LEAGUE ATHLETIC RACING

Taranaki Daily News, 26 January 1934, Page 5

LEAGUE ATHLETIC RACING

NEW PLYMOUTH CLUB’S NOTES. CYCLING AND RUNNING EVENTS. The weather was unsatisfactory for this week’s„ New Plymouth Cycling and Athletic League fixture and slow times were recorded. The fields were small and the scratch cycle and the 440 yards running events were not decided. A fair number of spectators was present and some splendid finishes were witnessed. A series of scratch races was commenced this week and will be run every week from now on.

A Grade Cycling. L. Stevens, by winning the three-quar-ter mile and two-mile handicap events, was the most successful rider this week. Stevens has shown much improvement this season and is equal with C. Park at the head of the series aggregate, as well as having a good lead in the B grade scratch race series. B, Berryman rode well in the three-quarter mile, but failed in the two-mile. handicap race. More training is necessary to win distance races. Bert Sole finished well in the distance event, just ahead of Lehrke in second place.

B Grade Cyclists. N. Walker won a double on Monday, annexing both the handicap races, and finishing strongly in both. W. Wood, off scratch, found the handicap too much in the distance race and failed to finish, but in the three-quarter mile race finished second in a keen sprint with Walker. W. Ireland’s turn must come soon. He is rarely unplaced, but seems to lack that little dash which is necessary to win races. C. Pulford was only a wheel behind the winner in the two-mile race, and with a little more experience should have won. Pulford made a mistake when he let Walker lead out for the final sprint. D. Payne was the successful rider in this week’s race, winning in a close finish with D. Fox and L. Smith. D. Fox is leading in the series with seven points from V. Jury, who has scored five to date.

With the Runners. G. Sole scored comfortable wins in both the running events. The 109 yards he won by over a yard, and he breasted the tape about three yards ahead of the second man in the 220 yards. H. Hooke was second in both races, and his performance this week was much improved. Aubrey has started serious training and has not been seen to advantage yet. Fox and Freethy are a well-matched pair, but need to pay more attention to starting practice. Freethy, after breaking twice in the 220 yards, was disqualified, and the start of the 100 yards was little short of a fiasco, as no fewer than four false starts were made before the field was finally dispatched. Making allowances for a different starter than usual, as was the case this week, there is no reason at all why runners should endeavour to beat the gun.

Club News. A cycling carnival is to be held at Cook’s Gardens, Wanganui, on February 3 and the club will be represented by the following competitors: C. Parker, A. W. Ellis, C. Lehrke, B, W. Sole, G. Plucke and possibly C. Tuffery. The wheel race of the evening is worth £lO, and the distance is two miles. Three other professional events are included on the programme, a half-mile, a one-mile and three-mile handicap events. Fines a Lesson.

The fines imposed on the competitors at the. Caledonian meeting should be a lesson to young cyclists. Two riders were punished for cutting the comer flag and passing on the inside of other competitors when there was insufficient room to do so. The rule is quite plain on this point, but it is frequently abused. But for the powers of the referee being altered last year both these offenders would have been disqualified and would have forfeited their prize-money. It may be interesting to quote the rule dealing with the offence: .Rule 69 (c) says: A competitor overtaking another must always pass on the outside of the track unless the competitor overtaken is manifestly riding wide; and he must be a clear machine’s length ahead before taking ground in front of his opponent. The inside man must allow room for his opponent to pass and any competitor guilty of foul or unfair riding shall be disqualified or otherwise punished. Passing on the inside is “a last resort” and is strongly discountenanced. Judges’, decision is final in every competition, and with them rests the power to disqualify any competitor for misconduct or interference. Hints for Young Riders.

The hardest place to win a cycle race from is the limit, provided the limit is a reasonable one. Most riders from this mark lose much ground through not being able to start quickly. A quick, easy start is worth yards in a race. Several riders have a bad habit of standing on their pedals and leaning forward over the handles, which causes their machines to wobble all over, the track, and they will find that it is not until they sit on the saddle and commence to pedal that they get any speed out of their cycle. .Bob Spears, a world’s champion sprint cyclist, never rose from the seat to start, and he had his saddle so adjusted that he could start with a dash without any effort whatever. Willie Spencer, American sprint champion, rose slightly from his seat, but always kept it between his legs and did not lean forward on his handlebars. This great rider, too, could get off the mark in a flash. When training, a good plan for the learner would be to practice getting off the mark with a dash, and attention should also be given to the position of the feet in the pedal clips. The ball of the foot should be central on the pedal when the foot is in correct position. The position of, the point of the saddle compared with the bracket-axle of the machine varies. Some riders claim they can get more speed by riding with the saddle point dead over the bracket-axle, while others contend they are better suited about one inch to one and a half inches behind, which seems to be the most popular position adopted. Road-racing gears are not suitable for the average grass track, and with good grao-c the gears should be somewhere between 80 and 85, w’hile for asphalt path racing about 88 to 94 should be found suitable. The young cyclist should endeavour first of all to adopt a comfortable, easy position on his machine and he will find this is half the battle. If he pedals with ease he will not wobble and cover unnecessary ground, nor will he prove himself a hindrance to others in track races. The chain can be adjusted a little tighter for track racing than for the road.