CYCLING ON THACK AND ROAD

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 191, 13 August 1931, Page 15

CYCLING ON THACK AND ROAD

PIXT^RES. August 15—Lyttelton Club’s road race. August 15—Papanui amateur teams August 22—Paparua Club’s road race. August 29—Christchurch Club’s road September s—Mairehau Club’s road September 12—Fifty-mile Canterbury Championship. September 19—Canterbury Amateur Road Championship. September 19—Southbridge road race. September 26—“ Round the Gorges September 26—Mairehau Club’s championship. October 3 Waisnate-to-Christehurch Papanui Club’s Race. The surprise in the Papanui Amateur Sports Club’s road race on Saturday was W. L. Ling (4£min) gaining fastest time with G. W. Brett, second fastest. P. C. Muir (9|min), the winner finished exactly one minute in front of Ling. The defeat of the back-markers, who were handicapped on scratch, lmin, 13min, 2 Jmin and 3£min, is hard to understand, as no less than seventeen riders were on these marks. The week previous E. W. Stevens (scratch) covered the course in the fastest time, registering 92min 7 l-ssec. Last Saturday Stevens was giving Ling a start of simin and the latter gained fastest time honours. P. C. Muir, the winner, has been a starter in practically every road race this season without meeting with a great deal of success. His win should encourage him to go on with the sport. J. H. Wain, second place, is showing consistent form, having finished second the previous week over the same course. On Saturday he improved his time by nearly two minutes. A. J. Lancaster, third place, is a wellknown amateur road and track rider with a fair record of wins. He has, however, been performing indifferently on the road during the past few weeks. G. Rhodes is a young rider who is improving with experience, and should figure amongst the winners in the near future. W. L. Ling has ridden several good races this season, and has been well to the fore at the finishes. His performance on Saturday was his best this seaG. W. Brett, second fastest time, is also showing improved form, and it will not be surprising to see him figuring amongst the winners, in the near future. Brett has had several years of racing against cash and amateur riders. v Good Riding, Good riding on the part of J. Cole (4min) brought him home a winner in the unregistered riders’ event at Mairehau on Saturday. Cole won easily after having worked well with Hull and Calder throughout the race. J. Sutherland, riding from the lmin mark, also put up a splendid performance by securing fastest time honours. Sutherland gained 26sec on D. Aitken, the scratch man. Mairehau Club’s Event. The Mairehau Sports Club held an out-and-home road race on Saturday over a thirty-four-mile course. This is the first event this body has held over an out-and-home course since the club was formed about ten years ago. A larger percentage of riders finished the course than has been the case with races held around the block. On the other hand, there was not so much public interest In the event, there being fewer spectators than usual. Saturday’s race resulted in a win for the riders on big marks. The actual limit riders were not in the picture, however, the Smin to lOmin riders predominating and filling the first seven places. The second bunch, which was led home by the scratch man, L. W. Hill, comprised about fifteen riders. F. Hart, the winner, is one of the Lyttelton contingent, and is the third Port rider to win an open road race this season. Hart, riding in unregistered races last season, put up some fine unpaced performances over the hills. Up to last Saturday his performances were not brilliant. C. Johnstone, second place, showed a return to form. He has competed in a large number of road races without meeting with a great deal of success. Johnstone’s performance on Saturday showed that he is a much-improved C. Arnst, third place, is a member of the famous Arnst cycling family, being a son of the late W. Arnst, who won the Timaru to Christchurch road race in 1915, and a brother of the well-known rider, Sid Arnst. Up to last Saturday Arnst had not ridden attractively, but now he has been in the money it should not be long before he'wins a big evept. G. Phillipson, fourth place, again rode well but without securing a prize. The previous week he rode strongly in the front to be beaten in the final lap. The scratch men again provided a great tussle for fastest time honours L. W. Hill beating W. J. Lamberton ir a stirring sprint. A protest by Lamberton, that Hill ran wide and blockec him, was dismissed. Hill rode his best race this season riding the full distance and finishinf with great dash. A strenuous season or the football field left him untrained foi cycling, but he now appears to be re gaining his true cycling form. "IVher fit, Hill can be depended on to hold his own against all-comers in road races up to fifty miles. W. J. Lamberton, second fastest time is still riding well and, with experience will have a big chance of securing som< of the big road championships that wil be decided in the next two months. Paris-Brest Race. Inaugurated in September, 1891, am only held every ten years, the world famed Paris-Brest and return road rac

of 1200 kilos (approximately 726 miles), is to be staged on September 4, 5 and 6. Hubert Opperman, the Australian, was the first to enter, and has been allocated No. 1, which he will carry on his back and machine in the race, which is being restricted, to twenty-six of the world’s best riders. Like most road classics, the field is limited—this year to twenty-six. Opperman, before sailing from Australia, made no secret of the fact that he was most anxious to try his luck in this big event. Australians will hope that the fact that he has been allocated No. 1 as his riding number will prove approAn enormous undertaking—a separate car follows each rider with two drivers and two sets of officials—it is a great physical test on the competitors. Unlike other big races where there are defined stages and stopping places, it is a case of “ all in ” from the word go—a case of a survival of the fittest. When a rider decides to stop—and some may not consider that essential for at least 300 or 400 miles—then the official car takes a halt until directed to proceed. It is necessary to have relieving drivers and officials, as the competitors ride day and night. To win the Paris-Brest and return road race a rider has to possess not only extraordinary stamina, but also to lie a rider of outstanding class. Opperman, by reason of his world record-breaking ride in Paris Jn 1928, when he won the twenty-four hour 80l d’Or track race (human paced)—winning by thirty-six miles from the picked endurance riders in Europe—followed by his wonderful effort in the Sydney to Melbourne unpaced ride of 571 miles in a shade over thirty-nine h.ours, should be well In the running. Already the French critics are favourably discussing the Australian’s prospects. Rotes. At a meeting of the North Canterbury Centre of the New Zealand Athletic, Cycling and Axemen’s Union, held this week, tfte prize-list for the Waimate to Christchurch race was drawn up. The prizes have been reduced slightly from last year’s list, but can be considered satisfactory when the present hard times are taken into account. The entry f&e has been lowered from 10s to 7s 6d. The Paparua Cycling Club is offering big prize money for its opening road race, which will be decided at Islington on August 22, starting at the Islington Hotel at 2.30 p.m. The prizes are as follows: First, £2 15s; second, £1 ss; third, 10s; and 10s for fastest time. Entries close with the secretary or with Mr P. C. Lucas on August 20. Mrs A. Blackler has donated a trophy for the youngest member of the Mairehau Sports Club to finish in the Waimate to Christchurch race, irrespective of winning any other prize. It is considered likely that there will be several other special club and district prizes offered. Next Saturday the Lyttelton Cycling Club will hold an open road race, the course being from Lyttelton to Teddington and return, a total distance of about twenty-four miles. Entries for the race will be received by Mr P. C. Lucas to-night. Mr A. S. Legh. who is well known In cycling circles and who has been on the West Coast for several months, is now in Christchurch. Whilst connected with the E>unlop Rubber Company, Mr Legh was instrumental in getting large donations for the Timaru to Christchurch road race and also in getting an annual grant of £3O towards the expenses of sending a New Zealand representative to Australia to compete in the Warrnambool to Melbourne road race. Mr Legh has agreed to act as an official for the Waimate to race. The social run, organised by the Jones Cycle Company, was held on S un<l ®y. About sixty cyclists took part in the run to the Waimakariri Gorge, and a good day was spent in spite of the heavy north-west wind. Lunch ana fruit were provided by the company. Several of the riders went on to Oxford and returned, via Springfield. The race for unregistered riders on Saturday, will be held around the Halswell block, over a distance of twenty miles, starting and finishing at the Spreydon tram terminus. The race will finish on the Hoon* Hay Road. Miss Lily Ford, who recently announced her intention of creating a women’s cycling record from Christchurch to Timaru, a distance of 112 miles, has already commenced training for the attempt. Miss Ford, who is an enthusiastic follower of the sport, will ride on 2. Mr J. Kennedy, secretary of the Cycling Board of Control and also of the New Zealand Athletic, Cycling and Axemen’s Union, is ill. He intended to call a meeting of the Board of Control this week, but has been unable to do so. The question of unregistered riders will be dealt with at the next meeting of the Board of Control. A large number of cash riders have not yet registered for the present season. Those who have not registered l by the end of the present month will be [ liable to disqualification. The license • fee is 2s 6d for the track and road and Is 6d for a road racing license only. s Although next Saturday’s cash race s is to be held at Lyttelton, only one local rider, F. Hart, will be competing. The other four Lyttelton riders, E. Butcher, ’ W. Butcher, W. Miller and F. Motz, met j with accidents which have debarred [ them from competing. A teams’ road race will be held by the Papanui Amateur Sports Club on Saturday afternoon. The riders will 1 be graded and each team will be dis- - patched at intervals. A fifty miles 5 course has been chosen.