ON THE WHEEL

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume IX, Issue 662, 16 October 1902, Page 6

ON THE WHEEL

The olci battle between the N.S.W. Cyclists’ Union and the N.S.W. League still goes on. This time the bone of contention was the programme of the Eight Hours’ Sports. On this there were two events for the Union, and abotit a hundred pound’s worth of stake money for the League. The latter, however, wanted a race for their own amateurs, but the Eight Hours’ people refused, and the fat was in the fire. To outsiders, it must seem a thousand pities that a modus vivendi could not be agreed upon, but from present indications, that would appear to be as far off as the millehium.

There is a likelihood of a big match being decidedly shortly in New South Wales the contestants being Don Harvison and Littlechild. The latter has offered to meet Harvison for from £l5O to £5OO aside, an unpaced race, from Goulbourn to Sydney, one to start half an hour before the other, priority to be decided by the toss of a coin. In answer Harvison says he is prepared to race for £lOO aside, which he considers a fair stake. He does not care for the half-hour stipulation; as he considers the one who starts first will be at considerable disadvantage, the other having a guide all through as to what impression he is making on the leader. It will, he contends, be difficult to keep pacing out of it, as a contestant must necessarily have mates along the route to provide him with machines in case of accident, etc. Harvison would prefer that the race be paced, and suggests this : Each to agree to pace the other, 'say, five miles about, for eigthy miles, when the respective pacers; would chip in. Racing, : cyclists over there must be men of substance if they can afford to put up sums like that mentioned for a private match. Stakes, however, have a knack of dwindling when the time comes to pay over.

Next, month wheelmen will be well catered for in New South Wales, as the first of thq big Racing Carnivals will be gone through with. The first is from November 1 yto 10, and £5OO is provided for prizes, the races being of all kinds, from a wheel race of £l5O to an Orient Plato (scratch) of £5O, and motor paced and motor races. Entries for this first series close on October 11. There is a similar £5OO carnival from January 10 to 19. In March the £lOOO Handicap, the biggest on record, will be run. There will a prize of £lO for the best name for this event. Truly cyclists have not much to grumble at, and as a result there should be a perfect constellation of talent present on the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Motor cars are ceasing to be a novelty in the streets of Auckland. Dr. Humphrey Haines has one, and Dr. Clive Lowe, while Mr George Henning has just imported a new machine. Quite a number are ’ reported to be on the way out, so that before long' we shall have a suffi-

cient number to form a Motor Club. I understand Dr. Haines intends calling a meeting of those interested shortly, with • a view of forming such a club. One of the chief reasons why this should be done shortly, is to enable the executive to frame a rule as to regulating the speed on the roads. At present, the law is more favorable to motor owners than in any other country, but nothing will prejudice the general public against the innovation more than seeing the cars driven at excessive speed through the Auckland j streets. At present the law merely states that the motor car must be driven only at a “reasonable” speed. It will be well if drivers adhere rigidly to that, for I have noticed one offender already.

W. Martin, who has won more races than any other man in the colonies, is reported by an American eexhange to be forty-two years of age. Is there another man of that age, who could ride such gruelling finishes, as does “Plugger Bill?” . * * -n- -e

There was a great finish in the Half Mile Handicap at the Labor Day Sports. Campbell just managed to get home, but he hacr hut a bare half wheel to spare from Hayward.

E. J. Thoiruvs pullecl off the two mile event, having been fairly well treated, with a start of a hundred yards, with Galbraith and Henning filling the other positions.

The One Mile Amateur Handicap fell to G. fW. Spragg, who rode very finely from the i twenty-five yards mark, his nearest attendant, being one of the limit divir sion in S. Galbraith, llOyde, while R. A. Campbell,'soyos, filled third place. Considering the fact that the track was somewhat holding, the time occupied for the journey, viz., 2min 38 2-ssec, was by no means bad.

Another capital “go was in the Mile Handicap for lac's under 18 years of age. W. Henning; by a gtreat effort; was just able to defeat another scratch man in Ussher, by about two feet, after a dingdong battle up the straight.-

The net result in orders to the French motor manufacturers from the recent great ride from Paris to Vienna amounts to the startling total of £4,320,000. We cannot, in the face of this, wonder at the firm belief of the automobile makers in the value of these road contests from an advertising standpoint.

At Berlin, the German champion Robl contested a six-hours’ paced race, during which he put up some remarkable records. The total distance for that time was miles—an average of 37 miles ' per hour, while during the first three hours of the ride the pace z averaged 40 2-3 miles—the total' being 122 miles. In four hours and fi,ve hours respectively the distances were 156 miles and 1 miles', and the whole of the above figures represent world’s records. Robl has been particu] ai ly brilliant in his riding during the home season, and at one time held th© world’s record for the hour in 45 miles 763 yards, the total being beaten only by Linton, who holds this prized record in 45 miles 1034 yards.

Mr W. K. Vanderbilt, junr., millionaire and motorist, is a very keen enthusiast in the new vehicle, and does, a vast amount of driving. His ambition hael

been to catch the world’s record for a mile, and he at last succeeded, covering that distance in 48 2-ssec, as against the previous best of 51 l-ssec by 11. Fournier, of France. Mr Vanderbilt’s figures show a pace equal to nearly 75 miles per hour. This- record was made in France on a German car; but Jarrott, the English motorist, has gone one better in England, where, at the Welbeck motor speed contests, upon a Panhard car, 70 horsepower, he negotiated a kilometre (1094 yards) in. 28 l-sscc, almost equalling an 80-mile an hour speed. This is quoted as being “ the fastest run that has 1 yet been accomplished on an automobile of any description.”

After twice attempting io bring oil the opening run the Auckland! Cycling Club was rewarded for the previous ill-luck with a glorious afternoon on Saturday, the result being that the number present about constituted a record. Nearly three hundred took part, including three motor cars. The procession went from the Ponsonby Reservoir by way of Karanganape Road, Symond-sftreet, Khyber Pass, Grafton and Park roads to Newmarket, from which point the road race started. The contest was to a large extent spoilt by one or two unforeseen incidents. The chief of these waa the stopping by a policeman at Otahuhu.of Smithson, the two Johns, and Galbraith. This practically robbed the race of most of its interest. Smithson had a very nasty fall, and a doctor had to be called in to attend to

his injuries. J. Levin Avon the race, accomplishing the 21 miles in Ihr .1 min. and ha was followed by E. - Thomas, W. Hendry,. G. Spragg, P. A. Smith, and S. ( ' Galbraith in that order. G. Spragg won a special prize for the rider, doing the . trip in the fastest time, he being clocked to do Ihr smin.