ON THE WHEEL

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume IX, Issue 427, 29 September 1898, Page 6

ON THE WHEEL

[By

Cyclos. ]

Auckland, October 27th, 1896. To the Proprietors, Sporting Review. Auckland.

Dear Sirs, —I have pleasure in advising you that the Sporting Review has been appointed the Official Organ of the Auckland Cycle Club. Yours faithfully, E. G. SKEATES, Hon. Sec.

LEAGUE OF NEW ZEALAND WHEELMEN

The Governing Body of Cycling in New Zealand, AMATEUR and CASH. Affiliated to National Cyclists Union of England. International Cyclists Association and to the Leagues of Victoria, New South Wales, Tasmania, Queensland, and Western Australia.

AFFILIATED CLUBS. Club. Secretary. Auckland Cycling Club G. Peace Carterton Cycling Club ... ... W. McKenzie Danevirke Cycling Club .... ... G. N. Wallace Egmont Cycling Club .. ... N. Benporath Feilding Cycling Club ... ... M. S. Brunette Foxton Cycling Club C. T. Austin Hastings Cycling Club ... H. Symonds Hawera Cycling Club W. I). Nicholas Huntly Cycling Club .. ... W. Ellison Manawatu Cycling Club .. ... J. F. Manning Otaki Cycling Club A. Knocks Pahiatua Cycling Club J. Connel Rangitikei Cycling Club J. Robson Wellington Cycling Club C. E. Eagar Wanganui & W.C. Cycling Club Wairarapa Cycling Club P. C. Reynolds Woodville Rovers Cycling Club H. P. Horne Weraroa Cycling Club C. Thompson New Plymouth Cycling Club ... H. H. Mace Reliance Cycling Club ... ... F. L. Seager I etone-Hutt Cycling Club ... F. Packard Ariel Cycling Club H. Thompson Christchurch Cycling Club ... F. D. Kesteven Denniston Cycling Club .. ... J. T. Jaspers Greymouth Cycling Club ... E. M. Sheedy Hokitika Cycling Club F. L. Kirwan Invercargill Cycling Cash Club... W. E. Gladstone Jubilee Cycling Club ... T. G. Jamieson Kaikoura Cycling Club ... J. B. Borthwick Kumara Cycling Club .. R. Rouse Marlborough Cycling Club H. Hillman North Otago Cycling Club ... J. E. Hood Reefton Cycling Club J. F. Clark Riverton Cycling Club ... ... H. H. Twemlow Selwyn Cycling Club G. Porter Linwood Cycling Club ... ... T. Reed Amberley Rovers J. Blain Alexandra Cycling Club J. R. Cairns Otago Cycling Club A. Munden Roxburgh Cycling Club B. V. Reilly Vincent Cycling Club G. Stumbles Invercargill A.C. & A.C.... ... E. Norton Dunedin Cycling Club W. R Brugh Lawrence Cycling Club J. B. Rinley Middlemarch Cycling Club ... J. Robertson Star Cycling Club J. W. Manchester Mataura Cycling Club T. G. Smith West Taieri Cycling Club ... J. Mcßride Gore Cycling Club .. J. C. Allan Westport Cycling Club J. S. Webb Wyndham Cycling Club D. J. McLauhlan Balclutha Cycling Club J. W. Mitchell Otago Railway Cycling Club ... C. Coon Stratford Cycling Club ... G. Pritchard • Wanderers Cycling Club ... C. Cunningham Nelson Cycling Club ... ... N. B. Levien Wanganui Cycling Club ... J. T. Muir Thames Cycling Club ... ... T. Day F. D. KESTEVEN Secretary. 7, Chancery Lane, Christchurch.

The Auckland Cycling Club have fixed their opening run for October 15th. J. W. Irwin, ot the Auckland Cycling Club, intends to make an attempt to lower Selby’s road record of 2hrs 47min from Auckland to Mercer.

A motor cycle for pacing purposes is being constructed by the local bicycle manufacturers, Riseler and Young, and will be ready for the cash gathering at the Exhibition track on October 29th.

G. Sutherland, Barker, Middleton, and Reynolds are expected to figure among the starters in the events at the forthcoming cash meeting on the Exhibition track. The meeting between this quartette of cracks should prove a great attraction.

The N Z Cyclists’ Alliance was to have met last evening to consider the applications of Timaru and Auckland for the removal to one or the other of these places of the management of the affairs of the Alliance.

Mr H. Cook, who has been elected to the Auckland Amateur Club’s committee to represent the cycling interests, should prove himself a good member, as he is thoroughly in touch with the wheelmen and an energetic worker. The French rider, Taylore, has established a new mile paced record of Imin 32 3-ssec, which is 2 3-ssec better than the previous record of Imin 35sec, held by Platt-Betts. A Cherry, the English amateur representative at the International Cycling Championships at Vienna, won the 100 kilometres world’s championship. During the year 1897 not a single amateur safety bicycle record was beaten in Englaud. The 100 miles record record now stands at 3hrs 24min 41sec, E. G. Gould, the English rider, having made these figures at the Crystal Palace, London, on August 11th. Electric tandem pacing l comes high. The French racing men pay on the average about 50dol per month for electric tandem pacing for training purposes and for racing they pay 60dol for sixteen miles, 90dol for thirty miles, and 180dol for sixty-two miles.

At the New South Wales Cyclists’ Union meeting on the Sydney Cricket Ground, the Ten Mile Australasian Championship was won by Goodson (Queensland). Time—2smin 35 l-ssec. Twenty miles in 35min 18sec is the latest from America lor a paced match. This knocks corners off all English, continental, and. Australian nace following, and is little short of phenomenal if true. Don’t forget, “if true.”

At Baltimore on August 11th, J. Michael and F. J. Titus met in a fifteen-mile match, which was won by the former by a quarter of a mile in 28min 45 l-ssec.

When the last English mail left Platt-Betts was by no means out of danger. He had undergone a couple of operations to remove the abscesses which had formed near the fracture in his jaw, and it was expected that a third operation would be necessary. Advocates of bevel gearing lay great stress upon their claim that the chain less is always ready for use, while the older type of machine, because of the necessity of cleaning, lubricating, or tightening the chain at frequent intervals, is seldom in perfect running order. The return match between Jimmy Michael and M‘Duffee, at Philadelphia, was unsatisfactory. M'Duffee, it appears, signed for a fifteen miles race, and the management advertised a twenty - five miles event. For a while it looked as if there would be no race at all, but the American finally agreed to go the longer journey. He, however, appeared to have no interest in the affair, and Michael had no difficulty in winning in 45min 25 1 - ssec.

Despite all the threats to the contrary (says the Melbourne Sportsman), the cream of the racing men will be retained by the agencies as before. Says one well-known manager, “ We can’t do without them. Racing men don’t actually make people buy a machine, but they keeps its name before the public, and other forms of advertising are then not thrown away. English and American manufacturers have both tried to shake off the racing man, but they have had to knuekle down to him.

In alluding to the proposal of the New South Wales Cyclists’ Union to adopt the two-class system,. “ Philibuster” in the .Australasian says : —‘‘This, of course, is not a new idea; it has been tried in other parts of the world, and in the long-run the ‘ B ’ riders invariably get the best of it, for the simple reason, as explained before, that a discerning public wants only the best for its money.” From advocating a “poker-back” position when a-wheel (says Bicycling News) the would-be authorities on “ The bicycle, and how it should be ridden,” have gone right over to the enemy, and are advising the ladies to cultivate ‘ ‘ a slightly forward tilt, as besides adding to the power and gracefulness of the rider, it will prevent the jar of the machine being carried to the brain.” The “outside” journalist is in this instant in strict accordance with fact. The spinal column, which is composed of a series of cartilege rings, must be regarded as a natural spring, its mission being to intercept and neutralise the jolts and jars incidental to the locomotion of the human body. In man’s primitive form of progress—walking—the foot is planted down well in front of the body, the natural elasticity and curvitude of the trunk deadening the shock to the cerebum. In cycling, however, the legs are practically useless as insulators, and there is more need that the rigidness of the trunk should be relaxed to a slightly forward tilt so as to destroy the force of successive concussions between the wheel and the inequalities of the road. >

Wheelmen in the Old Country are agitating that cyclists should pass an official examination before being allowed to ride a bicycle in the public streets. In Vienna such an examination is enforced, and, it is said, answers well.

Concerning MacDonald’s ride over the Australian continent the Australian Cyclist of September 8 remarks :—MacDonald, the dauntless overlander, continues his self-imposed task with unabated energy, as well as success. He has reached Alice Springs, which is more than half way to Adelaide. He started on August 22nd, and in sixteen days has rattled off 1036 miles, at an average of 64 miles per day. He is putting on weight, and considers the trip a splendid picnic. He is enjoying himself, and expects to reach Adelaide under his anticipated time. . His next stage is to Charlotte Waters, which is 804 miles from Adesaide, and 232 from Alice Springs. The stage following is Oodnadatta, which is the railway terminus direct with Adelaide. It is interesting to compare Coleman and Mather’s times with those of MacDonald, who started on August 22nd, and reached Alice Springs on September 6th. C. and M. left Port Darwin on August 12 th, and reached Alice Springs on September 21st. It will be still more wonderful to hear of MacDonald’s experiences across the stage between Alice Springs and Charlotte Waters. Coleman’s description was “ A ghastly travesty on cycling, sandhills as high as the G.P.0., &c.” The outcome of this journey by MacDonald is being watched with the keenest interest, and already the comparisons go to prove that the overland ride is not the blood and thunder it has been depicted. The records now being established will have an important bearing on future events, already casting their coming shadows. The fact of a man, “for the love of the thing,” doing in sixteen days what it took two men, well paid and well equipped, nearly forty days to accomplish, is eloquent testimony against sentimental humbug and exaggeration. So far as the A.C. is concerned, the overland trip last year was undertaken to present facts, not fancies, to our readers, whom we leave as judges as to the evidence presented them. The victory of A. J. Body in the Cuca Cup race at the Crystal Palace on September 3 (writes “Tangent” in the Melbourne Leader), it must be admitted, surprised Australian cyclists as much as it pleased them, It was not expected that Body, so soon after landing from his long sea voyage, would be in condition to accomplish such a great victory, decidedly the greatest ever achieved by an Australasian cyclist in the Old Country. Moreover, if the cabled statement that he took the lead at the end of five miles and held it to the finish be correct, the performance was simply marvellous ; indeed, it seems almost incredible, though the cable message, which was very distinct, admitted of no other construction. The Cuca Cup, which is no longer restricted to amateurs, is now a race of 100 miles, which would admirably suit Body, whose endurance and maintenance of an even pace over long distances are proverbial. Amongst the competitors are sure to have been many of the best long distance riders in England, which accentuates the merit of the New Zealand champion’s great performance. Body is a credit to the sport in every way, and I hope he may be as successful in inducing the War Office to purchase the submarine torpedo boat which he invented, and to sell which to the British Government was the chief object of his visit to England Michael, who has recently been defeated by McDuffee and Linton, has signified his intention of retiring from the track for a while. Whether he will be allowed to do so is quite another matter, as very heavy guarantees were given to the American Cycle Racing Association, which stars him, that he would complete his contract number of races. Michael takes defeat sadly, and his late gruellings have in no small degree jnilitated against his regaining old form. He is like the sensitive plant in a way. Discouragements, no matter how slight, always affect him in his work. Things have not gone as smoothly as he would have liked, and as he had reason to expect. His condition has been hard to keep up, probably because he started training so late in the season, and had to rush things—from the jockey to the scorcher -to get ready for his match with McDuffee. Another very important item to be taken into consideration is that Michael ranked alone last season through the fine pacing of his clock-like teams, who never lowered their standard efficiency. This season there are others with quite as good, if not better, teams, and with the ability to follow any pace set for them. Michael was king in the first class in’96-’97, “ There is a tide,” &c., quite true of the trackman, who, when he goes under, is no longer the' popular idol, but becomes like unto the value of sawdust and broken crockery.

League of New Zealand Wheelmen’s Definition of a Cyclist.

Amateur Definition. An Amateur is one who is the holder of an amateur licence from this League, and who has—a. Never engaged in, nor assisted in, nor taught any swimming, athletic, or cycling exercise for money or other remuneration, b. Never knowingly competed with or against a person who does not hold a licence under the Amateur Definition of this League for a prize of any description, or in any cycle event in public, except where permission is granted by the League, c. Never made pace for, or been paced by, a person who does not hold a licence under this League, or for or by a person under suspension, d. Never sold, realised upon, or otherwise converted into cash, any prize won bv him. e. Never accepted, directly or indirectly, any remuneration, compensation, or expenses whatever from a cycle manufacturer, agent,sport promoter, or other person interested in the trade or sport, for cycle riding' except where special permission is granted by the League. Cash Definition. A Cash Cyclist is one who is the holder of a licence under this League, and ceases to be eligible by—a. En gaging in cycle racing, or training or coaching any person therein, as a means of obtaining a livelihood, b. Or competing against any person who does not hold a licence under the Cash Definition of this League, except where permission is granted by the League, c. Making pace for, or being paced by, a person who does not hold a licence under this League, or for or by a person under suspension.