Vol 5, No 30
Articles in this issue
- A standing note that the latest hour for reception of copy for the Gazette is 5.30 p.m. on Tuesdays.
- E. S. Price, Hon. Sec., again urges the members who have not settled up for their race tickets to do so at once, as they are keeping the Club accounts open.
- Two district appeals for the last run of the season. W. J. Willis, N.W. District Captain, writing from Neuchâtel on September 24, hopes all who can will turn out although he cannot be there, and asks them not to imitate another district "when the cat's away"; and the S.E. members of Committee, Hebbert, S. P. Smith and F. M. Watts, ask the district to attend the Godstone run to show their appreciation of their District Captain's untiring zeal.
- The S.E. district's Crawley run saw Dicker's crank break at the start, Koch cover Caterham Junction to the Crawley bridge in one hour five minutes with S. P. and D. R. Smith close behind, and a telegram bring news of H. R. Reynolds's victory at Brighton in the championship of Sussex.
- A report of the Executive's recent meetings: queries as to the amateur status of riders who competed at sports at Brinklow, Tregullow, Tehidy, Redruth, Camborne, Rhyl and Oakham; the cases of Messrs. Mills, Shadwick and Sidwell referred to the Birmingham Local Centre; Mr. F. H. Curnow of Stithians, Cornwall, who rode at the Tregoning Sports, declared a professional; and the Birmingham Local Centre ratified with W. G. Parkes of 7, Bath Street as Hon. Sec.
- F. Des Voeux of 248, Hereford Road, Bayswater, W., offers a very closely built 53-inch "Humber" with ball bearings to both wheels, long lever brake and Hillman's adjustable step, ridden under 300 miles; it cost £16 10s. cash and the price is £12, trial allowed, the owner going abroad.
- The table for the closing Saturday: N.E. from Syborn's Corner on the Lea Bridge Road at 3.45 for Abridge, N.W. from "Jack Straw's Castle" at 3.45 for Barnet, W. from Hammersmith Bridge at 4.0 for Kingston to make a social with the S.W., S.W. from Kingston Station at 4.15 for a circular run, and the S.E. Croydon and Blackheath Divisions from Central Croydon Station and Lewisham Church for Godstone.
- W. K. Adam describes riding the 137 miles from Inverness home to Blair Adam, three miles south of Kinross, in a day on a "Rucker." He started at five in the dark after a wet, solitary afternoon at the "Station Hotel," was misdirected by a drunk street sweeper, walked the long ascents beyond Inverness and Daviot in drenching rain, refreshed at Carr Bridge with whisky from the wood given him by a profanely enthusiastic landlord, took a second breakfast at Kingussie, found the road from Dalwhinnie to Struan awful, and came home through Blair Athole, the Pass of Killiecrankie, Dunkeld, Glenfarg and Milnathort about eleven at night, the first hundred miles taking just over eleven hours.
- A comic account of advertising an old "Club" in the Exchange and Mart and being pursued by a persistent Chester man who would only barter a model "Mustard Mill." The writer's office colleagues hijacked the reply post-card to ask whether the Mill included "Balls and Governors," and by way of amends he drew and specified an imaginary boneshaker with Whitby jet handles, a French calf saddle, a double-acting twice-revolving spring, Allcock's sliding tyres and nickel plating carefully japanned to prevent rust, after all of which his correspondent still wanted the exchange, and the machine is still for sale.
- "Rambler's" paragraphs: the Franco-Swiss expedition reached Neuchâtel on September 23 after nearly continuous wet since the start; sun hats in France have been at a large discount but are now about par; H. R. Reynolds won the Championship of Brighton with L. B. Reynolds third; a Committee man denies the complaint about vouchers, saying elections are taken the moment the voucher appears; and the Residential Ghost has promised to appear at the Godstone run.
- The letters column, opening with Gerard F. Cobb's continued Swiss series and running on to D. R. Smith on the Derbyshire roads, "A Competitor" on the true length of the Crawley course, J. S. Whatton on the lap race at the Oval, and "Tuebor" in favour of a Bank Holiday run.
- Gerard F. Cobb's continued letter takes § 8, Thun to Lucerne by the Brünig and back by the Emmenthal, with a table of heights and distances from Därligen and Bönigen through Brienzwyler and Lungern to the National Hotel at Lucerne. He allows fifty-five minutes to wheel up from Balmhof to the Brünig inn, warns that no such hill should be attempted without a proved brake, a young Englishman was picked up insensible with fractures four years since, insists on "holding back" past diligence horses as a matter of appearances for the future of Continental bicycling, recommends Bürkli of Zürich's fifty-centime "Guide des Voyageurs en Suisse" for the coach hours, and records that a cone of the "Centaur's" hind wheel split between Sarnen and Alpnach yet the wheel ran sixty miles on the remaining one.
- D. R. Smith reports that, despite the guide books' warnings beyond Derby, the roads of the Derwent valley are always passable and often splendid, and recommends Bakewell as a centre. The Sheffield road crosses moorlands he rates above Devonshire and Yorkshire, Chesterfield to Bakewell is fine and hilly, Matlock to Chesterfield is as bad as bad can be, Bakewell to Buxton is a wonderful ride through wooded clefts, and Matlock to Derby is excellent travelling.
- "A Competitor" settles the disputed length of Saturday's course, variously given as anything from 16½ to 18 miles. An old roadbook and the inch ordnance both put Foxley Hatch 12 miles from Westminster, Redhill 20¼, Horley 24 and Crawley 29, so, allowing a quarter of a mile off at the two ends, the distance run was 16½ miles in 1 hr. 4 min.
- J. S. Whatton, writing from Southfields, Eastbourne, answers the Sporting Life account reprinted in the Gazette: he had at once urged Hamilton to object so the race might be re-run or the judge's decision reversed, and on being refused went to the committee himself without success. He regrets the affair the more because Hamilton, in his last race in England, is one of the best riders and nicest men on the London path, and adds that on a circular path like the Oval the inside man running wide is if anything an advantage to his opponent.
- "Tuebor" takes exception to W. X. W.'s letter in the last issue, seeing little discomfort in riding home among holiday-makers and arguing that the morning start can be managed by quitting the suburbs before the obnoxious East-enders arrive in force; he is convinced many members of the Southern districts would be willing.
- Under Rule 40 no member may represent the Club at a race meeting without the Captain's permission; the sanctioned list is the L.A.C. at Stamford Bridge on October 7 and again on November 4.
- A single line: "R. M. G.…Thanks."
- All contributions must be addressed to "The Editor, L.B.C. Gazette, 85, Eastcheap, E.C.," bear the author's name though not necessarily for insertion, be written on one side of the paper only, and reach the office by 5.30 p.m. on Tuesday for immediate insertion.