ON THE WHEEL

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume IX, Issue 683, 9 April 1903, Page 5

ON THE WHEEL

At the big cycle meeting last week, in* Adelaide, the New Zealand rider, Chalmers, scored in, the five miles handicap, winning from scratch in llmin 1 2-ssec.

Last winter “ Cycling ” offered a “ distance chart ” —and offered prizes for that showing the greatest recorded mileage in the year. The results have just been published, and the heaviest mileage is done by Mr Holman, of the Kingsdale Club, North London, who has covered 18,087 miles. His day's average works out at something like fifty miles. Singularly enough, two lt veterans ” come next, Messrs H. Freeman, of Trowbank, Malvern, and T. W. Weeding, of Kingston, who have 14,800 and 14,091 to tiieir credit respectively. Both gentlemen are well over fifty years of age.

As a result of his win in the Sydney Thousand Handicap, N. C. Hopper heads the list of prize-winners for the season in Australia with £766,. Don Walker is next with £620, then follow F. Auger with £540, Major Taylor £450, G. JPMorgan £330, A. C. Forbes £212, E. A. Pye £l5O, C. E. Burton £l3O, F. H. Scheps £126, F. Beauehamp £123, and J. Curley £ll3.

To explain the exact meaning of the word " tricycle ” seems at first sight an easy sight (says an exchange). Dr. Johnson is said to have described it as “ a velocipede with three wheels,” t and one might that this settled the matter, but, unfortunately for the accuracy of this statement the word does not occur in his dictionary, nor was any machine of the kind known in his time. The latest contribution to the discussion has been furnished by an invalid gentleman, who was accustomed by the courtesy of the police to propel a hand-driven threewheeler upon the pavement of Sussex watering places. He came, however, into conflict with the police at Patcham, where he refused to take his machine off the footpath on to the roadway. His defence before the Bench was elaborately simple. He appealed to Johnson’s Dictionary, and argued that a velocipede was obviously, in virtue of its derivation, a machine propelled by the feet. His manumotive was, therefore, not a velocipede, and therefore was not a tricycle. This precision of argument seems to have puzzled the Bentoh, who compromised by fining the defendant five shillings, and giving him leave to appeal. It is only fair to add that the defence was somewhat further than this, and included the contention' that a manumotive. was not ejusdem genesis with a tricycle. The law excluded bicycles and tricycles from the footpath because their pace would have rendered them dangerous to foot passengers. His machine could not go faster than a walking pace, and was, therefore, to be classed * with perambulators and bath chairs. There is sound logic in this.

The ” Town and Country Journal ” has the following interesting account of the final heat in the great cycle handicap ill Sydney :— ■“ Walker was off his mark like lightning, and was soon up with Morgan, Forbes, Mutton and Filsell. The front division, too, had lost no time, and all the riders were going strongly, but Simon, the limit man, found the pace too warm, and was beaten off after a lap. I* was now quite evident that it was the front division against the back division, the pacing being magnificent. In fact, better has never been seen here before. The riders, excepting Walker and Hopper, who did no pacing, dropped back and took their /turn in a wonderful manner; but of the two, the front division appeared to do the better work. Meanwhite tjh© crowd had been worked up to a high pitch of excitement, and as the meta went along at a terrific pace much cheering was heard. On* the last lap being entered upon Thorn wasl 1 leading, with Payne next, and Hopper fourth ; while the back-markers were soon* thirty yards behind. At a marvellous rate of speed Payne now went for half a lap, with Hopper on his wheel. On reaching the northern pavilion Hopper shot out like a flash, and travelling at a great rate, finished first by fully twenty, yards. Walker also came with a magnificent run, and beat Thorn easily for second place. The time was Imin 53 2-ssec, a (world’s competition record for a mile. Hopper, who had for some time past been regarded as “ a good thing ” for the big event, wasl accorded a grand ovation as he rode round the track. The winner has not been racing long as a professional; in fact, it is only since he came here towards the end of last year that he joined the ranks. In America he raced as an amateur, and did some excellent work.

The price obtained for some of the more speedy big cars is something enormous. “Le Velo ” states /that a Yankee millionaire has just given £5OOO for Henri Fournier’s racing car ; while another American is paying nearly as much to the Caustatt Daimler Company for .a 100 h.p. Mercedes car, with which he intend® to take part in the race for the Gordon Bennett Cup.