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Bob McLeod Shows Class in Olympic Bike
Trials
Telegraph Messenger Wins
Scratch Race and Finishes Second in Time Trial
Toronto Star, June 27, 1936
By Charles Good
Bob McLeod, lanky Canadian National Telegraph boy, looks like a mortal
cinch to make a place on Canada’s Olympic bike team.
The big fellow who broke into the front pages with a bang two years ago
when he won the 10-mile race in the British Empire games in England,
has posted the best record of any in the trials at Exhibition Park to
date and unless he collapses completely today in the grand wind up can
start packing the old kit-bag.
The Olympic trials have been run off by the Canadian Wheelmen’s
Association (CWA), the 1,000 metres time trial, and the 1,000 metres
scratch.
McLeod finished second in the time trial and won the scratch.
He moved into a rare old track tussle with Russ Hunt last night when
the postponed scratch race was put through the mill. McLeod defeated
George Turner of Ottawa in one semi-final while Hunt took the measure
of W. Baillie in the other. They tossed them into the final and
Hunt took the call by a whisker. It was no race however as officials
caught some “riding-off” by Hunt going into the stretch.
In the re-run McLeod caught Russ with an early burst of speed that took
to much strength out of the speedster. It was a real race however with
Hunt only inches away from his club mate. Both are Maple Leaf wheelman
and there is little to choose between them. McLeod is the more powerful
rider and this proved enough to take the decision as Hunt looked like a
tired lad when it was all over.
The luck of the racing game and draws of the heats was never better
demonstrated than in Hunt’s case last night.
Forced to go back at McLeod after the alleged interference he failed to
recuperate in time and right after this event he was tossed in to the
semi-finals of the quarter-mile championship where he failed to qualify
for a place in the finals. Again he was not fresh enough in the
half-mile heats and lost to Jack McDonald, a club mate, in the first
heat.
Only championship decided last night was the quarter-mile event with
Lionel Coleman, fast-moving Hamilton lad, taking the rest of the pack.
This race saw the downfall of Doug Peace, defending champion, Bob
McLeod, Bill Tremp, Leo Marchiori, and Art Leadbeater.
Today they move right into the semi-finals of the half-mile
championship where there is bound to be plenty of grief. By the luck of
the draw, which is made out of a hat, four outstanding Toronto riders
are limped into a foursome out of which only one can qualify. They are
Doug Peace, Bob McLeod, George Crompton (another telegraph messenger) and
Izzy Lampard. The other survivors are W. Baillie, Claude W. Haynes,
Jack McDonald, Ted Harper, Pete Leslie, Lionel Coleman, Stan Hermick,
and George Turner.
The Pedens again failed to land a place in the top fights losing tests
in the quarter and half-mile grinds. Doug was the victim of something
or other in his half-mile heat when after a pacemaker had been inserted
by the C.W.A. in order to cut out the slow motion jockeying, the second
rider was guilty of stalling.
Today they start at one o’clock and go right through to dark.
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