CHCH. CYCLIST’S TARGET

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30858, 17 September 1965, Page 13

CHCH. CYCLIST’S TARGET

Clean Sweep Of 50-Mile Titles

The Hornby rider, B. Yaxley, tomorrow will attempt to make a clean sweep of the major New Zealand 50mile cycling championships.

Already holder of the national and North Island 50-mile titles, he will start a firm favourite to win the South Island event on an out-and-home course, starting from Islington.

Yaxley has been in outstanding form this season, and more particularly over the last month.

I Three weeks ago he won the New Zealand 50-mile title at Dunedin; a week later he went to New Plymouth to win the North Island championship and take fastest time. Staying in New Plymouth until last week-end, Yaxley competed in the Bernina twoday sponsored tour over a distance of 225 miles and emerged the over-all winner of this event.

Earlier this year he finished second to K. Brown (Christchurch) in the New Zealand 25-mile championship. Fourth in 75-mile While in New Plymouth he also competed in the North Island 75-mile championship, finishing fourth and taking second fastest time.

The Hornby club will be conducting the 50-mile race on Saturday, and also the South Island 75-mile championship on Sunday. The races have attracted an entry of 47, with riders coming from New Plymouth, Dunedin, Timaru and the West Coast.

A strong challenger to Yaxley in both races will be T. Hartill (West Coast). Hartill has taken every junior title for which he has competed but recently he gained senior status and will be striving to gain his first senior title in either, or both, of these events.

Hartill has his eyes set on higher things and will shortly be going to Australia to try his luck there. In the Dunedin contingent of seven competitors there are some excellent road riders, including C. McNaught, who finished second to Yaxley in the New Zealand 50, and R. Heasley, a very promising junior rider. The leading Timaru rider is D. Sorenson, who took fastest time in the Timaru to Christchurch race last year.

Coming back into big races again is C. Carr (West Coast). Carr a few years ago put up a great performance to win the Christchurch to Waimate in most difficult conditions.

Of the Christchurch riders, apart from Yaxley the most likely to succeed are K. Jeffrey and J. Swanston. Both have improved greatly over the past few weeks and could make the going hard fortheir co-markers.