Cycling.

Free Lance, Volume IV, Issue 197, 9 April 1904, Page 21

Cycling.

The cycling championship meeting, held in Christchurch on Saturday, the. 26th March, was somewhat marred by the disqualification of Sutherland and R. Connell the former for one event, and the latter for the balance of the mtetmg. In the opinion of the officials the riders mentioned were instrumental in bringng down R. Arnst, who had his collarbone broken and also slight concussion. Both his brothers are also laid up with accidents. A German lady motorist, Mdme. dv Gast has entered a car for the German e.immating contest, to decide the Got-don-Bennett team. This wealthy lady last year started in the disastrous Paris-Madrid automobile race, and made fast time until she gave up the contest to attend to some of the injured motorists along the route. The colours of the competing cars in the 1904 Gordon-Bennett Race, to be held on the 17th July next, are : —England, green , Germany, white ; America, red; Belgium, yellow, France, blue, Italy, black , Switzerland has not yet selected its distinctive colour. Ivor Lawson, who came to Australia as team-mate with Floyd MacFarland, at the beginning of the season, and who had ridden with such conspicuous success m Melbourne and Sydney up to the time of his disqualification on the 17th February, left Sydney for San Francisco two weeks back, by the- Ventura. Prior to his departure, the Salt Lake City crack said . "After what has happened a lot of people have said that I wouldn't show up again, but I sha.ll, you bet. A disqualification might have occurred anywhere, and I'm not going to let that stop me." He also stated that there was no intention on his part to foul Taylor in the match race which brought about his disqualification. Lawson has been racing six years, is twenty-three years of age, scales list 101b, and stands sft lOin. He hopes to wrest the American ehampiosnh;p fiom Kramer this year, and also to win the world's mile championship. He won £360 during the three ana a-half months he was in Australia. Great interest is being taken in, Europe and America m the forthcoming Gordon-Bennett contest, the blue nbbon automobile race of the world. The course of this 1 year's race is considerably better than the Irish one over which the 1903 event was held. It will take place in Germany, and the course will be 86 i miles round. This circuit will be negotiated four times, so that the exact distance of the race will be 345 miles. The start takes place at Saalburg Castle, a few miles from Homburg. All traffic, including the train servioe over level crossings on the course, will be stopped on the day of the contest. Eight countries will be represented by three cars each. Is hill climbing injurious? Under this query an English cycling journalist gives the following advice. "Let me say that riding up hills of an ordinarynature is purely a knack. It can only be acquired by practice. For this reason novices should mike a point of r dinor up all the moderate hills they cai. The great rule to remember is Keep the ball of the foot upon the pedal aid ankle properly, so that the power is applied fairly evenly for about twothirds of the complete pedal revolution. Steer straight, and do not pull at the handles until you are positively compelled to do so." News is to hand from America of the big annual motoring speed meet on the Orinond-Daytona Beach (Florida). It is the finest motor track in the world, and when the tide is out the course is fifteen miles long. The tournament resulted in several new world's records, the most marvellous performances being those of the American sporting millionaire, W. K. Vanderbift, jun., who, m his ninety-horse power "Mercedes^" covered the mile, from a flying start, in the almost incredible time of 39sec, a speed of over ninety miles an hour. Vanderbilt also established the following records : — Five miles, in 3mm 31 3-sth sec; ten miles, in 6min 50seo; twenty miles, in 17min 2sec ; thirty miles ux 24min llsec; forty miles, in 33min 53 2-sth sec ; fifty miles, in 40mm 49 4-sth sec. The average speed for the fifty miles was 73i miles, and 87 miles during the ten miles record. The racers had to turn in their tracks in all races over ten miles. The One Mile American Championship was won by Barney Oldfield, on a Winton, Vanderbilt being second. Time, 43sec, from a slow start. Arthur Smyth, the well-known New South Wales amateur pace followei , has placed the world's 10 miles amateur paced record to his credit. Smyths time is 15min 53 2-sth sec. This is an, Australian record and a very fine ride fqr a sixteen-stone-weight rider, but it is not a world's record. This honour is held by G. A. Olley (England), who last May rode ten miles from a standing start on, the Crystal Palace track (London) in 15min 46 2-sth sec. The professional world's record for the same distance is also held by an English rider, the credit being to W. T. Hall, who has covered the distance in llmin 29 2-sth sec.

The proprietors ot a well-known English cycling journal have started a novel competition, which promises to arouse a large amount oi excitement amongst cyclists. It is nothing less than a search for a safety bicycle. In each issue of the paper appears two photographs of a stretch of roadway. No description is given whatever of the locality of the views, the rider having to recognise the spots, and thus trace his way to a certain hotel away in the country, where he must apply to the proprietor for an order on a firm of cycle manufacturers to deliver up a high grade machine. The views as they appear will lead the rider neaier and nearer to the goal until the final clve — no doubt, a view of the inn, or rather a part of it — is given.