Entries For Class Road Race Close Soon

Chronicle (Levin), 15 September 1948, Page 2

Entries For Class Road Race Close Soon

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Junior riders are reminded that entries close on September 27 for the 50-mile classic road race Otaki to Wellington. The training ride held at the weekend saw riders covering a distance of some 30 miles to Paraparaumu and back. A member of the Nelson Ciub was a visitor and rode off scratch with D. Smith. ■ Riders and their handicaps were as fdllows: — D. Smith and J. Williams, scr.; A. Brooks, P. Roach an-d G. Julius, 1^ mins.; T. Searancke and B. Walsh, 4 mins.; T. Mathie and M. Jones, 6 mins.; B. Bartosh, D. Dakin, W. Waish ,and R. Best, 9 mins.; F. Dakin, J. Hodgetts and M. Meredith, 14 mins. The result was Hodgetts (1 hr. 21 mins. 5 secs) 1, Meredith (1 hr. 21 mins. 7 secs.) 2, F. Dakin (1 hr. 24 'mins. 30 secs.) 3, W. Walsh (1 hr. 19 mins. 31 secs.) 4. Fastest time was returned by the two scratch men, J. Wiiliams shadmg D. Smith by 1-5 of a second in 1 hr. 12 mins. 45 secs., Smith returning 1 hr. 12 mins. 45 1-5 secs. Third fastest time went to A. Brooks (1 hr. 13 mins. 17 'secs.) with B. Walsh next (1 hr. 16 mins. 46 secs.) . Jones and Roach encountered machine trouble early, Jones being unable to continue, but Roach set out after the scratch men and rode strongly throughout. At the turn Hodgetts just shaded F. Dakin and Meredith, with Best, Bartosh and D. Dakin in hot pursuit. Searancke and B. Walsh were riding strongly next, with Mathie,. who had a hard ride on his own all the way, following closely. Then came Brooks, Smith and Wiiliams, who were picking up time on the limit men and work•ing togetiier well. Julius was last to turn, having broken a toe strap. On the run home through Te Horo, Hodgetts was hoiding on ,tg,. the lead from- Meredith, who was riding extra well on his roadster, with F. Dakin and W. Walsh closing the gap on the leaders. The scratch men were workng hard over the homeward run and on y just failed to gather the limit men in. Hodgetts pedalled game'.y throughout and his win was popular, with the runner-up, Meredith, also due for some credit. F. Dakin again had to be content with a place, just failing. W. Walsh dropped his co-markers and was right up fourth, with the scratch bunch dlose behind. Wiiliams and Smith rode wheel for wheel over the last 100 yards, the visitor preVailing by a tyre from the local boy, who on this occasion rode realiy well with someone in his own class to assist him. B. Walsh was only two fifths of a second behind these riders, going Ivery strongly, closely attended by D. Dakin and Best, who finished together fuil of running after a strenuous ride. Next in line came Brooks, who could be considered the unlucky one, losing both his co-markers through machine trouble, and Searancke, who came home well. Mathie and Bartosh both had hard rides, especially the former, who rode the whole trip 011 his own, a realiy good effoi't. Julius and Roach botlx encountered trouble, but comp'.eted the run. All the riders are training in earnest and with both senior 100mile and junior 50-mile classics drawing near, longer trainng rides are being carried out.