Speed-Cycling on Road and Track

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 144, 8 September 1927, Page 8

Speed-Cycling on Road and Track

By

"VELOS."

Next Saturday will be a red-lette • lay for the sport of cycling in Auck land. The New Zealand 50-mile ama tour road championship will take plac at Alexandra Park trotting groun starting at 2.15 p.m. The route i through Papakura to Cleveland an< back, the finishing line being on th grass trotting track in front of the bis stand. At Mangere the 25-mile pro fessionul road championship will l 1 decided. The route is from Manger Bridge to Black Bridge, four time round the Mangere course, finishing ; the Mangere Bridge starting point. Tt li.cH will be started at 2.30 p.m. shar: •»:i Saturday were well supported fc riders, the Auckland Cycle Club estat li*hing a record. Three new ridei joined the club and also took part i the races during the afternoon. Thi made the number of starters durin the afternoon 24 as against the prev oils best 21. The course was in fairl good order, but the pothoies in place were if anything against fast times. DWIGHT AND PRIOR IN FORM The principal events, the. Manuka Cycling Club’s 22-mile time trial, anthe Auckland Cycling Club’s 14-mil of»en event, were both good races. I] the former, H. Dwight, the winner, pu up jl very attractive performance, whil Prank Prior put up the best unpacei ride seen at Mangere this season i] the latter. The seven-mile consolation race, rui by the Auckland Cycling Club, provei ■ t easy thing for G. Reid. Starting of the 3ni mark with Davis and Mat thews, he soon had their measure, ant leaving them, picked up J. Dean, whi was on the limit 3m 30s. Thes> two set a good pace and were neve caught. Reid winning as he liked. Tin jack men, which included Henderson scratch, never had a look in. Tin ibird rider home was J. Roth-well, 3m who missed his bell, starting 30s later Had this mistake not occurred, tin result might have been different. Jin Henderson, scratch, won fastest tinn prize, riding the journey alone in 2ln 30s. He must have enjoyed the ride as he came out straight away an< started in the open event. A “MORAL” FOR PELHAM The 14-mile open handicap wai looked upon as a moral Lor H. Pelham who had the liberal allowance of 4m He was well placed right through tin race, and not knocking himself abou too much in the matter of pacing, rai home an easy winner, looking round l lurry P. is going to be hard righ through this season, as he possesses i good finishing kick. Sixteen rider; competed in this event.

I-'. Blythe, the runner-up to Pelham, just managed to get up in the last few yards to secure second place. He has been a regular performer in the club’s races this season, hut has not had too much luck. IZi rly in the season he scored a good win, but up till Saturday he had no. again run in the money. Rickman, who ran third, has had a first and a third to his credit so far tins season. He is a rider that gave promise of becoming something out • *t' the ordinary early in the season, but lie went right off his form, and is only just getting some of it back. Frank Prior, scratch, the w/nnor of fastest time, put up a great unpaced ride. Losing Slater Hayes, scratch, early in the race, he rode on his own the whole of the journey, doing the distance ■roughly 13£ miles —tit an average speed of over 22j miles an hour. Frank P. is very well at present. ■ nil must be heard in the big events to be decided shortly. r. r-rior “Slater” Hayes had the bad luck to break his chain shortly after starting in the big race. The mishap occurred when Hayes was leading Prior, and it was a sheer bit of luck Prior did not come down. He lost some valuable seconds waiting on Hayes, who, however, could not carry on. MANUKAU CLUB'S EVENTS The 22-mile time trial and sealed handicap event attracted 29 starters. The race was me of the fastest seen at Mangere. The winner, H. Dwight, mac< • race i t the opposition, winning i lm 27s up his sleeve. Riders start at one minute intervals in order of merit. Byrnes, the first rider away, gained 7s on the field in the first lap. but when the second lap had gone, it was seen that H. Dwight had not only gained on him, but was sure to pick him up. This he did in the third lap, when Byrnes pulled out. Coir.g _>n, and riding strongly, Dwight had no trouble in winning by the margin above, in the good time of 60m 15s for the 22* miles. By his ride on Saturday, H. Dwight proves that he is in a class by himself as an unpaced rider. The Manukan Club should now have their minds relieved about the I’a-pakura time trial event. Res Wilson, who finished second, had bad luck to strike the winner, Dwight, riding so well. Wilson’s performance was not unexpected, as he is the class of rider that enjoys these heart-break-ing grinds on his own. In the New Zealand 50, to be decided on Saturday, Res \V. may be seen to better advantage.

The winner of the sealed handicap, R. Capp, has been a competitor at Mangere most of the season, but with the exception of a third to his credit, has not been prominent. Saturday’s win was well deserved, as he rode hard and finished all out. Second place was won by H. Dwight. K. Rowe appears for the first time in the prize list, and should congxaturn two third prizes in the one race. He ran third in the time trial, beating such seasoned performers as J. Wade and C. Galbraith by four seconds and was also third in the sealed handicap. The Manukau Amateur Cycling Club should see to it that pacing each other in any shape or form in time trial events is severely dealt with. In Saturday's race it was common talk that ona prominent rider had paced another for close on two miles. Eddie Grant, one of the founders of the Manukau Cycling Club, and one of its staunchest supporters, is lying seriously ill. Grave fears are entertained for his recovery. The latest .report gives his condition as showing a slight irnprovememt. ROSE’S GOOD WIN The 11-mile junior event result was a popular win for A. Rose, 3m 30s. He has been placed second on more than one occasion this season., but Saturday’s was his first win. K. Keene, 4m 30s, finished second, some six lengths away, and that consistent performer, S. Lichfield, lm, was third. Both S. Lichfield and D. Hope put up sterling performances, pacing unselfishly right through the race. SATURDAY'S BIG RACES The New Zealand 50-mile amateur .road championship, to be decided next Saturday, will be the biggest race of its kind held in Auckland for years. The entry of 24 is a fairly representative one, including both Canterbury ;nd Wellington’s best road riders. Those who have chances of winning the coveted blue ribbon are as follows: L. G. Lukey. Canterbury, M. P. Byrnes, Auckland, W. Carswell, Wellington, on the scratch mark, and should there be any “arguing the point” re pacing amongst the back division, H. Dwight and C. G. Galbraith, both of Auckland, should be hard to beat on the 4m mark. Les Wilson, on the 8m mark, should provide the ultimate winner of the race, but the limit It* minutes in 50 miles is a big hurdle for the back markers to take on, with such seasoned riders as Russell, Steen, Foubister and Co. riding at the top of their farm.

The race for the New Zealand championship medal should be fought out between Byrnes, Auckland, Lukey, Canterbury, and Carswell, Wellington. The 25-milo professional road championship of Auckland will be decided next Saturday on the Mangere course. The entry is a particularly good one, comprising the pick of Auckland’s pedallers. The following riders must all be given chances:—Frank Prior, who has shown remarkable form in his last ride, and who should win. A. (“Putty”) White, who has been the most consistent performer at Mangere this season in the Auckland Cycling Club’s events.

Jerry Mathieson, who, if the race is run to suit him, will take.* a power of beating. Slater Hayes, Auckland’s scratch rider of last year, will also be hard. He can be depended on to ride an honest race.

J. Hareourt, Hamilton, if he can reproduce his last year’s track racing form, should be the best sprinter in the race. He has had a bad attack of the “flu,” which may interfere with his riding.

A. Sutherland, winner of last year’s Hamilton- Auckland race, and championship, can be depended on to put up a good ride. He is well at present, and the longer distance will suit him.

Three riders—any one of them being capable of springing a surprise—Dave Story, A. Brennan and J. Henderson must be given a chance. The two former will be dangerous in a slow r -run race. • • * The winner should be found in Frank Prior or “Putty” White. WATSON BEATS O’SHEA Clarrie Austin, South Island road champion, rode the race of his life when he beat Phil O’Shea and Harry Watson in the 36-mile South Island championship recently. Watson and O’Shea were teaming, but Austin by sheer speed beat both of them to the finishing line in a remarkable finish. Inches separated the three riders.

N. Gilroy, individual road champion of the New South Wales Cyclist Union, has seceded to the professional ranks, and celebrated the change by beating Ken. Ross and L. Morgan off scratch for fastest time. His joining up with the cash ranks will add interest to the big events to be held shortly.

A race of considerable interest to cyclists is the Goulbourn-Sydney. to be held on September 17. In this race amateurs and professionals will compete together. The prize lists are of course very different. In the professionals the first prize is £4O and £5 gold medal. For the amateurs it is a £7 10s open order and a B. and B. special racing cycle. The entries for the race are 9S professionals and 100 amateurs.