CYCLING CLASSIC TO BE HELD

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31805, 9 October 1968, Page 19

CYCLING CLASSIC TO BE HELD

One of the classics on the Canterbury road cycling calendar, the Round-the-Gorges event, will definitely be held. Because of the heavy levies placed on the organiser, the Hornby-Christchurch club—and the other clubs in Canterbury—the race was in danger of being cancelled. Although no sponsor has been found yet the club decided at a special meeting on Monday evening, to hold the 100-mile event. “We feel that the holding of the race is more important than the levies imposed by the Canterbury centre,” said the club’s acting president (Mr R. J. F. Hooker) yesterday. In an effort to bolster the Canterbury centre’s finances, levies were imposed on all clubs earlier this year and later the centre was levied by the national association to send the Olympic cyclists to Mexico. The levy was passed on to the Canterbury clubs,

which were each required to pay $96. The Hornby-Christchurch club is the youngest in Canterbury and has only a handful of riders, mostly novices. “Although naturally the club funds will be drained by this race, we expect to have paid our levies in full by the due date—March 31,” said Mr Hooker. The race, to be held on October 19, is for the South Island road championship. At present there are about 10 entries from both Invercargill and Dunedin, including A. G. Ineson, winner of the Shirley Lodge two-stage race in Christchurch in September, and J. R. Atkinson (both Southland). Ineson was fourth in the New Zealand 100-mile race last year and Atkinson tenth.