EXCITING ROAD RACE.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 652, 1 November 1909, Page 9

EXCITING ROAD RACE.

FROM TIMARU TO CHRISTCHURCH. WON' BY A SYDENHAM CYCLIST. SEVERAL MEN HURT. iDy Tolcsraph—Press Association Christchurch, October 30; : The; weather , was almost perfect for tho Ti-.maru-Christchureh Head Raco to-day. The 'sun was shilling bsightly when the race commenced, but the heat .was tempered by a light •north-easterly wind, and neither wind nor sun '.seriously inconvenienced competitors during the earlier .stages. Unfortunately,, however, the .wind increased in force towards noon, and after '•.crossing, the. Rangitata Bridge the competitors had to-plug steadily against it lor the remainder of the long journey. ■ Melville, Hill, the starting point, Vas crowded with spectators, and the competitors were dispatched well up to time. It was not until .Geraldme was reached that bunches of competitors were found, and hero L. H. l'oier (l'e,muka , A. 0. Walker (Wellington), F_ L. Knowles (Addington), W, Price (Belfast), and H. Gallotly (atjx) formed the first "school." lyre troubles were frequent up to this point, and quite a number, including A. G. Donald, J. Shand, W. Walsh, and J. Ready, experienced flat tyres;_ Another bunch/ consisting of fourMen middle-markers, was: noticed near Orari Bridge, gradually gaining on tho limit mon. In fact they had overtaken Ferry, of Dunedin, who .had .45 ,niuintes' start. J. M'Clure, of Syden- , nam, punctured his "tyre about this spot.

Initial Mishaps. As Ran ? itata was neared G. M'Gloin injured wL? « n ?V and ha £ to , pnll up for repairs. was entered-a largo .number of competitors found the going too '3 £ n i retlr ? d - ' ; s -, William!, of TemuKa, broke a rim,, which forced him to retire •also, and puiictnres wero numerous at this stage. • Between Mayfleld and Ashburton tho leading division encountered. The bunch ,£"??• ?, nd L at this particular' point included ■ Birch, P. O'Shea, LMaw, Moms, J. MTMcnie, Hulls, F. W. Crosv raan, W. Walsh, and F. R. Jones. Jones and in£?^n 9 i d T s tl?B P° rti6n ot :the pacing, and all were going at a very steadv n"ifin ty 6 / n d Ashburton at noon, : and a little later W. Goodall, who was with them, was accidentally knocked over through collidhis aaH' °6r cora P etitors > an( l sprained

The Arnst Brothers, ' leaders still had a tremendous break onj n nt- re r ° ?u C ri r Mare£t attend-" a w ? lsh i. Crossman, N. SS7®%' ' ■'/ r , D r s -'\, ~?• Pointon, J,.E. ■ f££ a l,M s '' f n , d .■ I f*' , who were about four lilies behind, ihe back markers in the meantime had been having, a .faitly bad pas*--age., Henderson punctured his tyre within two w ■ , of Tim " n > J , A rnst had a "blow out" after leaving lenmka, and, jnst after leaving Winchester, he. punctured a tyre; ' Both' accidents meant him ten minutes' delay. Henderson, who had been left on. the roadside, passod Arnst while he was repairing his tyre on the • second • oec.awn,-: but, 1 later, the two got together, _ and ■ it was to a" large extent' cine to Mi assistance that. Arast. made such ■ splendid • 3".,. Henderson obviously: was not <in. good condition, and he, retired. before. reaching Ashbnr«'n - .'Mehttens, who started on thb scratch marl with J. Arnst, came to grief hefore he arrived at Qeraldme. ,on _ "the big side," but : his cnorts d.urnig- the time n$ tvas racing, though spasmedie, were extremely useful to the bnnch ; : which; he '-After- cre&ihg Rakais. Brldye J. Anist, A, L." Smith, R.\(?odgcrs, and M«fcarrj rode within,.reasonable, diatanwof A. Dirck.tnd J. Coulter, who Tv«re both on the three-minute .mark.- At Sekyn ,the "lending division had dwindled down, to G: H; Birch, ,_?• ''M. Morris, : L. Maw, and -J. Al ieagne. They rode at a v-ery slow pace from this point to tho Plumpton' couriie. _• From .'orte o'clock onwards this afternoon tho Riccarton Road presented a most'animated ap. pcaranco, with hundreds of cyclists and scores of tramc&rs, all streaming towards Plijmpton Park, but- the strength of the ; easterly wind sufficed to banish all hopes of an early appear* 'ance of the racing, vanguard : There, was' an assemblage of fully 3000 present, and "the exoitcmont of the occaion .-was kejt keyed up to concert pitch until, at 3.45 vP.ui., it was announced, that the'leaders had reached the west, ern.gates of .the enclosure.:.' • • 1 . Tho Battle at the Finish. ■Vi T0 ;meil carrived in a 1 branoh in the. following order:—P. O'Shoa, L. Maw, G. Birch, 13. Mi Morris, ahd J. M'Teagiie. 'i'hpjj maintained positions. Wheel to wheel iiffo tho. course, and, alo'fig""lh'tTßack-stretch, fhey encountered the. full force of tho brisk'easterly, and; made .slotv; and painful progress; As a matter of - fact •, they . took : seven- minutes -to reach- tho winning .-post.-, Coming . into tho straight the . men , iiiade their last supremo effort. O'Shca then shot out of the ruck, and finished: :in brilliant fashion ■ - twenty- yards "ahead 'of -Maw, , who, in turn,' beat Birch- by a bare' length. ' Morris finished fifteen-yards behindßirch. Tho crowd immediately"-, rushed tho'/track, _ and the winner 'was -carried- off shoulder high, and wi\s loudly cheered by 'tho assemblage.-; "W.- Hill .finished , alone -a few minutes Inter, followed shortly afterwards by P.:W- Crossman, W. Walsh, and W. J. Gar-, rett. . Little groups now appeared at odd in-' tervals,-but' it was fally an hour before a substantial majority - of tho. field - was accounted for.- \ , ' Birch' (32 minutes) was tho only one of tho back-markers to run into a position,- but: the redoubtable "Jack". - Arnst . (scratch), who gained.twelfth place, put up. the fastest time, 6■, hours Mi minutes. •- O'Snea's (45 minutes) riding time' .was' 7hrs. 1 6min. 55sec., L. Maw (39mit>.)j : 7hrs. Omin. 2Gsee., -'G/ Birch- (32min.); 6hrv;s3min. ;57sec.; E. Morris (45min,), fh'rs.' Gmin; 57sec.'i 0. M'Teague • (37min.), 6hrs. 58 min., 58sec. ; -E.\ Wi. Hill (3Smin.), 7hrs- 3min. 20990.; -W. Cro'sSman (34min.), 6hrs. ;.54min; . ; 'The.,-order of: finishing of . the ' first twenty.nine men was as follows:— , . \.

P. .O'Shea (Sydenham), 1. ' L. Mtiir (Dunedin), 2.' ,G. H. Birch (Fendalton), 3. E. M. Morris (Kaiapoi), 4. y. . 1 ; J-. MTeague (Halswell), 5. . ;E. W. Hill (Hoeraki), 6. . i .P. F..Crossman (Hinds), 7. i T. W.'Walsh, (Papanui), 8. I \ W. G./Garrett (A.3hbiirton), 9. - M. M. Teagno (Snreydon), 10. | A B. L. Smith ,(Waikari), 11; J. Arnst | (Chnstchurch), 12; \A. Birch (Fendalton), 13; IJ. Coulter (Palmerston North), H; A. 33. | Parkcs (Hunterville),' 15; H. Edwards (Hals-' I iroll), ■■■ 16;. T.' Coleman: (Marshlands), 17; A. Humm .(Spreydon), 18 ;."W. Harris, (Waikiwi); 19; P. Hill (Addington), 20; L'. Galletly (Styx). I 21;." W- Broad (Invercargill), 22; T. J. Doran | (New, Brighton), 23; W. Arnst (Papanni), 24; |.D. Flfmagan' i Ctieeston), 25; J. Carnegie (Dun«iin), .26; J., : E. M'Carthy (Christchurch), 27; A. G. Donald (Palmerston North), 28; C. Hill (Papanni), 28. . . -The fakest times recorded were as follow:— J. Arast, Bhrs. 31mm. 25$ cc.; A. Birch, 6hrs. ;37min'. 25 2-54ec.; J. Coulter, '6hrs. 37min. 'ioMo./ E. Badger*, 6hrs. llmin. 25 3-sseo.; A. B. Smith; fihrs.iltain. 255e0.; A. Hunuh, 6hrs. 44min.; 2G i-sste.; G. H. Birch, (ihrs. 53min. sjsee. iIL M'jßiagne,, 6hrs. 55min. 38see.; N. J. j Garrett, ;6hrs. i>9min.', 37 3-sseo.; J,. M*Teagne, 6hrs. 58min. 58sec. . The prizes ■ for fastest time are as yet unawardea, as the league Is •hoMing an inquiry into some alleged irregularities.

Ambulance Services. - In conncction with tho raco bix divisions of St. John Ambulance Brigade were stationed at various parts of the route, ; and did excellent wtork m attending to cyclists who were Kurt by falls from their machines. „ A considerable number of cases were treated, inbroken .collarbone and'broken rib .aid a_. caso, of supposed rupture. But for a flood in the Sclwyn Eivcr preventing, motorcars .operating south of that river, the ambulance men would have been able to do milch more in assisting those, injured. A motor cyclist patrol also did good service in many of the Oases dealt with. . On the arrival of «mtostiii)t3 at Plumpton Park; one cyclist, D.. Flanoghan, is reported to have been thrown ;off his machine, and to have turned a somersault in the .process.' As a result he sustained brttisos about the shoulders, hands, ankles, and elbows. • . : ,