THE WORLD OF SPORT.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 9736, 31 December 1909, Page 5

THE WORLD OF SPORT.

TOPICS OF THE TIME,

ivhich was run on the first day of the "Austral" wheeP meeting, by winning easily from A. Aplin and W. H. M'Lean.

A cablo received in Australia on December 14 advised that the annual sixda^s' race, held in Madison Square Garden, New York, was this year won by Walter* Rutt, of Germany, and A. J. Clark, of Victoria, who formed a team. Between them a distance of 2660 miles was traversed; while P. Hehir, also of Victoria, is named as second rider to finish, with a total of 2659 miles. From last advices Hehir was to have teamed with another Australian, B. A. Pye, and possibly he did. Rutt, who, from his name being mentioned first,' presumably was the member of tno team on ttie track at the finish, originally was paired with Stol, of Holland, Clark at that time (about six weeks ago), not having decided upon a partner. Record was far from being reached in this year's race. It was made by Macfarland and Moran last December, when 2737 miles 1 lap were covered, Rutt and Stol being second, a wheel behind. Until 1899 this race was decided by individual rider* — a goi as-you-pJease contest — but probably it became so brutalising that, under the pressure of the authorities, the promoters arranged fdr teams of two, each man to take time off and on during the race, and no man to be on the. track longer than twelve hours in the aggregate. • two well-known ■ figures on the Parisian path have now bade good-bye to France for good, rather than serve in the French Army, viz., Gabriel Poulain, the* crack sprinter, who won the world's championship at Antwerp in 1906Y and Georges Paeserieu, a rider who has scored both on road and path. The first-named should have gone for his military service two or three years ago, but has managed to evade' it. At last, however, the final notice came, so he took a hasty departure to Belgium, and will now make Brussels his headquarters. Paeserieu was born in England, his father being French, and, as a matter of fact, he took out his professional license unSer the National Cyclists' TTnion^ but in France he. is claimed as a Frenchman, so he has preferred to leave . the country rather than undergo military service. Several other cracks are due to serve this season. "Wired-on tyres on wood rims are going to be the- thing next year — that is, if sufficient rims, can be. obtained, which has been the chief difficulty this year, we understand (says London "Cycling.") The Kundtz oval-lamina-ted rim has certainly proved successful, for we have not received a single complaint from readers of "the splitting of ihe wood so liable to occur when the three laminae are not taken to the edges of the rim. Our. own experience during the year has been absolutely satisfactory.