WITH THE WHEELMEN

Evening Star, Issue 22145, 27 September 1935, Page 4

WITH THE WHEELMEN

CYCLING NEWS AND NOTES [By P.ISTOL.] Fixtures. September 28.—New Zealand 100mile amateur road cycling championship (Palmerston North-Wellington). October s.—Waimate-Christchurch professional road race. October 12.—Tour of Southland (145inilo amateur race). Cycling at Olympics. The cycling events at the Olympics in 1936 are as follow:—1,000 m., standing start, time trial; 1,000 m., heats and final, scratch race; 2,000 m., tandems, heat and final; team race, 4 km. pursuit race of national teams (four riders). These events will be decided from August 6 to 8. Road race will be on August 10, 100 km. (62.14 miles), one team of six riders per nation.

Big Road Race. The Waimate to Christchurch road race, tin cycling classic of the Dominion, will be held on October 5 under the control of the North Canterbury Centre of the New Zealand Athletic, Cycling, and Axemen’s Union. The event, which has in the past attracted entries from all over the Dominion, is to be run over a course of 145 miles. This is the longest cycling race held in New Zealand, and will carry the title of New Zealand road championship. Several champions have been brought out in this important race, among them being Phil O’Shea, the greatest road rider the Dominion has produced; Harry Watson, who represented New Zealand in the Victorian Centenary Thousand, and was second in the New Zealand 50-mile championship a fortnight ago; Dick and Jack Arnst, “ Smiler ” Smith, and other famous riders. The race was first held in 1899. A comprehensive prize list has been drawn up. The winner and the fastest time will obtain the blue ribbon in addition to a substantial cash prize.

Chocque Does Well. Paul Chocque, the Frenchman, who visited Australia last year with _ Fernand Mithouard and Nino Borsari, the Italian, made an impressive first appearance in the Tour de France road race, recently completed says the ‘ Sporting Globe ’). Although he had a fall and was sick going over the mountain stages, he managed to

finish into fourth position on the final stage—ahead of the official team and other French “individuals.” In the “ general classification ” he was 31st in a field of 96, of whom only 46 finished. Bad Luck. Dunedin cycling followers will sympathise with Maurice Patterson, the 17-year'-old Otago amateur 50-mile champion, in the bad luck be had in. the ‘‘ Round the Gorges ” race at Christchurch last Saturday. The Christchurch * Press ’ says that Patterson looked a likely dinner soon after the turn for home, but he punctred at Rolleston. Patterson was off the lOmin mark. F. J. Grose, the present South Island amateur 50-mile champion and Empire Games representative, won his sixth fastest time and the Canterbury title, finishing 19th from scratch, his time for the 100-mile journey being 4h 37min 9sec. After 10 years of racing Grose is still a , champion, and his time was barely 7min outside the record he established in 1930. The winner was W. J. M‘Dowell, who was off the 35miu mark. Ha won by barely a wheel from R. W. Rondel, who was off the 40min mark.. A. J. Lancaster secured second fastest time, and I. J. Taylor (who gained second fastest time in the South Island 50-mile at Invercargill) put up third fastest time.