TARANAKI ROAD RACE

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 17918, 24 October 1932, Page 8

TARANAKI ROAD RACE

GISBORNE EIDER UNLUCK? CRASHED WHEN GOING WELL But for il 1-fortune, the Gisborne cyclist G. Hewson might have figured in the finish of the 100-mile road race conducted fast week by the Taranaki centre of the New Zealand Athletic and Cycling Union, over a course embracing a circuit of Mount Kgmont. Ilewsnn was riding strongly and was drawing up on the group from which the place-getters were eventually drawn, when he was crowded on a turn by a mylur-ear and finished in the ditch with bis machine badly damaged. He was fortunate to escape injury, and but for the damage to bis bicycle, lie could still have continued with a chance of getting into a pla^c. “It. was the worst bit of bad luck imaginable, ’ staled .Mr. C. L. Davy, one of the Gisborne party which accompanied the cyclist on his Taranaki mission, discussing l lie event to-day. Mr. Davy stated that Hewson, starting from a handicap mark of 18min., lost two minutes to the scratch group in the run to Opunake, on the first leg of the journey, but after passing the half-way mark had regained the lost ground and had actually set up a lead of smim, on the handicaps. At tins stage, near Kltham, he had sighted the group from which the place-getters wore eventually drawn, and was riding well within himself. Within sight of the town, he was only about 150yds. behind this group, in which H. Snowden, D. Ayson and F. T. 801 l were included, and judging by the way he was going, would have had no trouble in getting up to them. He had two others with him, both of whom mentioned later that llcwsou would have mid little trouble in shaking them off. The race at this point seemed to be well within the reach of the Gisborne rider, and his supporters were naturally jubilant, as they checked bis progress with stopwatches and were well satisfied that be would easily bold off the scratch men. JAMMED ON A BEND

Jubilation was turned to dismay, however, when they turned a bend on a bill near Eltliam and found Hewson on the roadside, uninjured hut definitely out of the race. They learned that right ®n the bend, a, car which had just passed the group of three had pulled sharply across in front of them, pinching them in on the side of the road and completely taking them by surprise. Hewson was just about clear of the tangle when one of liis riding-mates came across Ids wheel, and capsized him heavily. The wooden wheel broke, and that finished tin; race so far as Hewson was concerned, tlie rules of the event laying it down that riders must finish on the machines they started on. But for the accident, said Mr Davy, (he Gisborne cenlreks representative certainly would have been lull'd to keep out of first place in the race, and probably would have made fastest, time for the 100 miles. Those who accompanied him from Gisborne to Taranaki were completely satisfied on this point, and all had made plans to repeat the journey next year. The conduct of the race was excellent, Mr Davy added, and the display of enthusiasm among the residents of Taranaki was most interesting. Every township passed through was thronged with spectators, most of 'whom were taking note of the times registered bv the various riders for sections of the course. At Eltliam, the group which included the place-getters went through at -.10 p.m. and the scratch men did not reach the town until 2.33 p.m. As Hewson was just on the tail of Snowden, Ayson and Belle, he was in a decidedly favorable position with relation to the back-markers.