Stockwell Fastest In 50-Mile Race

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32057, 4 August 1969, Page 7

Stockwell Fastest In 50-Mile Race

B. G. Stockwell (Pipanut) left 11 the other scratch riders well ehind to gain fattest time in he Amanda Wilkes SO-mlle oad-cycling race on Saturday. The race was held in three ,-»Ps around Ranglora and Sefton and Stockwell and P. Skilling broke away from the remaining scratch riders shortly before the end of the second lap. Biding into a cold southerly wind over the last eight miles Stockwell then left Skilling behind and was the only rider to complete the rsce in under two hours. v. Sullivan (Timaru). who gained fourth place in the Air New Zealand Grand Prix recently, had to Withdraw after one lap when he had a puncture. This meant that Stockwell had to make his own pace for much of the way even though he did finish four minutes ahead of Skilling. The race was won by D. Kennedy (Pipanui) from • 131 minutes when he sprinted home at the head of a large bunch. B. Fowler (Ulmin) was second and the Westport rider A. Cropp (Ulmin) third. The race started In warm conditions but during the first lap a southerly change occurred and this appeared to slow the rider; with most of the bunches staying together. The gapa between the bunches were only slowly diminishing but in the second lap, .with the experienced riders showing their strength against the wind, the pattern began to change. At the end of the second lap the break riders were nine minutes behind the leaders, K. Page and F. Johnson, and were twenty seconds behind the nine minute group. Further down the road a group led by G. Duncan and D. McEvoy were making good time and looked as if they would catch the riders Immediately In front of them. They could not do this, however, and it was this latter group which caught the leaders just before Loburn and provided ail the Anal place-getters.

They were followed in by MeEroy and Duncan and about a minute later by Stockwell. J??®. a s r t tch srouP5 rou P waß greatly depleted by the withdrawals of H - Bu,h an * the non-starting of M. Lltolff and w Thorpe, and most of the placings fdr fastest home were gained by break riders. S. Keys (break) gained the award for fjf e, £p *H Bior whi, « Peiting Westport riders aquitted inuh’ e,ve ’ nearly all finishing in the winning bunch -..i^ breviatio {’ a UBe <J in the rewre:w p - Papenui; A.. Avon; W., Westport; T.. Timaru Results were;— D. Kennedy (P.)_ ujmin. i, R. Fowler (A.), ISimln. 2; A Cropp (W.i, isjmln, 3; Ki Grogan (P.), isjmin, 4; A. ,P ?- »= "• Hale Time: 3:5 » :3 » el 1 !?.?' Stockwell. 1- s, - 3! - J: Skilling (P.). 2:3:44. Uc J' e *S <P) - <«mln). McLeod (A.) 1!" " • G - Siror « **■> jotnin). 2:4:17.6, 5; J. Ryder (T.) Her). 2:5:8. 6. “Foor