Papanui Wins National Team’s Cycling Final

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31725, 8 July 1968, Page 12

Papanui Wins National Team’s Cycling Final

“The Press” Special Service WELLINGTON.

Papanui on Saturday became the New Zealand champion cycling club when its team won the national final for the Hope Gibbons teams’ trial road event at Levin.

Clubs from all centres except Otago and Southland competed and the Canterbury champions were clearly the best on display. The best of the Papanui riders was the brilliant teenager, B. G. Stockwell, who seemed to have power to spare compared with his teammates.

Papanui covered the 25 miles from Levin to Foxton and return in 57min 45sec, morfe than half a minute faster than the defending champion, Watties-Gisborne, which finished second.

Counties, of Auckland, was third ahead of Nelson, Wanganui and Waipa.

Papanui rode as four men almost for the whole journey. G. J. Day missed the jump at the start, still adjusting his toestraps when the signal was given. He sprinted after the others to regain his position, but the effort told and he did not settle under .the hard lapping of Stockwell, and R. J. Hogan, the team captain. Day was dropped before a quarter of the journey was covered, and never regained his team-mates. Day had been suffering from the after-effects of tonsilitis, and for a while it seemed that Papanui should have included its coach, W. W. Thorpe, instead. However, Thorpe was doing a grand job in laying down the tactics for the ride, and the

success of his team was a just reward for his work.

At the quarter distance, Wat-ties-Gisborne, under the hard leadership of a former international, N. Robinson was llsec ahead of Wanganui, also led by an international. G. Bing. Papanui was well behind Counties and Nelson.

Fast Spell Then came a great six miles with Hogan and Stockwell lapping beautifully while the youngsters, B. R. Chisholm and R. Anderson, also did their share.

By the time the half-way point was reached, Papanui had risen from fif .i place at the quarter to be in front on times —lssec ahead of Watties-Gis-borne and 20sec ahead of Nelson, Counties and Wanganui, all of which were equal on 28min 55sec.

Papanui still increased the pace and covered the next 6| miles in 13min 55sec. the fastest section of the race by any team.

Although it slackened slightly on the final run back to Levin, when having one man short began to tell, Papanui was never in danger of defeat to give Canterbury its first win in this national event since 1957 when the Christchurch Club won.

Papanui* won with 57min 45sec and Gisborne rode 58min 16sec for second, and Counties, on 58min 29sec, was third.

Nelson (58min 38sec), Wanganui (59min 43sec) and Waipa (61min 39sec), were the next to finish, in that order.