Honours To Stockwell In Harbour Cycling

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31737, 22 July 1968, Page 5

Honours To Stockwell In Harbour Cycling

One of the strongest survivors of a field which was cruelly battered by a cold easterly wind, and tortured by the steep climb, R. A. Galbreath (Papanui) won the 45-mile Round the Harbour cycling race on Saturday.

The dominating figure of the race, however, was B. G. Stockwell (Papanui), who not only came through from scratch for fifth place but won fastest time by three minutes. His time, Ihr 51min 45sec, was only five minutes outside T. J. Tabak’s race record and quite comparable in view of the very hard conditions. Like so many Harbour races, the finish line welcomed the riders much as Noah’s Ark did the animals—the only difference was that the cyclists came in, for the most part, one by one, and the first close sprint finish was for the sixteenth place. The race started in Halswell, but even before the field turned off at the Black Tulip Roadhouse to surmount Gebbies Pass, the bunches were disintegrating as the sidewind buffeted them. •After 20 miles the front markers were still in the front, but two of the favoured bunches, 24min and 18mln, were moderately well intact. Galbreath, however, had left

the other 24min riders before the turn to Diamond Harbour at Teddington, and he hit the front on the return from that harbour. The young Papanui rider, G. V. Ravenwood, clung grimly to Galbreath, but with 13 miles still to go, the experienced former Hutt club rider started to slip away and he eventually finished five minutes ahead of Ravenwood. The latter, in his first open season, gave a most promising performance to keep well clear of the rest of the field and retained his second position to Lyttelton. Stockwell started to break the scratch bunch apart on the return from Diamond Harbour, after the bunch had gone half the distance basically intact. Twelve miles from the finish Stockwell had moved a few hundred yards away from his chief opposition, R. J. Hogan (Papanui), and was only half a minute behind the break (smin) riders. Punctures and other mishaps were quite frequent. Stockwell twice lost his chain; Hogan punctured with 10 miles to go; and another scratch rider, G. R. Sword (Avon); also punctured, with 14 miles to travel. The latter two changed wheels and Hogan beat Sword for second fastest time by 17sec. Results:— I Round the Harbour.—R. A. Galbreath (P, 24min) 1. G. V. Ravenwood (P, 30min) 2, J. W. Beresford (A, 18min) 3. A. J. Stewart (Hornby-Christchurch. 18min) 4 B. G. Stockwell (P, scr) 5, M. J. Hewson (Timaru, 9min) 6, P. Braddock (P, 24min) 7, D. B. Hewson (T, smin) 8, G.

J. Day (P, Smln) 9, R. J. Hogan (P, scr) 10. Fasteat time: Stockwell, 1:51.45, 1; Hogan. 1:64.46, 2; G. B. Sword (A, scr), 1:55.3.