JACKIE CLARKES REMARKABLE CAREER.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLVII, Issue 13, 27 March 1912, Page 9

JACKIE CLARKES REMARKABLE CAREER.

GREAT CONTINENTAL TOUR. A. J. (“Jackie”) Clarke, the famous Australian rider, who at present disputes the world’s championship with Kramer, and who is riding in Australia under the direction of Mr. J. D. Williams, has had one of the most successful careers in the history of cycling. Jle is one of the youngest champions riding, and his first bid for fame was when he won the “Austral” in Melbourne in 1904. His riding to ox the fancy of McFarland, who was then in Australia, who claimed he saw a future champion in the young Australian. Having secured Clarke's services, he took him td America. Clarke’s American career has been one continual round of success, until he now stands on a pedestal equally high with the world-famous Kramer Not being satisfied with the wonderful successes in America, Clarke undertook to conquer Europe. How he did so, and how it was done, is told in the following article, as related by Clarke: — “I knocked Taylor,” he says, “in a big match race at Boston one ChristTiuts Night, and caught the steamer next morning for Paris, where I was under contract for eleven match races, and was at the same time negotiating for match races in Brussels and Experts ridiculed my chances, and’ prophesied a most dismal failure against their local cracks, while the management to which I was under contract begged of me to climb out, as I would have do chance against the local riders in that particular style of racing. The papers nicknamed me the ‘Flying Kangaroo/ and on arriving at the Velodrome D’Hiver, the track where 1 was to perform,. 1 was surprised to receive a notification to pay in advance i’« r my dressing and training room for myself and trainer, a fee almost equally as great as a guarantee. I was surprised, and immediately came to the conclusion that morning that it was the way 'they took to get some of their guarantee back. This sort of treatment did not suit me, and I immediately gave orders to the baggage man to take my baggage back to the boat, and went immediately and notified the manager of the contract that I was leaving that afternoon at 4 o’clock on the steamer for New York. This bit of ’bluff worked, and the management took much pleasure in foregoing the rule No. 499. and said that they had asked, the commit tec on this one occasion to extend an invif&tbn to me. The dressing room a«d training room would be free of cost during my stay in Paris.

“AR was smooth sailing for ’.he time being, and F was m.itched to race Dupre, who at that time was the world's champion, for a distance of 200 - .netres (approximately one-third of a mile), best two out; of three heats. This style of racing required wonderful head work. The riders continued joking fach other to put their opponents in an awkward position. Anyhow. Dupre wan, but I profited by experience, ai d commenced to*learn the requirements of this particular style of speeding. “I was again matched Dwpre to race on the following Sunduy, and this time the tables were turret!. To tha utter amazement of the tivyUe experts of Paris. I won. and won decisively. My match-racing career now began in earnest. I defeated the Continental champions one after another with clock like regularity. After Dupre c irie Van Denborn. who was the • hunipi »n of Belgium, and no smaJJ fry in that part of the world. 1 beat him in tvo straight heats. The next sufferer was Ell .gard, who has held several world's chafapi unships, and who won the world's cha npmnship again this year. Then follow? 1 Mayer, champion of Germany, and R it. and Poulain. I'he match with the la it t afforded great excitement. Poulain cun? specially over from Germany to race, a* it was up to somebody to redeem tf.e reputation ot the Continental rider-, lie was, as you might say. the last si taw. Poulain was not bashful, and he openly declared, to use an American expression, that he would make me look like 30 cents. The night of this mat h race there was an immense crowd of people present, and the fl mt heat was won by Poulain. The Frenchmen, wiki with excitement, saw visions of tJia championship still being retained on their side of the water. Poulain received a wonderful ovation on h s appearance on the track for a M-coni heat. I don’t think they have yd recovered from the Now, and they count;., quite understand how 1 won tho toe* ' I and third heat*.

**l had now defeated every champion tn Europe, and it goes without saying that this was a performance unrivalled in the history of cycling. After conquering all in France, Belgium, and Italy, Clarke went to Germany. The German riders claimed that on their own ground they would reverse things. To the utter amazement of Clarke on his arrival at Berlin there were some 6000 to 7000 people on the station. Clarke was asking McFarlane, his manager, where the Ein|»eror was. lie was very much surprised on being told that the crowd was there to see him. as his reputation had preceded him from Paris. The Berlin racing was a repetition of the Paris successes, only, as a matter of fact, he was even more successful in Germany. Besides winning other match races he defeated all the local champions, and won the Grand Prize of Berlin. For this performance he was complimented by the Grown Prince of Germany, and presented with a pair of diamond cuff links by the Princess. this prize he still possesses. < larke while in Germany competed in live match races and many other events, and was never once defeated, another performance which will stand as a record for some considerable time.

As the time was drawing near for the American racing season (larke had to turn down numerous offers of visiting Russia, Austria, and Italy, and set sail with manager M’Failane for America after one of the most successful and sensational racing seasons ever enjoyed by a foreign champion. Australia will be pleased to know that he left a name excelled by none for fairness, and was tremendously popular with all the crowds before whom he performed. In appearance money and prize money Clarke won over £2OOO for his four months’ campaign on the Continent.