CYCLE CLASSIC

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 775, 23 September 1929, Page 7

CYCLE CLASSIC

DWIGHT WINS FIFTY MILES' RACE AUCKLAND CHAMPIONSHIP By scoring fastest time in the big road race from Epsom to Clevedon and back on Saturday, H. R. Dwight becomes Auckland provincial 50-miles’ amateur champion cyclist for the season 1929. i Thirty riders faced the Manukau . Amateur Cycling Club’s starter at the i Sir John Logan Campbell statue at 2 p.m., the limit men leaving at 2.1 p.m.. I and the scratch riders 2 3 minutes later. I W. Clarke and R. L. Francis'were the j ' two first off the mark, and then fol- j : lowed C. V. Carden. A. AV. Mackrell, C. Hansen and L W. Roberts. I6min 1 ilosec: AV. Borland, A. C. Steen. X. Casey and C. L. Russell. 13min 40sec; J. Leather, J. C. Stewart, H. Russell' land G. P. Clarke, lOmin 40sec; C. i ; Francis, G. J. AYhitehouse and S. Baird, Smin 40sec: H. Borland. E. Hall anrl C. j G. Galbraith, Tmin 40sec; C. A. Clarke. X. Aidred and F. Taylor, smin 40sec; jF. J. Casey and D. Fletcher. 3min . SOsec. Then followed the scratch j riders, L. B. Roberts. A. Mackie, H. R. | Dwight. J. H. AA'ade and J. Whitten. YOUNG RIDERS’ RACE j The scratch riders set up a good ! steady pace to start with, and it was I some time before they caught sight of j the three minuters. Even the more- ! liberally handicapped lost no time in : covering the concrete strip to Papa- . kura. but once on the road to Cleve- ! don the scratch men began to show up j to advantage. A remarkable feature of the race was the fine effort put up I*’ the two limit riders, R L. Francis and AV. Clarke. Francis is only a junior i funder 16) and Clarke very little older, j They were the first round the half- | way' turn at Clevedon, and on the undulating metal road never fell below 21 : miles an hour. Clarke, a sturdily-built 1 man, was riding much the steadier , race at that stage, but Francis showed ! that he still had plenty of kick left | in him. WHITTEN PUNCTURES j ‘‘Jerry” Whitten, the holder of the I championship, who was defending the j blue sash, had the misfortune to pune- , turo a tyre when entering Papakura on the outward journey, and subsequently retired from the race. Clarke led his co-marker Clarke back into Papakura by half a wheel; the pair still being unheaded. Entering the concrete going again, Clarke and Francis settled down to a good solid bat of over 2# miles an hour. At Clevedoh the limit riders were 12*min ahead of the scratch men, but the latter began to take a hand in the race at that stage, and had closed up the gap considerably by the time Papakura was reached. The bunch bore down on the determined leaders and by the time Otahuhu was reached Francis and Clarke had had their leads reduced to half a mile. The youngsters were now visibly tiring, and at the foot of “Farmer’s Hill,” C. Francis, J. Leather and several others caught them up, and took the lead on the exacting pull to the top of the hill. The brilliant limit riders were only finally headed just over a mile from home. LEATHER WINS A thrilling finish was witnessed when J. Leather rode in about three lengths ahead of C. Francis, who, in turn, was followed by G. Clarke, WhitehouSe and Casey. Result: J. Leather (10m 40s) .... 1 C. Francis (8m 40s) .. .. 2 G. Clarke (10m 40s) .... 3 *G. AVhitehouse (8m 40s) .. 4 Fastest time. U. R. Dwight, 21i 15m 545. This breaks the record for the race by six seconds. The winner of the race secured a Farmers’ Trading Company Monarch Special racing cycle, the Fleetwing Shield, and a pair of cycling shoes. The fastest time was rewarded with the Blue Championship Sash, a medal donated by the Auckland Centre of the New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association and several other trophies*, SOUTH ISLAND CYCLING 36-MILE CHAMPIONSHIP Press Association CHRISTCHURCH, Saturday. Fifty-eight riders started in the 36miles South Island road cycling championship today, conducted by the Southbridge Athletic Club. The roads were good, but a strong easterly wind was blowing. The result was: H. W. Bennett (15m), 1; C. Bearman (10£m), 2; L. R. Poulsen (12m), 3. Fastest time: J. AV. Jordan, lh 38m 21s.