Speed-Cycling on Road and Track

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 542, 20 December 1928, Page 18

Speed-Cycling on Road and Track

.By

"CYCLOS."

Monday an Off Evening The Manukau Club’s two races staged on the Domain last Monday evening did not meet with the support which has favoured the numerous meetings staged during the season on Wednesday evenings. Only nine competed in the one-mile B grade event, which saw G. J. "Whitehouse race home for another good victory. He packs a good finishing sprint. Jack Wade, off scratch, clinched the half-mile A class in a poor field of four. House Cup Race Last evening saw the last of the Domain meetings to be staged this year. It is expected that the midweek races will commence again about the rnidle of next January, when most cyclists will have shaken off that tired holiday feeling. The Manukau Club intends to hold its five-mile handicap for the House Cup toward the end of next month. Last year this trophy was clinched by .T. IT. "Wade. Whatawhata Sports It appears that the Whatawhata sports to be staged on New Year’s Day will be again favoured with a good muster of the Manukau amateurs. Already nearly a dozen of these cyclists have sent in their entries. It is quite definite that Auckland’s crack trio in Wade, Casey, and Whitten will be competing, and these three should, among themselves, provide some good racing. There are six cycle events on the programme, and the entries for these close with Mr. G. C. A. Gould, of Whatawhata, on the 26tli of this month.

(The Karekare Trio Amateur wheelmen who are anticipating the tour to Karekare next week-end are showing a heap of enthusiasm about the venture, and there is no reason why the stunt should not be brought off very successfully. Club captain Casey will *be “0.C.” of the party. Many intead camping overnight, while the less hardy, not lured to the same extent by the open-air life, will find good accommodation close to the beach. “Cyclos” had the painful experience of motoring over the Kare kar© Road last week-end. The bumpy state of the road makes the journey a nightmare for motorists, but cyclists should have no trouble in choosing good tracks, and thus make the run quite pleasant. The steep hill leading down to Karekare is chockful of dangerous and sharp bends, and “Cyclos” will not be at all surprised to learn that the majority of the riders making the trip will drag large clumps of scrub behind to break the way before reaching the bottom. Once at Karekare, however, the beauty andquietness, the ocean beach, and the large range of entertainment and recreation available, makes the place really worth while, and the council is quite forgiven for the neglect of the road which leads to one of the beauty spots of the West Coast.^ The powerful Frenchman, Jacques Nagel, who raced at the Sydney sports ground some years ago, will again be competing at the opening meeting on December 22. * « * The 50-miles national bicycle record of Australia, of 2lir Omin 32sec, held by Leon Meredith since 1922, was reduced by L. Cave late in October to lhr 57min 13sec. * * * At the last meeting of the New Zealand Council, several applications for reinstatement came from riders residing in Timaru. The home of professional cycling for many years, Timaru is at present the centre of a good deal of activity toward placing amateur athletics on a sound footing. One of the leaders in the movement to promote amateur cycling is a rider named Eastwood. Although an ex-amateur, the council felt that in granting Eastwood’s application for reinstatement they would be assisting in fostering the sport. Standen and Gould Jack Standen and Jerry Gould competed in the 50 kilometres teams race held at the Goulburn sports ground two weeks ago. As this was the first meeting between Standen and Gray since their return from the Olympic Games, there was a record attendance of the public. Gray, who was teamed up with a Goulburn rider, Mclntyre, was Standen’s toughest opponent, and in the first sprint of the evening, to the delight of the Goulburnites, Gray defeated Standen brilliantly, but in every other sprint Standen manoeuvred to get in front of Gray when the sprint commenced, and collected the honours in every case. In the final sprint of the evening, Standen was unable to take part owing to machine trouble, with the result that his partner, Gould, was compelled to compete against fresh men. Gray won the final sprint with ease, but his team finished up six points behind the StandenGould combination. * * * On the Boards Sydney cycling enthusiasts have had their first taste of board track racing. Hundreds rode out tb Canterbury last Sunday week for a try-out on the new velodrome. The enthusiasm of riders and spectators alike was remarkable, and one left the ground with a vivid impression of a fascinating sport which is certain to boom if the promoters maintain their policy of good, clean racing. Even at this early stage many riders showed outstanding form, and it is evident that training has been taken seriously since the track was mooted. Among those on the track were Grant Pye, Les Hammond, Bill Leathern (New Zealand), Jimm Berr, L. K. Smith, Joe Seruise, Jerry Gould, Jack and Len Standen, and scores of other notables.