CYCLING CLASSIC

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 779, 27 September 1929, Page 15

CYCLING CLASSIC

ROUND THE MOUNTAIN TARANAKI’S BIG ROAD RACE (Special to TUB SUB) XEW PLYMOUTH, Today. There is tribulation in Canterbury—the acknowledged home ol’ cycle-rac-ing in Mew Zealand. And the reason is that this year the road- racing championship of the Dominion has been transferred from the Timaru-Christ-church race to Taranaki’s Round-the-Mountain contest. Instituted in 1911, this race is contested over what is probably the most picturesque course south of the line, completely encircling the towering white cone of Mount Egrnont in its 100 miles of beautiful, tarred roadway. After leaving tho starting-point at New Plymouth the course runs south along the coast, running in places almost down to the sea beach. Near Okato, the course leaves the coast to cut off the long point of Cape Egrnont, and runs down to the sea again at Opunake, one© a centre of military activity during the fierce fighting of the sixties. Tlcre the course swings east to Kaponga, over the famous "VVaimate Plains, through some of the best dairying country in the Dominion. Eltham comes next, and then high and breezy Stratford, somewhere about I,oooft above the sea. Inglewood marks tho turn westward to the sea again, and from here the riders soon run into view of Paritutu, tho lofty landmark of tho port of Hew Plymouth. A dozen miles of switchback road, through beautiful country, and the finishing point on Hew Plymouth Racecourse is reached. The race has always attracted good class riders, and this year, with the championship of the Dominion as an added attraction, the pick of the country's road riders will probably turn out. S. McCann, who holds the Dominion championship at present, is a local rider, and last year put up the fastest time, going round in 4hr 27min. It would seem that, despite the reputed decadence of the modern youth, the standard of cycle-racing, at any rate on the road, gets steadily higher. Each year sees improvement in the times returned. Some of this improvement, of course, may be due to better road surfaces, better organisation, and so on, but tho greater part of it is due to better riding and better physical condition. „ , 0 , . Though the day of the race, Satui - dav October 26. is still over a month away, the roads in the butter-fat province are already alive morning evening’ with little groups of scantilyclad cyclists “getting down to it” very earnestlv. And one fears that on many a farm Strawberry is getting a little less attention than is her just due. KAIKOHE CLUB * From. Our Own Correspondent KAIKOHE, Today. I The Kaikohe Cycle Club held its fortnightly road race yesterday. There was a slight cross wind, and tire wea. flier was fine. The distance was 1-5 miles along tho Whangarei Road. There was a good attendance of spectators, who witnessed an exciting firdsh, with the second rider two-fifths of a second away, the three placed men j being off scratch. __ T The four placed men were A* . Hynson i (serif, 37min Bsee. 1: L. Roberts .(scr.), i r>- T v,in < 2; F. Lisenhut (scr.), UuSin 2sSee; 3; and O. Hows (tmin