ATHLETIC.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 8808, 21 December 1906, Page 1

ATHLETIC.

NOTES. (By SPRINTER.) . The Auckland Centre of the New Zealand League of Wheelmen is having eonw life put into it (writes "Lynx" in the "New Zealand Herald "), and cycling should show a revival here before many months are past. The Auckland Cycling Club and Amateur Athletic and Cycle Club have affiliated, and it behoves the Onehunga Cycle Club to do likewise and so assist in pushing cycling onward in Auckland, < To these who tell us that cycling is on the wane tihe following figures of the Dunlop Company's output of tyres will be sufficient answer :— --The output of the big' rubber company has jumped from 100,000 tyres per annum in 1899 to over 200,000 at the present day. This .means a sale of close upon 5000 a week, or 20,000 per month in Australasia. Melbourne " Age," dealing witb this year's Ausfaral, says: — "The military display swelled the attendance of cycling enthusiasts on Saturday night to about 7000, despite the cold and unsettled condition of the weather. A big come-down for the mighty Austral to have to resort to a weird Oriental mihtaxy pdisplay to draw to their meetings only a fair crowd." Tlie new classing -conditions in the handicap events were not quite the failure that many anticipated. The " Age," in describing the racing, says:-— "By means of the now system of dividing the field into two divisions, contests were provided not only between individual riders but aJeo between the front and back diviedone. Much of the trickery of bicycle racing was thereby overcome, and the times were faster,' and again it says, " come of the finishes, in fact, roused a degree of .enthusiasm which recalled the Tacing of several years ago." The meeting drew only 471 entries, which is significant, when considered alongside the 1400 entries of bygone yeare, Piet Dickentmann, one of Europe's leading pace-followers, sailed for Australia last, month, where he hopes to revive long-distance racing. The average profits of the Humber Company since 1900 have been about £9000 per annum, falling as low as i._iJ2o in 1904. But for the year ended August 31, 1906, the profit was £106,558 13s 4d, equal to 53 per cent on the capital, while the stock ie valued at £100,000. Thie is indeed a mast wonderful recovery. Tommy Uail, the holder of the British houi- Jl«"i ' it\ recently assayed to dower Paul cruignsjrdV world's record at Munich, but the luck was &gain*t him 1 . He got inside world's bests at-thirty-five miles, covering forty miles in 44min 13eec, and was reeling off miles in* 61sec, when his tyre gave out, so he had to stop. From the latest American files I ga-

____ M __ BBI ___ sa Emsnisauaa-a-_____BHaHnax_2saßßr ther that neither Macfarland nor Laweon is likely to visit Australia this season, both having accepted lucrative engagements in a six days' race against Ruit and Samuelson. Pye and Clark, two Australian riders, are also engaged to ride in the aix days' contest, each to receive £100 and expenses, together with all winnings. Kramer, the world's present champion, has taken to following pace, and recently beat J. F. Moran in°a thrce-di6tiance match. He covered the five-mile heat in Bmin 4 3-osec, and the mile in Imin 35sec. Kramer intends to adopt motor pace-following in the future. The returns of the leading English bicycle companies .continue to come in by each mail, and all along the lino they are characterised by prosperity. The Rudge-TVhitworth people have made a profit of close on £70,000, and have declared a dividend of 10 per cent, while £34,000 has been placed to reserve. The Centaur Company, on a comparatively small capital, has mad© £15.000, and also declares a 10 per cent dividend, against 6 per cent last year. The Triumph Company has a 6um of £16,000 available for distribution at the rate of 5 per cent, . while £8000 has been devoted to the reserve fund and the reduction of " goodwill." Harry Reynolds, the Irish champion, who defeated Ken Lewis, Bill Martin, Porta, Megson and others in Australia in 1897, again returned to the track l.ast season, after a spell of five years. He has just closed the year's racing with seventeen firsts, including the five-mile National Cyclists' Union championship, and the ten-mile championship of Ireland. Reynolds, who scales i 13st, and stands sft 9in, has enjoyed a most successful racing career. Ten ' years ago he was a star amateur of the first order, winning thirty-seven, firsts, including the half, one, five, ten, twenty-five and fifty miles Irish championships. He has won exactly 200 prizes since he started racing in 1892. Speaking of multi-speed gears, Mr Harry Smith, the successor -of Mr J. K. Starley, the inventor of the modern safety, says that the demand is only fair a 6 far as the Rover Company is concerned. He quotes several cases of customers who had bought machines fitted with variable gears, discarding them and returning to a suitable single i gearing. He regards multi-speed devices with but little enthusiasm, and says that in tlie majority of oases they are being forced on the market by interested makers. Personally speaking., I am inclined to the same opinion as Mr Smith, who should know what ho is talking about. The variable gear I regard as a craze, which may be classed with the long-crank-high-gear, spring frames and other fanciful notions that the British people have been fooled by. Simplicity in construction will always be found in the machine that will last, and the single gear will, I think, outlive all others. Ridel's must, however, be taught to reduce the present fashion of high gears. After twenty-five years' experience, I am firm in my conviction that over 75 and 7in cranks is unsuitable for road work for the great majority, and a single gear of the above figures will give better all-round results than any variable gear on the market.