McGregor And Tabak Share Cycling Honours

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31114, 18 July 1966, Page 13

McGregor And Tabak Share Cycling Honours

G. McGregor (Christchurch), a consistent front-marker in his 20 years of cycling, had his first classic win in the Papanui club’s 80-mile Shirley Lodge Classic on Saturday.

T. J. Tabak (Avon) took the time honours with one of his outstanding rides and also made a remarkable sporting gesture.

Averaging about 26 miles an hour, Tabak overtook the field and caught the exhausted McGregor a mile from the finish outside Shirley Lodge. Tabak had fastest time assured; there was nothing more certain than that he would break his own record, as he does practically every

week; and the triumphs of first was his for the asking. Instead, the youthful Empire Games representative insisted on staying with McGregor, helping him, talking him into finishing, and later hanging back and pushing the smiling McGregor first across the line, arms aloft in triumph. In the excitement of Tabak’s gesture and remarkable ride from the back of the field, sight was almost lost of the very fine effort by McGregor.

As far from the finish as 30 miles, McGregor had dropped his perennial comarker, ' A. F. Johnson (Papanui)—from whom he was llmin clear—and was a further seven minutes away from J. P. Ineson (Avon), L. Freeman and D. N. Day (Papanui). At the Woodend Hotel, he was still lOmin clear of that bunch but a short while later, a big bunch, including Tabak, the break riders, G. R. Sword and P. A. Skilling (Avon), and others such as W. W. Thorpe, R. J. Connelly and T. D. Day (Papanui) came storming through. They set off in pursuit and by Marshland road, Tabak had shaken off the bunch and within a mile caught up IJmln and McGregor, the latter’s lead till then.

Domination

There were many other features of the race: Tabak’s domination of the other scratch riders, the last of whom (S. J. Stephen) was dropped just out of Oxford, and his race record improved by 9min 14.2 sec; the performance of Skilling, who completed probably his finest classic race for second fastest time, well inside the old record; and the return to prominence of Thorpe. The tortuous Glentui Gorge, and the steep, winding unsealed road, took the heaviest toll and there were innumerable punctures and spills, involving such riders near the back marks as R. J. Hogan, B. E. Holland, P. H. C. Bedford (Papanui), W. C. C. Janus (Christchurch) and P. R. Wildennoth (Avon). The climb also demonstrated once again Tabak’s class on the hills for he picked up many valuable minutes there. That climb, and the area immediately out of Oxford also broke up the smin, 9min and 14min bunches, which till then had been fairly well intact The large number of 25 of the 41 starters finished, a surprising total in view of the toughness of the course and the mishaps met on the way. Abbreviations used in the re*UAvon,reA.; Christchurch, C.; Papanui, P.: Timaru, T. Results: — . Shirley Lodge 80-mlle Classic: G. McGregor (C.), 80mln, 1; T. J. Tabak (A.), scr, 2; W. W. Thorpe (P.). 14mln, 3; P. A. Skiing (A.), smin, 4; G. Leinert (T.), 24m.!n, 5; R. J. Connelly (P.), 24mln, 6; T. D. Day (P-). 38min. 7; G. J. Day (P.), 24mln, 8. Winner’s time, 4*22:47. ‘Fastest time: Tabak, 3:2:48 (new record), 1; Skilling, 3:8:25.1 (inside record), 2; J. S. Danielson (P.), smin, 3:14:7, 3; S. J. Stephen (A.), scr, 3:15:30, 4; Thorpe, 3:17:25, 5: M. Hewson (T.), Umln, 3:18:6, 6. Junior: Stephen, 1. Willcox Wins The strong and consistent riders on break and one-out from break, continued their successes when the Hornby cash club's 25-mile championship was held on a return courss from the Islington Hotel, down the Main South road to just short of Norwood. In a seven-man finishing bunch, J. H. Willcox held off a strong challenge from J. R. Williams, one one side, and F. 3. Chapman, on the other, .to win. A strong easterly on the run out assisted a fairly fast pace and the limit riders, L. H. Arnst and C. A. Willcox, still led at the turn. However, the tough conditions on the way back weeded out the weaker riders and the big bunch caught the leaders with less than a mile to go. K. R. Jeffery had no difficulty in out-sprinting the Yaxley brothers for time honours. F. Hooper struck mechanical trouble shortly after the start.

Result:— Hornby 2S-mlle championship: J. H. Willcox (Simin), 1; J. R. Williams (Simin), 2: F. J. Chapman (4imin), 3; T. C. Gibbs (8mln), 4; W, Cook (Simin), I. Time. 1:4:27.

Fastest time: K. R. Jeffery (scr), 1:5:21. Junior: C. D. Yaxley (scr), 1:5:22. Novice Races Mairehau.—A grade nlnemile: R. Archer (Hmln), 1; R. Knight (2imln), 2: G. Hogarth (Umin), 3. Time, 23:24. Fastest time: A. Pavleli (scr), 22:57, 1; C. Evans (scr), 22:58, 2. B grade 4i-mtie: S. Sanford (2}mtn), 1: G. Ravenwood (limln), 2; J. O'Connell (llmin), 3. Time, 13:10. Fastest time: G. Ireland (scr), 12:6, 1; B. Gibbs (scr), 12:25, 2. Rangiora.— l2-mlle handicap: G. Ravenwood (7mln), 1: L. Pavielil (7min), 2; P. Archer (8mln), 3. Winner’s time, 37:40. Fastest time: A. Pavleli (scr), 33:16, 1; P. Stncock (scr). 33:16.2, 2.