CYCLING.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13890, 29 April 1909, Page 6

CYCLING.

CHRISTCHURCH TO TIMARU. • -ANOTHER RJSCORD. Yesterday Jack Arnst rode from. Christchureh to Timaru, with the "object of attempting to lower the record on a bicycle for this distance, and in this he was successful. He left Christ-' church at 12.10 p.m., and arrived here at 5 p.m., his actual riding time, therefore being 4 hours 50 minutes. This beats his previous record by 21 mimites. Arnst was paced by two motorcycles all the way down. He did not meet with a single mishap of any sort on the journey, but he only had a favourable wind as far as Ashburton. The roads, he says, were not in such good condition as when he rode through from Christchureh to Dunedin. being rutty in places. He was suffering slightly from a cold, but not to any serious extent. He went '* eyes out "'the whole way, and only took one hour t<» cover the distance between Geraldinc and Timaru DETAILS OF THE JOURNEY.

"When J. Arnst made his record ride from Christchurch. to Dunechn a fortnight ago, he made a new record for Christchurch to Timaru, reducing Hunim's time by 44 minutes. Not satisned witli tins lie determined to make an attempt to reduce his own record before leaving New Zealand for the Old World jind. America, where he too will take on rowing with his brother, Dick, the present world's sculling champion. He is to leave Christchurch for Wanganui in a day or two to assist Dick in preparing for a second contest with Webb. It' was his intention to have made the ride on Tuesday, but he was delayed at Akaroa and came back thence in the little Cygnet by night, and had a. very bad passage, taking 7 horn's instead of the usual 3i hours. This was not a good preliminary to a record-breaking ride. However, the conditions accrued so favourable at Christchurch yesterday morning, that a few minutes notice he determined to make the effort, and, the necessary arrangements were hurriedly made. A large crowd assembled at the Christchurch post office wondering what the preparations meant —two motor cycles ridden by W. Hendry and P. liraggins, and a motor ear in which were Messrs J. Bell and E. H. James (of the Dunlop Company), and J. Arnst in riding costume. The motors were sent on half a minute ahead of time to get clear of the traffic in town. Arnst started at 12.10, and overtook the pacers at the hospital, and these at once made the pace a cracker, and kept it up, as the following mileages and times show: — Biccarton (4 miles) 12.19, Hornby (7) 12.26.30), Eolleston (14) 12.44, Selwvn 1.4, Dunsandel (25) 1.11. Bankside (3]) 1.27, Eakaia (36) 1.37, Ashburton (53) 2.19. On leaving Ashburton the usual route -da Maronan was exchanged for a somewhat longer one via Hinds. Bangitata traffic bridge (79 miles) was reached at 3.30. A stop of 6 minutes was made here for refreshments. Geraldine (89 miles) was reached at 4.3, Winchester at 4.20. Temuka (100) at 4.30, and Melville Hill. Timaru (112) at 5 p.m. A considerable crowd assembled there received the recordbreaker with applause and cheers. Bad road was met with between Bollcstou and Selwyn, a clay formation, much cut up by dray traffic; and again between Hinds and Bangitata a clay road cut up by sheep and then baked hard made roiifrh riding, and a slightly adverse wind was also met with on tliis section.' The bost road on the whole journey was that from Bangitata to Timaru. The rider averaged throughout 23 l-6th miles an hour, and the occupants of the motor car timed some miles at" the. rate of over 30 miles an hour. He rode a Bell cycle with Dunlop-road-racing tvres. and had no mishap on the way. The rider thus added another to his laurels. He had already a world's record to his credit in the preat Australian road race, and yesterday he left a fetandard for 112 miles which will prob-