The Warwickshire Herald. — 1899-08-31 (Birmingham, West Midlands, England)

CYCLINU NEWS & GOSSIP. -nave you got a clue to toe wretch who lilted her ? " she asked eagerly. "No, mem; dues are not found quite le Unfortunately in- the ,ionthern count,', of easily.* England, the relations hem real the police in aye(To 64 cetstiosal.) lists does not appear to improvs. From the isms.. trian's point of view, there is litte doubt that to many instances they have grave cans' of co-nolaint owing to the reckless pace at which cyclist. chiefly the young and irresnonsib'e -rush thromdt the towns. But when a stretch of open country is reached and no pedestrians are to be encounter., the excuse for a little fast pedalling. tempered with discretion is available. The principal objection to the police methods—notably in Surrey—is that they exercise no discrimination. Frequeutiv the real delinquents escape, while cyclists who ride at slower pace, and henc(! nec Mier of capture, fall vietnon to police anal.  The latest development of police activity is to he found in Itrickleham Valley whereof the roadway runsbetween Leatherhead and Dorking. Therotul of the switchback variety and it is ell tontary l,r the traffic to take the decline at a fair pace so as to have a little impetus in hand to aid in climbing the opposite incline. Cyclists, however, must not do this. Policemen posted in the hedges signal by whistle to their comrades lower down the valley, and at a favourable moment the cyclist is pounced upon and flung from his machine, at imminent risk to his neck. This appears a brutal mode of capture, better suited to the arrest of an armed and dangeroue criminal than a youthful wheelman whose sole guilt is little more than an error of i'•lgment. • .  For a long while there has been much speculation as to who is the cleverest sprint crack in Europe— Paul Bourrillon the professional, or Paul Albert the amateur. At their recent meeting at Hanover, however, Douaillon, on Dunlop tyres, proved his supremacy.  English cyclists are trying to be enthusiastic about their representative. T. Summeragill, who went to Montreal for the international championships, and there won the Mile Championship of the World. It's a fine title, and an Englishman has never won it before in the whole sequence of seven successive championship meetings of this sort. It devolves upon the winner of a match between the amateur champion and the professional champion. The latter was the coloured rider Major"" Taylor, but he, being in the habit of riding for money, refused to mount in a match with the amateur champion as there was no cash offered for the job. So Summersgill bad a walk-over for the empty title. His victory too, in the amateur races which had qualified him to meet the professional champion. were only over men of local and not world-wide reputation.  The theory of a world's championship, wherein the champions of different parts of the world meet to decide supremacy is excellent, hot the champions of various countriesaid not turn up,and Siimunersgi II who did not even win the English championship, had easy spoils over mediocre competitors. Still. England won, for the first time, the short distance event,snatching a victory more through the absence of rivals, than by posseeNion of a world-beating flier. In the long distance evenly, where England has previously scored, were blanks for this country as the English competitor A. J. Cherry wounded himself too seriously in a fall, the day before the races, to take part in the competition.  The doctors are beginning to feel the effe.t of cycling on their profession and are complaining of the lack of practise owing to the beneficial Oleos from the wheel. This fact alone gives sufficient reason for the marvellous popularity the cycle enjoys, and secures for it an ii,suranc,e of such popularity continuing. Even to the ery weak, if indulged ill with discretion. the bicycle has its good points, but care must he taken that on no account should the exercise be over-done. Judicious cycling is advantageous, but excess is detriinental.  Every person who acquires a new or second-hand machine purporting to have Dunlop tyres, should, if he hes any reason to doubt the seller—ascertain that inner tubes as well as outer covers, are of Dunlop manufacture. Dunlop inner tubes are valuable by reason of their air-retaining qualities, and inferior inner tubes. which are cheaper, ill compensate the rider for the loss of the Donlon inner tnles. supposing these to have been abstracted.  " Yon will see me no more" dolefully remarked Edith Tully, a young seevant girl who recently made her Coiirtdebul before the Winchester Bench. She had quitted her situation in the dewy morning. imparting to her bosom-friends that she was on suicide intent. But it would seem as though the gladsomeness of nature, as she trudged along the fresh country roads, in dispelling •• the darkling thought," had i.iiparted a spirit of hope and reluctance to quit this mortal sphere to her ingenuous heart, for she changed her mind and hired a bicycle of a cycle agent in Winchester instead. Wearying of wheel joys, her youthful vanity suggested the claims of fine clothing in which to disport herself for the remainder of the long irresponsible day. So she sold the machine for £4 and purchased a skirt, blonse, hat, and watch and chain." But an unsympathetic policemen cut short her pleasant wanderings by arresting her. The bench took is lenient view, and let the poor featherbrain off, under "the first offenders act "  The scarcity of middle distance racing at home for our professional riders is Very unfortunate for the cracks, and it is therefore not surprising to have to chronicle defeats of our best nien, when they meet the foreign cracks, either at home or abroad. As an instance, we may mention the recent defeats of It. Pslmer, who is looked upon as one of our hest middle distance paced riders. At the Crystal Palace track he was easily beaten by llonlionrs iii a hundred kilo. match, and the other Sunday at Amsterdam, he suffered similarly at the hands of Ed. Taylor the French crack, in a race over the same distance. Previous to meeting Brinhours Palmer bad not ridden in one nistaitce race this season, and with the exception of meeting Clut.e in an hour's match in the spring, be had not taken Inn tin a race above ten miles. It is therefore not to be wondered at that he was easily beaten hy the men above mentioned, and more particularly so, seeing, that they have been riding in race* varying from 30 to 100 miles since the commencement of the year. ' All honour is due, however, to the sontinentat cracks for their exmdlent riding.