SIX-DAY RACE HARD TO WIN

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30886, 20 October 1965, Page 23

SIX-DAY RACE HARD TO WIN

(New Zealand Press Association.)

WELLINGTON.

A capacity field, including a member of the American team which competed in the recent tour of Mexico, three topclass Australians and nine New Zealand representatives, will contest the Dulux six-day cycle race from Auckland to Wellington next month. The American is the Papanui rider, J. Daniel-

Richard Mansfield, a member of the national team in the tour of Mexico.

“Mansfield is in the top flight of American cyclists,” said the race organiser, Mr A. A. Pennington. “He won the 115-mile American amateur road championship last August and should give the Australian and New Zealand riders a good run for their money.” Beat N.Z. Riders The three Australians who have entered for the race include T. Moloney, who beat all seven New Zealand riders in this year’s tour of Tasmania.

R. Sheldrake, at the age of 19, is one of Victoria’s most improved riders this year and finished a close eleventh in the Victorian 127-mile championship. M. Powell has been racing most successfully in Europe this year and performed well in last year’s Dulux race. The Olympic rider, R. D. Johnstone, plus his fellow internationals, L. O’Reilly,- R. Thomson and J. Bigwood, head the large Auckland contingent. There are a dozen entries from the West Coast-North Island centre, including G. Bing, D. Stowell and J. Mildenhall.

The main South Island challenge looked like coming from

son. The race starts in Auckland on Monday, November 1, and finishes in Wellington on Saturday, November 6. The assistant-manager for the race, Mr A. Morgan, said yesterday that he was disgusted with the attitude of riders who were not prepared to race because expenses were not being paid. He said he was commenting particularly on the withdrawal of last year’s winner, N. Robinson, because the race organisers, the Poneke club (Wellington), had declined Robinson free nomination and accommodation for the event. Another withdrawal was the Olympic representative, M. Grace. “We won’t have a pistol pointed at our heads in this way. I’d rather see B grade riders competing—it would give them encouragement—and the race would probably be just as good,” Mr Morgan said.