ROAD CYCLISTS CRASH
TRAGEDY AT AUCKLAND TWO RACES ON ONE TRACK COMPETITORS MEET HEAD ON ( Per Press Association. J AUCKLAND, April 27. A shocking cycle race accident occurred near Maugere Post Office yesterday afternoon, in which one amateur rider, Laurence Aldred, aged 19, of Epsom, was fatally injured. Aidred was a member of the Manakau Cycle Club. A number of other riders were injured. The occasion was the opening of the road racing season for cash cyclists and amateurs. The managing body of the cash cyclists, the Auckland Cycle Club, had arranger a 19-milo handicap over three laps of tar-sealed roadway known in cycling circles as the Maugere circuit- The start was from Mangereb ridge at 2.45 p.m. In the same vicinity, amateur cyclist s were holding two races—a 5$ mile event for juniors and an 11-mile event for seniors. The races were to mark the opening of the amateur season.
Racing along at a fast speed, with their head s down, the cash cyclists did not notice the second batch of amateur cyclists coming from the opposite direction, also intent on the decision of the race. The road is narrow in the vicinity of Mangere Post Office, where the accident happened, and it was further restricted by motor car s parked on the side. With the leaders bunched, the men were not so strung out as they would have been on a wider road. With a fearful impact the front rank men of the opposite parties met, and the crash could be heard several chains away. Machines were thrown into the air and riders were hurled to the ground. Several of the injured men were carried up to the school house near the Post Office. The accident happened 20 yards from the finishing line of the amateur riders.
Of the injured riders, William Prattney, aged 19, farm hand of Manurewa, received grave head injuries and is in a serious condition. A number of others had to receive treatment. Aldred was one of the most popular members of the club and he ranked as one of the first half-dozen riders in Auckland.
Th Auckland Cycle Club this morning decided to adopt another course for its road races.
Permanent link to this item
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/WC19300428.2.61
Bibliographic details
Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 73, Issue 98, 28 April 1930, Page 7
Word Count
367ROAD CYCLISTS CRASH Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 73, Issue 98, 28 April 1930, Page 7
Using This Item
NZME is the copyright owner for the Wanganui Chronicle. You can reproduce in-copyright material from this newspaper for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International licence (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0). This newspaper is not available for commercial use without the consent of NZME. For advice on reproduction of out-of-copyright material from this newspaper, please refer to the Copyright guide.