CYCLING.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XIV, Issue 819, 16 November 1905, Page 14

CYCLING.

(By

“ Petrol.”)

W. E. Samuelson, of Salt Lake Chy, arrived in Sydney by the Sonoma the other day. He is one of the leading allround riders in the world. Last year he won about £4OO. He intends following the Australian racing circuit.

The handicaps for the big Austral Wheel Race have been issued. Lawson is on scratch, McFarland on 10yds, Farley and Pye on 30yds, S. E. Gordon, G. R. Morgan and D. J- Walker on 40yds, and the limit men are Byrne, Colvin, and Parkin on 340yds. The distance is two miles, and the prize is £5OO for the winner. The total money to be competed for is £650.

“ I have been racing for close on 20 years all over the world and in every class of contest, from a quarter-mile flying dash to a six-day grind, competing in a different town every other day, but I must confess that the Parisian race managers have, to use a slang phrase, ‘ G'ot ’em all skinned’ in the way of race promoting, and the 24 Hours 80l dOr is the most memorable race of my lire. Such were the words that old-time me rican racer Nat Butler uttered to tne Parisian correspondent of the S P°. man” within half an hour of the finish of the race in question. MM. Breyer and Coquelle determined to run the 80l d’Or race to a finish on September -3 and 24, no matter under what conditions, and they succeeded. A start was made at Buffalo at 5 p.m. Saturday, but before a quarter of the 24 hours had expired down came the rain. A brief conference, and then the speaker announced. “Race will be continued, A el ° dr ?“® d’Hiver (winter track), at 11.30 this evening.” Then came a unique spectacle, as, no sooner had the Neuilly clock chimed 10-the race terminating; at J 9.53 —than 6000 spectators, the 80l d Or competitors, officials, pressmen, to say nothin<r of over 100 teams of tandem pacers, managers, etc., commenced to make tracks for the Champ de Mars, situated over the Seine, and half an hour’s drive in the speediest taximetre. What a sight in the training quarters, big-powered automobiles down to the humble humanpropelled tricycle carrier all loading up for a hasty removal to. the new scene of action. One of the competitors insisted in riding across Paris in his racing costume and on his racing mount—l refer to Jean Fisher, who said to me, 1 m paid to ride it out, and I’ll not break my contract.” In less than an hour s time the lights of my indoor track were in full fume and the building well packed, a.y punctually at 11.30 P- 111 - Constant Hureh who was unable to reach the Buffalo for the second and final stage of the fi c o? t . through his car breaking down, fired the pistol for the second and final stage of the contest amidst terrific applause. The contest throughout furnished many surmises as two of the most fancied candidates viz. Pottier and Petit-Breton, failed to finish the course, although e first-named put in some marvellous ridfn?d" ring the first tart of the race The ultimate winner turned up in lift thur Vanderstuyft, of rode magnificently, and beat all P iev ??" s _ human-paced records, covering 943 kilo metres 666 metres, as against the pre vious best of 852 kilometres. R®" 1 ” nacu who finished second, is certainly a cinung champion, and sure to make a name for himself in the near future.