FIGHT AGAINST SLEEP

Southland Times, Issue 22489, 25 January 1935, Page 7

FIGHT AGAINST SLEEP

CANTERBURY CYCLIST’S TOUR. SATISFACTORY PERFORMANCE. (Per United Press Association.) Wellington, January 24. A fight against sleep was waged by the Canterbury cyclist, Mr L. G. Lukey, on his four days’ ride, over 924 miles, from Wellington to Auckland and return. He completed the journey at 7.46 p.m. yesterday. He left Wellington at 6.10 p.m. o’clock on Saturday evening, arrived at Auckland at 3.20 p.m. on Monday, and left there an hour later on the return journey. Though satisfied with his performance under the conditions, Mr Lukey stated that he felt with thorough organization and a car to accompany him he could cut down the time considerably. He would be able to have sleep when he wanted it. The worst period so far as he was concerned was between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m. If he could get a couple of hours of sleep, then he would be fresh at daylight. Riding alone, however, he could not go into a boarding house at that hour of the morning for a two hours’ sleep. Apart altogether from the question of sleep, if the winds had not been so bad he would have been able to accomplish the trip in quicker time. He also lost time on a bad stretch of road between Awakino and Te Kuiti. He took about three hours on the return over this stretch.