Gee wins the second stage of cycling tour

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32430, 17 October 1970, Page 18

Gee wins the second stage of cycling tour

(New Zealand Press Association)

INVERCARGILL

Wellington’s D. Gee showed he is the rider to beat in this year’s Rothmans three-day cycle Tour of Southland. He proved his peak fitness winning yesterday’s incident-packed 91-mile stage through Tuatapere to Lumsden.

Gee punctured at the bottom of the Clifden Hill. B. Stockwell (Canterbury), third over-all, crashed in the same area because of a wayward lamb, and then several riders received time deductions for persistently crossing the white line. Gee was fined $2 after appealing successfully against the time penalty. Conditions for the second stage could hardly have been better. After the gale on the first stage, 27 riders left

in the field, faced a headwind for 20 miles, almost dead-calm from Orawia to Centre Bush, then a side-wind for the remainder of the journey. With two stages of this year’s tour left, and 110 miles left to cover, it is still wide open. Whether B. Pascoe (Waikato) or Stockwell can bridge the gap to the little Wellingtonian Gee, will only be known this afternoon. R. Hogan is also still very much in contention. When Gee punctured at the bottom of Clifden Hill yesterday, Pascoe really piled on the pressure. RIDERS CRASHED Then a lamb and a ewe almost wrecked the tour. As the riders came through a corner past Clff-

den, the ewe and lamb stood ■ rooted on the white line Stockwell, R. Bush and A. (Hood, all from Canterbury, K. butter (Auckland) and E. Thur- ■ low (Invercargill), all crashed (over the bank. All except Hood regained contact quickly, as Ute i bunch sportingly slowed to let them, and Gee as it turned out get back on. Gee showed his undoubted class as a climber over the Josephville Hill to take back his lead in the king of the mountains. After yesterday’s stage. Gee is both the tour leader and leader in king of the mountains. J. Broome (Auckland), with a great show of courage, heads the sprint ace series. AU positions must be considered in doubt with two hard stages today. Points in the king of the mountains are: Gee 42, Pascoe 39, H Grace (Auckland) 20, Stockweli J 7, Hood 16, Warren and Broome l Points for the sprint ace series are: Broome 13, Pascoe and Fish 11, R. Pratt 4. | Results are:— Aggregate Time.—Gee, 9:8:56 il; Pascoe, 9:9:7, 2; Stockwell, 9:9:8, 3; Hogan, 9:9:19, 4; Hood. 9:9:42, 5; T. McCleay (Invercargill), 9:10:30, 6; Bush, 9:13:51, 7; B. Thomson (Dunedin), 9:16:43, 8; M. Hughes (Invercargill), 9:16:59, 9; Futter, 9:17:47. 10. Sprint Primes.—Ohai (31 miles): Broome 1. Grace 2, Pratt 3. Night caps (36 mUeS): Broome 1. Grace 2, B. Richardson (Mataura) 3. Wreys Bush (47 miles): Pascoe 1, Broome 2, G. Fish (Auckland) 3 Centre Bush (62 miles): Fish 1, Broome 2, Pascoe 3. Benmore (68 I miles): B. Clearwater (Invercargill) 1, Richardson 2, Pratt 3. Dipton (76 miles): E. Warren .Dunedin) 1. Fish 2, Broome 3.

Hill Climbs.—Clifden: Pascoe 1, R. Giles (Invercargill) 2, Hogan 3. Tinkers: Grace 1, Broome 2, Warren 3. Nightcaps: Grace 1, Broome 2. Gee 3.