FOR THE SPORT'S SAKE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 8120, 20 September 1904, Page 1

FOR THE SPORT'S SAKE.

(By "FO'RTIS," in th© "Australasian.") At the conclusion oi the big rond face from* Wa-rrnambooi, a gentleman prominent in trade •jvj-cles reniaiked to me i.hat every man who finished -was worthy of a prize — a, bicycle, -touting less." 'No one could deairs or conceive, ho. further observed, oi any greaier sen-denial and sacrifice than theae men exixbited for the epo-ri ,they follo-vr; -the e-.e-aieit credit' is due to tbem. -and the i-cad-racing branch of cycling i-s the better for the bravo diswlay they made, and the excellent results achieved in this, the championship of AusiTO'iasia. The gentleman referred to lias travelled a great deal, and stated that not even in • France is there a race in -which the trite merits of the men as athletes, individually, ara so faithfully displayed an.d in which tha victory * goes to ihe- man -who* eltow. some marked superiority of form, quite irrbspective. of his handicap. Those of- us who have followed this phase of 'the sport closely recognise that, espec-iaJly when Iha roada are slippery and heavy, the element of chance or luck is no-i at all absent. Still, it must ba admitted tha*t the indifferent riders are those who suffer most, or, -perhaps, more readily succumb should anything in the shape of a, mishap befall them. Cliquisn. and trade influences have to a- large* extent been negatived by the conditions which govern the Tace, and herein aro .the rights and privileges of the -outside and unknown rider fully conserved. One ■of tho wisest of these conditions is that the same machine shall be used throughout th* race, and this not merely place-s every rider on art equal footing so far •as his mount is concerned, but it materially reduces lihe risk from accident— breakages, punctures, etc.— which were very common when very light wheels and tyres were utilised, but which a change of machine en route overcame. , The outside rider is also on. an equality with the crack in regard to pacing, for this is only allowed among competitors, while the faot of the race* being a handicap gives every man at least a reasonable chance of winning. The acores of men who enter and compete can scarcely be attracted by the richness of the prizes, the total value of . which aggregates but £165, distributed over eleven places. Therefore it may be deduced that the road-racers have a, strong and abiding enthusiasm in the sport, and although come of the prizes are in cash, the spirit of amateurism (which is better than the name) ia not only most pronounced, but ia uppermost, and can no more be tarnished than th* sunshine. ' The promoters of this race have been frequently approached regarding the value of the prizes — the first prize particularly— and it has been represented to them that £50, or even £100, would be moro commensurate. But I hold with the Dunlop Company that it is not like value of the prizes thai the men «" invited to race for. While it is recognised tbat something should be given 'them to mark tne occasion, the object of the company is to inculcate and cultivate the true ■porting instinct in the cyclists, and not' altogether tor them to think as to what they may be able to get out of it as to question themselves^as to what thoy can do for its good. And, ■ tnw spirit was, and is, present in the men; anyone observant could tell, if in touch with tne riders at Warrnambool on the day previous to the race, that their heart and soul were in the event, and, to a man, they aided those in charge of the arrangements in a quiet, effective way that onsured success from tne outset. , . .. Touching again upon the value me prizes it has been argued by some not wnoily disinterested persons, that the comparative smallness of the money (£3O first prize), does not attract -the best class of competitors. That, however, is not the object of the promoters. The aim is to draw out new men, to infuse new blood into the sport, and tmis to retain the interest of the sporting P« & » c - In a race of this description one never knows what the result will be. A large proportion of the men are unaware of their °*n capabilities in an event of this description, let none the handicapper, and, therefore, surprises are frequent. That the aims and objects ot xne race have so far been attained is obvious, no event in the cycling world, not even omitting the Austral, attracts »o much attentioxi, i»fuses such life into the trade, and the sport. Since the Dunlop pe°pl« *""}**" took the management of the raoe th»»™: ber of competitors has gradually increasea, white the actual result* have , brought out hitherto unknown men. The Arost wotww, unearthed in the test races in Now 2|* Jan P; are- considered to be equal, if not ■ W«"*' ™ any road racers in the world, whilst J^ere are also Chappell, Nioa, Wright. L««»»J?' Henderson, Vonarx, Auger and" •»'« ri £ i o "™_ § whose strongest point* eeem to be m row- i racing. ; ■ ■ \