ON THE WHEEL

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume IX, Issue 694, 25 June 1903, Page 5

ON THE WHEEL

By the presentation last March of the first lady’s bicycle manufactured in America the National Museum at Washington has completed a collection of velocipedes and bicycles embracing, it is sjaid, every distinct pattefn that has over been made. It begins with the old “ celeriferie ” of 1800, and endsi with one of the latest gasolene motor bicycles. It is claimed to be the most complete collection extant.

The League of Victorian Wheelmen has 1037 members, the biggest roll of any other cycling body in Australia. The club has assets amounting to £10,54.1, and it is considered to be the wealthiest institution of its kind in the world.

Jimmy Michael was to have commenced his German tour at Madgebourg on April 26, but while training behind Reimers at the Friedenaii, track, Berlin, a few days before, he met with a very serious spill. He was just finishing a five-mile trial when the pneumatic tyre on his front wheel burst, and got entangled in the wheel, bringing him down head first on to tbie cement. It was at once seen that the midget was in a critical condition, and he was carefully removed to the nearest hospital, where he remained unconscious some two hours. Besides being very badly cut about the arms, legs, and chest,, he received a serioiis blow on the head.

The Governor of the State of Pennsylvania has signed a bill prohibiting sixday competitions, and provides fines ranging from £2O to £2OOO, or imprisonment, for anyone managing or participating in any athletic exhibition or contest in which any of the competitors is permitted to appear for more than twelve hours a day. A similar law is in operation in the State of New York.

When a ’cyclist tries conclusions with a horse, it is the former who generally gets the worst of the collision. It hast, however, been left for a Russian to claim, though at a heavy cost, the credit of having knocked over a horse in fair impact. This happened at Newport, ( Monmouth, where a Russian-German shoemaker, a novice at bicycling, lost control of his bicycle (Lown a steep hill in the town. His feet had slipped from the pedals, and with his legs stuck out on each side of the madhino he sped helplessly down the hill while two policemen who had seen him coming, did their best to clear the road of the traffic, so as to give him some chance of saving himself. Unhappily, however, hi’s bicycle took him . into a cabstand. He rode straight into one of the horses and knocked it over on its its side, escaping. without serious injury, but wrecking his machine. The horse was not much hurt. It does not appear whether or not ' the bicycle was fitted with a brake, but the offence, viewed in the light of the danger which it caused, was not unduly punished by a fine of a guinea.

An enterprising English automobile paper has decided to have' a large captive balloon suspended over the figure 8 course 1 of die Gordon-Bennett Cup race from a convenient point, so as, to command an extensive view of the route. The balloon . ' will be 36ft in-diameter, and will contain 21,000 cubic feet of gas, and carry three passengers. So that the spectators' can follow the progress of the twelve competing cars, it has been decided by the English Automobile Club that the three English cars will be painted green (out of compliment to Ireland); the American cars will be red, the French blue, and the Ger- ? man white. The racecourse is splendidly adapted from a sight-seeing standpoint, as owing to its peculiar shape the competitors will pass one given point eight times. Particulars 'of S. F. Edge's (holder of the Cup) car are now to hand. The car is a Napier, English-made throughout, with four cylinders giving 3b nominal horsepower. with four speeds and a reverse. The frame i& of pressed. steel, and wood, the weight, of the car complete being 17|cwt, or 21cwt under.the limit of 1000 kilos., which the conditions ■of the race enforce. The wheel base is 7ft loin, with 34in wheels fitted with 34-Dunlop motor tyres.

The rider jusit taking to cycling is frequently heard to complain of the hard , work involved in, driving a cycle and the “ dead-tired ” feeling which comes over his legs after' a spin of sonje ’fifteen or \ twenty miles. To those we would giv© a word of -encouragement and a - little advice as to how best to overcome the feeling of weariness; In the first placej every novice experiences the same feeling ; it, is simply the sudden employment of , muscles that have previously, lain dormant;: and which naturally ache when 1 first; put’ to work. Til? best thing to do ■ whbn .• firsts taking up cycling is to gide short : dis- . tances frequently, gradually increasing the journeys to fifteen or twenty miles, at a stretch. There is always a tendency to overdo cycling, and against this the novice must guard. If a day’s journey of eighty or hundred miles is to be taken the rider should get fit by taking evening runs of about twenty miles. Runs of .thia distance for a week or two before the longer journey will put the rider in good condition. , ’

The ‘prizes in connection -with the Timaru to Christchurch Road Race, promoted by the Dunlop Company are :first prize. Swift cycle; second prize, £6 6a; ' third prize, £3 3s : fastest time prize, £lB 18s. The winner of the last-named prize is to represent this colony in the great Warrnambool to Melbourne Road Race, which takes place on August 22, 1903. t ;■

Lucian Lesna, who raced in Australia a few years back, it is said, intends having a try for the world’s 24 hours’ track record during the coming season. Whether be will succeed remains to be seen, but Lesn,a always seems- to ha‘ve more than his share of bad luck when, on record jaunts. Three motor cycles,, with 14 and 18 horse-power engines, will be at his.service should he decide to start. The record stands at present to the credit of A. E. Walters, who, at Paris, in 1900, ‘rode 634 miles 774 vards.