are the next in order- A Dunn, A. Parker, J. Walsh, A. H. Fitzgerald, G-. King, and E. J. M'ackay. At about 6.20 these riders reported others on the road, still riding hard for Christchurch. Altogether | about 40 of those who started came in to Christchurch.

THE FASTEST TIMES.

The following table shows the times recorded by the 25 fastest competitors: — ._ Riding Name. Time.

P. M. O'Connor, H. Henderson. A. Humm, 0. Neiteon, F. H. Bell, and H. Lloyd will therefore represent New Zealand in th-e Goulburn to Sydney and the Warrnambool to Melbourne races. THE PRIZE-WINNERS. The following is a list of the prizes and the- winners : — Fiist Prize — Bohn piano, model 4, valued 55gs, presented by, the Dresden Piano Corn.pany. — P. M. O'Connor. Second Prize — Bell cycle, presented "by Messrs Bell Bros., and £A 3s by Mr A. Wildey. ! — A. Humm. Tlarcl Prize — Silent Fly-cr patent short wheel base cycle— P. B. Bell. Royal Swift cycle, presented by the Adams Star Cycle Company, for the fastest competitor receiving half the. limit handicap or over,

and who does not win any other cycle.—P. M. O'Connor. Massey, Harris cycle, presented by Messrs Magnus, Sandeison and Co., to the fastest unplaced competitor who does not win either first, second, third, or fourth, or any special puze.—W. Walsh. Fifteen guineas will be given for the second fastest time, £15 15s for third fastest time, £15 15s for foiuth fastest time, £15 15s for fifth fastest time. £15 15s for sixth fastest time.

, PREVIOUS RECORDS.

The following are the records of winners of the Dunlop Timaru to Christchurch race: — Riding Time. Year. h. m. s. 1899 (28 starters-)—G. Metcalfe (Geraldine), 49min .. .. 7 40 45 1902 (8 starteis)—A. Ralston. (Dunedin), scr 7 15 0 1903 (49 starters) —S. Barrow (Feildiugi 25min .. .. 7 34 30 1904 (112 starters)—C. G. Smith (Hastings), 20niin .. .. 6 19 2 1935 (171 starters)—P. M. O'Connor (Cricklewood), 45rniii .. 6 57 0 In 1901 the Test Race was from Iticcarton to Leeston and back, when 13 riders started in a scratch event, A. Ralston winning.

I SOMETHING ABOUT THE I WINNERS.

P. O'Connor, the winner, is 22 years of age. He has raced on the track with a fair amount of success ac a handicap rider during the past five years, but this is his first win in a road race. He stands sft lOin, and weighs 13st. A. Humm, who rode exceedingly well for his second place, is a resident of Spreydon, and is only 22 years of age. As a rider, he has not had any great experience of racing, his only previous performances having been in small events. His experience of the race was not altogethet a happy one, for he wa? able to eat only a very little of the food provided, and arrived very hungry. He said that .he Hinds River was not very difficult, but he just escaped an accident there, the man in front of him turning a somersault into the water. Humm, however, was more fortunate. He covered a very great part of the journey alone, but arrived 1 very well and fresh, beating Bell in the last effort on the trotting track. F. B. Belll, who finished third, haiis from Fairlie, and is 26 years of age. He had started in road races only three times previously, all at Fairlie, and was twice placed second, once secured the fastest time and once the second fastest time. Those races were over much shorter courses than that he tried on Saturday. He was somewhat distressed at the finish, but quickly revived under the influence of a cup of tea and a sandwich. He exphiilied that he had had only a banana &3id a sandwich since leaving Timaru. He had done little training for the race, but had had some good rides with the winner, O'Connor, who hails from the same district. He had two bad falls when bearing tlm Rangitata, and those wfao had started from the same mark were .able to get away from him. He passed them one ■ by one, pacing himself, and was third at ; Templeton. A hundred yards from the trotting ground gate, he- headed Humm, but could not last long enough to beat hip. Th.c excellent i>erforrnance of Humm is a tribute to the efficacy of a consistent course of physical culture. Humm weighs Bst 101b, J>ut he has had a couple of years under Mr Hornibrook, and is splendidly developed. Last year ho secured the prize for the bestdeveloped pupil under Ssfc in Mr Hornibrook's classes.

ARNST'S RIDE.

The best-known and most anxiouslyexpected of the 171 competitors was the exchampion and world's record holder. J. Arnst. Hies name was loudly proclaimed by the crowd at the finishing post as each successive rider appeared, but the last of the officials had left the. ground before he reached the end of his journey. There was great disappointment at his failure to appear, and many rumours were circulated regarding him. Probably most of the spectators went home secure in the belief that he had received an injury. But the rumours were all groundless, and in the dark, at about half-past 6, Arnst pedalled through the slush 4o the gate of the trotting ground. His time for the journey was as nearly aa possiMo eight hours, much slower than the best performance standing in his name. When asked on Saturday evening what had -happened, he cheerfully replied, "Oh, nothing-; I finished about half-past 6." Pressed for a i-eason for his non-appeai*anee among the prize-winners, he said, "Well, the roads heat me: they were .oo heavy. I went all right till I got to the Rangitata, but from there to Ashburton I could make little headway. I had narrow tyres, which cut into the soft road, and Smith, whom I had passed much earlier, cauprht me and dropped me easily long before I got to Ashburton." It was the dreaded Maronan road that "settled his chance," as the rider put it. "I would rather ride it twic© in the snow, as it was two years ago, than once as it was to-day," he said. It was in the snow and slush that Arnst accomplished his wonderful ride in. 1903, and he assured a reporter that he felt just ?j well on Saturday as he had done in formrr years His own idea is that the track-ridingf he has done since he fir^t became prominent as a road-rider has" affected his pushing powers. The smoke concert organised by the Christrhuroh Cycling and Motor Club in honour of the road race was in keeping with the race itself, in that "the entry" must have been a record one. The Canterbury Hall, laa-ero as it is, only iust sufficed to hold the multitude of competitors, cyclists, and others that assembled to honour the riders in the great race, and to emphaske the claim of the cvolists to ask for good roads. The Mayor_ (Mr C. M. Gray) was in the chair, and Sir Joseph Ward was present.— Lyttelton Times.

P. M. O'Connor (Orickkwood EL Henderson (Palinerston IST.) k. Hutnni (Spreydoa) .. 0. ISleilson (Daniievirke) .. F. H. Bell (Fairlie) .. 5. Lloyd (Wangamii) .. 6. N. Langford (Teuraka) .. W. Walsh (Papanui) .. R. Jones (Napier) .. „ W. Rennie (Inveroat«»ill) ..■ W. A. Bennett (Highbank) ,„ Gi-. Smith (Kiccarf on) . . . . H. G. Mehrtens (Spreydod).. k. Birch (Fendalton) .. C. H. Bu+terfield (St. Albans) P. "Walsion. (Papnami) *, B. Prestney (Rangiora) , % G-. Carr (Makikihi) .. .. T. Dunn (Temuka) .., T. Walsh (St. Albans) .., E. J. M'Kay (Auckland) T. Christie (Dunedni) .. A.. Parker (Hornby) .. G-. King (Papa,nui) .. #. k. Anderson (Teddington) .. a. m. s. -.. 6 57 1 ..7 7 51 .. 7 12 9 .. 7 17 18 .. 7 22 1 .. 7 24 25 .. 7 34 43 .. 7 35 14 | .. 7 35 20 | .. 7 37 10 I .. 7 37 25 ». 7 40 13 :.. 7 43 36 ... 7 46 43 „ 7 49 56 I .<. 7 54 51 « 7 55 10 ' „8 2 25 ..8 9 30 .. 8 13 0 .f 8 14 0 ■». 8 14 0 .. 8 26 0 ... 8 4C 0 „ 8 41 0