Many Claimants For Road Cycling Title

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31542, 2 December 1967, Page 11

Many Claimants For Road Cycling Title

ALTHOUGH two riders " who commanded some favouritism for the New Zealand senior road cycling championship will not be riding at Wanganui today, the race will not be shorn of any glamour. Indeed, the 100-mile event has attracted possibly one of the best fields ever to appear in a New Zealand championship, and the contest is one of the most open. It is unfortunate that T. J. Tabak (Canterbury) is not riding, and H. J. Kent (Wellington), who has been chosen to represent New Zealand on the track in Noumea, leaves today. Auckland and Wellington possess the strongest teams but there are some very good individuals from the other centres. J. A. Dean (West CoastNorth Island), last year’s junior champion, should be one of the hardest to beat One of the strongest riders to be seen in New Zealand as a junior. Dean is in his first year of open competition and has a win in the Tour of New Caledonia behind him already. The Auckland 20-year-old and New Zealand captain, B.

Beeston, is one who appears likely to be high in the platings, if not a prospective winner. Another very good sprinter, he has a good team round him, including four New Zealand representatives of the last two or three years: R. D. Thomson, S. J. Stephen, M. W. Grace and J. Broome. Thomson was New Zealand champion in 1961, and in the 1966 Commonwealth Games trials he won at the same Springvale circuit at Wanganui. From Wellington, there is his younger brother, D. R. Thomson; a world championships rider, a former New Zealand captain, winner of a silver medal in the Commonwealth Games, and one of the most useful sprinters in the country. Then there is the former Australian, D. J. Gee, who can sprint as well as most, W. Cornish, a useful performer in the tours this season, and N. R. Lyster. He is another of the big, strong riders who appear at frequent intervals in New Zealand. Southland ean offer the defending champion, G. R. Hill, the 1963 winner, A. G. Ineson, and M. L. Davis. Hill, however, does not appear to be going well enough to repeat last year’s win but Ineson, a deadly sprinter on his day, should be prominent Apart from A. J. Baker »(East Coast-North Island), ' this leaves only the small

Canterbury contingent of W. G. Kendall, B. Berry and M. J. Hewson. Kendall should be the strongest force, and should take heart from his great performance last Saturday, when he was first and fastest in the Christchurch-to-Tiinaru 100-

mile. Not a good sprinter, however, his chances will lie in a breakaway. He could take heart from the fact that this is how most New Zealand championships of the recent past have been won —and each time, by a little fancied rider.