CYCLING BREAKAWAY

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 873, 17 January 1930, Page 7

CYCLING BREAKAWAY

WELLINGTON VIEW OF AUCKLAND TROUBLE OTHER CENTRES DISSATISFIED Special to THE SUN * WELLINGTON, Thursday. The generally expressed wish of Auckland cyclists to break away from the New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association has given the council of that body cause for furious thought, and delegates are keen to find a solution of the present difficulty without losing the affiliation of cyclists, but so far the problem has proved difficult of solution. The Auckland people are anxious to form a separate body and, in doing so, to take with them all the other cycling clubs and associations in the Dominion. It is stated that the newly-formed Auckland cycling body has been granted affiliation with the L'nion Cycliste International, which might allow it to become the controlling authority for cycling in the Dominion, though members of the council declare that the affiliation is only as a club and does not give it any authority as a governing body. It has now been decided that the N.Z. A. A.A., as the controlling authority of amateur cycling in the Dominion, shall itself apply for affiliation with the Union Cycliste International, and if this is granted it is expected that the Auckland body will be very much in the air. It is understood that the application will be dealt with at a conference to take place in Paris early next month. MEETING OF CYCLISTS CALLED At last Tuesday’s meeting of the New Zealand Council the matter came up for further discussion, and it was decided to ask the Wellington Centre to call a meeting of all cyclists interested in the matter. The recent action of the Port Nicholson Cycling Club in seeking to link up with the Auckland body has been held up by the Wellington Centre pending this meeting of registered cyclists, which is to take place on January 27, in the hope that that meeting will quash such proceedings and so give Auckland little or no support outside its own centre. News from all parts of the Dominion seems to indicate that cyclists are not satisfied with the present system of control, and they are anxious to ad- • minister their own affairs. This, however, has not been very successful in past years and if history should repeat itself, as it has an uncomfortable habit of doing, it may be equally unsuccessful in the future. One of the gravest charges against the present control of the sport is that sufficient attention is not paid to the class of track cyclists are expected to ride on, with the consequence that when racing they generally take risks of injury which no other sport would allow. It certainly does not seem possible to overcome this disability by more direct control, as banked tracks are all a question of pounds, shillings and pence. The indications so far as Wellington is concerned are that the new cycling union is not likely to receive a great deal of support from this district. Letters received by the council from the Manawatu and Hawke’s Bay-Poverty Bay Sub-Centres states that cyclists in those districts are quite satisfied with the present method of control, and do not desire to see any change made. The same conditions seem to rule in the city, except in the case of a few malcontents, but they do not appear to be able to sway sufficient votes to I give any help to Auckland in the mat--1 ter.