WARRNAMBOOL ROAD RACE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17192, 8 November 1923, Page 5

WARRNAMBOOL ROAD RACE.

CONTEST DESCRIBED. The long distance cycle road race | from Warrnambool to Melbourne, of | 160 miles, promoted by the Dunlop I Rubber Company, was decided on Sat- , urday under fine weather conditions, states the Melbourne ‘ Argus/; It was won by P. Wells (56min> in the j fairly good time of Shr 37min ssec. 1 j Osborn (Jffimin) was second, and , -- Bell (18min), of New Zealand, third, j p O’Shea, also from New Zealand, ! made fastest time, namely, 7br 51 nun J 41sec. 'l'lils was the third occasion j ir succession that he had obtained the i honour a record unique in the history £ of the race. J. Beasley ran O’Shea very closely, and although beaten lor fastest time throughout, he broke the j competition record for IDO miles mi route, for which there is a special prize, and established a world record : C Hte time was 4hr fUmin S7sec, [he previous best for TOO miles was 01.1 lmiu. made on a different road. The 100 miles race for amateurs was , won by X. M’Leor (fimin) in Ihr onmm J °2ser He was followed by R. Small (20min) and C. Putting (IBmini. The winner’s time was ].eaten by the scratch men, who in a spirited sprint .crossed the. line in close order. fc. Hamsden (Victoria) was placed first : in -tbr 52min 42sec (amateur record in competition for Australasia), Tiitli fV Burness (N.S.W.) second, and J Watson (V.) third. The finishing point of both events was on the Ballarat Bead, at Album, nine miles from the city, not far from Sunshine. Although the place had < not been made public, the crowd which had gathered rendered it difficult tor- } police and officials to keep the course clear. : At the conclusion of the race. Mr 4 - < Mackirdy, on behalf of the Dunlop Rubber Company, presented the winner of the “ Warrnambool ” with the Indian Scout motor-cycle, and the. Warrnambool Cup. presented by residents of that city. P. O'Shea waa invested with the blue riband and badge, which carry with them the Aug- j tralasian road championship of 19*23. REMARKABLE EARLY PAGE. Saturday morning at Warrnambool broke- fine and mild, with an almost) still atmosphere, but the wind pressure was from the west and favourable to the riders, who, therefore, were in high spirits. When dispatched by the Mayor of Warrnambool (Councillor M. L. Carter) they set a fast : pace, which was reflected in the times ; recorded at Camper down (43 miles), the first checking station. The Press | motor-car. which left immediately after i the scratch men. reached A Hansford j (six miles) with the riders, in 15min, ; showing a pace- of twenty-four miles nn hour, and they passed, through i Panmuro (sixteen miles) in thirty-five j minutes. The fastest run to Camper- ! down was by L. F. Post (18nnn). of I New South Wales, who covered the I distance in Ihr 58min. The scratch ; division took lrnin longer. Speed was , maintained through Colne (seventyj two miles) and AVinchelsea (ninetyfive miles). Approaching the 100j mile point the scratch men had rereived a signal to go. They sprinted j over a straight stretch. Beasley leadj jng by a wheel from the New Zeal an d--1 er. O’Shea, in the world’s competi- > j tion record time of 4hr 3/min s< sec. | Their average speed had been 22 i ■ miles nn hour. SEVEN IN A HE AW While many other competitors regia- * tered meritorious performances over : the first 100 miles, it was really a l drastic sorting-out process. Entering i the Stony Rises, some fifty miles from Warrnambool. the speed had been too i I fast for all to safely negotiate the i many turns. At the foot of one b sharp declivity a group of racers, i descending at thirty miles an hour, I t i ould not take the following curve, s with the result that seven came down together. Speeds of thirty miles an hour were frequently cheeked, while fc twenty-five miles seemed to be tho j f general pace on all of the better . sections. The positions of the placed riders | at G'olac (seventy-two miles) were as r, follows: Wells, the winner, passed 3 through at 9.38 am. with Mark by (54 1 min), who later established a long lead. Osborn (second) was about 37 ( minutes behind, while C. Bell (third) passed at 23 minutes after the first * man -at 10.1, The scratch division 2 was checked at 10.58. At AVinchelsea t (95 mi lee). Mark l\v appeared to have dropped back to the field. The first s bunch passed at 10.55, including Weils y and Pearson, while Osborn and Bell and Watson (who finished fifth) went ~ through at 11.16. followed by the - scratch division, at 11.30. At Gea- .. long Markby was again in the lead. 3 passiug at 11.56. Wells was checked at noon, Pearson at 12.1. Osborn. Watson, Bell and R. Stamford at r 12.11, and O’Shea and Beasley 24 " minutes after Markby. From this point the windj hitherto favourable, £ swung to N.N. west, and made riding trying. Markby, pedalling alone for j miles over the open plains, was tiring perceptibly, hut he was first to reach , Werribee, at 1.25. Wells followed at 1.31, Osborn at 1.35. with Bell and Stamford. O’Shea, Beasley, and Opperman passed at J. 48. Markby main- ® tained his lead to North Footscray. but Wells passed him three miles from the post, and won. Op per man and ICirk- , ham (scratch), both riding magnificently, were delayed by punctures, as / were many others, h i