ROAD CYCLING.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 238, 8 October 1928, Page 16

ROAD CYCLING.

TIMARU-CHRISTCHURCH RACE ARNST FIRST MAN HOME. PROTEST AGAINST WINNER DISMISSED.

(By Telegraph—Press Association.) CHRIS TOHUROH, Saturday. A traditional nor'-wester prevailed for the Timaru-Christchurch road cycle race to-day. There were many patches of loose shingle, from which clouds of dust rose, on parts of the road between Ashburton and Christchurch. The limit men left sharp to time at 9.5 a.m., and it was 3.25 p.m. when the winner finished at Christchurch, to the accompaniment of a burst of cheering. The winner was B. W. Arnst, who won the big pmateUr road race last Saturday, but was disqualified for allegedly accepting a motor pace. In the race to-day he could find no one who would ride fast enough to please him, and for practically the whole journey he rode alone. He is a young rider, who may become as prominent as his famous uncles, Jack and Dick Arnst, were in their day. The fastest time was made by S. W. McCann (New Plymouth), who, like Arnst, had to make his own pace. Turning into Lincoln Rqad he showed an amazing burst of speed, 27 miles an hour, to ride in alone in fifth place. Of the 99 entrants, 88 faced the starter.

The placings of the first six men home were:— B. W. Arnst (handicap 40m), 6b 12m 49s .. . 1 M. Pass (50m), 6h 27m 0s 2 A. C, Hill (37m), 6h 14m 12s 3 H»~ Crofts' (50m), 6h 27m 13s 4 S. W. McCann, New Plymouth (scr), 5h *•' 38m 465, and fastest time 5 B. C. Pedley, Palmerston North (37m), 6h 15m 55s 6 The next six men were:—C. W. Mills 11m 575; M. Griggs (50m), 6h 30m 42e; C. Austin (scr), 5h 42m 17s; H, W. i Birch (38m), 6h 22m 265; B. W. Hubbard, Ashburton (50m), 6h 35m 17s; 'W. M. Gooch, Hokitika (38m), 6h 24m 295. Immediately after the finish a protest was lodged- against Arnst by Fass, on ; the ground that he entered for the race after entries' were closed. The protest was dismissed. Dense clouds of dust, raised by a fall force nor'-west gale in places, and a sun that was burning hot, made the race an ordeal for the riders, many of- whom preferred to do the last fifty miles in motor cars. From the start interest centred in the doings of Arnst, who started off the 40m mark. At Templeton he Cleared, out from the bunch to ride a lone race. - The crowd at Templeton cheered him as he rode through like a champion at twenty miles an hour, fresh as a daisy.. His burst from the bunch wits more marvellous than few great finish in the hundred-mile amateur event on the previous Saturday. .Motors, sprayed him with dust through Islington and Sockburn, and from there he passed through long lanes '6f cars and cheering people,.to the Show Grounds, never for a moment relaxing the strenuous pace he had set himself from; Templeton. He pedalled into the Show Grounds: to the accompaniment of rounds of cheering. Shortly after Arnst, Fass came into the grounds, twelve yards ahead of. Croft and Bill. Fass held his, place,\ but Hill beat Croft by a length in a-final spurt. After an tnteryal, came .McCann (with the fastest time) who passed the judge fifty yards ahead of Pedley.