RACE ROUND EGMONT

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 803, 25 October 1929, Page 14

RACE ROUND EGMONT

SATURDAY’S CYCLING CLASSIC McCANN-WATSON DUEL LIKELY (Special to TUB SUN) NEW PLYMOUTH, Today. Next Saturday will see the Blue Riband of oad cycling in New Zealand competed for, when the round-the-mountain race takes place, and the roads in the district are alive with hopeful aspirants for the title—and the money. Local riders, will, of course, figure very largely, and they should have a big say in the result. McCann, the present champion, who made fastest time in the Timaru-Christchurch ride recently, gave another fine performance last Saturday, when he put up fastest time in the race round Inglewood, covering the 275 miles in lh 8m 1C 1-ss, knocking about two minutes off the previous record. McCann is riding better than ever, and should take a lot of beating next Saturday. Harry Watson, the Christchurch crack, who has twice put up fastest

time in the mountain race, is riding well and it is quite on the cards that he will turn the tables on McCann. Others on the scratch mark are Bellringer and L. Hill (Christchurch), but it is probable they will find the other pair a bit too much class for them.

It. is noticeable that this season local riders are further back in the handicaps than has been the case before, n testimony to the improved standard in this district. With the very high-class field this

year—it is easily the best yet;—the time recorded should show a further improvement. Ever since the race was inaugurated the time has been coming down. The first race over the present course took place in 1912, when N. NVadman put up the fastest time of 5 hr. 54m. Last year N. Bellringer went round in 4hr 29m—an hour and 25 minutes better. Only once during the series has the time failed to better the previous record, in JD27, when C. Parker, battling against heavy head winds, took 4hr 43m against the previous year’s 4hr 37m. A good deal of the improvement is due, of course, to better road surfaces, but the riding is undoubtedly better too. All the arrangements for the race are now complete, and if hard work and experience count, there should be mighty little wrong.