Strenuous track season planned for cyclists

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33065, 4 November 1972, Page 4

Strenuous track season planned for cyclists

(By

R. M. CAIRNS)

Though there will be one or two important absentees from the early-season meetings, the track cycling season which starts at English Park tomorrow premises to be as good as any in recent years and possibly even more intensive. P. D. Brydon will still be overseas, and his absence will be sorely regretted. His fellow Olympic Games rider, B. G. Stockwell, is also likely to make only limited appearances before Christmas, though he will ride tomorrow. But there is compensation in that E. J. C. Barker, the Southlander who won national road and track titles last year, is keen to ride in Canterbury this season. Informal meetings between Canterbury and Southland officials have also formed the basis of a programme for the season —a common practice on the road, but not done to any great degree on the track before. As a result, it seems there will be a heavy flow of traffic between Kew Bowl, Invercargill, and English Park this season. Southland will host the triangular meeting on December 9, hold its carnival between December 31 and January 6, stage an eight - hour madison, probably on February 3, and is the venue for the national championships from March 1 to 4. In return, Canterbury is likely to stage its own madison championship, of 100 km, on the week-end of January 13 and 14; and it seems there will be a South Island championship in the city, though the date is still being discussed. Further, the traditional South . Canterbury circuit is in the period between Boxing Day and January 2. Even without this wealth of top track meetings, the season would still be keenly awaited. The Wednesday evening meetings will continue on a similar basis to last season, and start next week. With only the break for Christmas, the season will probably continue to March 7 which means that Canterbury track cyclists are probably the besttreated—in terms of regular racing—in the country. As always, there will be keen interest in team pursuiting, in which Canterbury has always performed so well. Both senior and junior teams will have to be rebuilt, but there is no reason why Canterbury should not again be successful.

Brydon and maybe Stockwell will be missed from the senior team but A. D. Morris and R. K. A. Anderson, of last year’s team will still be racing and R. M. G. A. Heyde has graduated from the junior ranks. The younger squad will still have J. H. Sullivan and the reserve, P. A. Jesson, to call on from last year’s team. G. W. Howes, G. P. Sword—if he ' recovers quickly enough from a cartilage operation—and the group of youngsters who were novices last season, K. L. Day, I. E. Stace, P. D. Basher and S. P. White, will be the leading contenders for the other positions.

But Canterbury is in the happy position now of looking to its sprinters for fine performances. The

further development of R. E. Knight will be one of the most interesting features of the season; he already looks a potential 1974 Commonwealth Games rider. He will have keen and testing competition in his own province, however. Even with Brydon away, there will be M. W. Litolff —laid low by injury near the end of last season—J. P. S. Mullan, the veteran D. A. Swanston, and another injury victim from

last February, L. M. Vette, to test him. As usual, novices will provide half the competitors—at least. A. J. Bruce, after a most satisfactory road season, should develop sufficiently to add to the bronze medal he won at last season’s national championships. He will not be short of competition, however. J. K. Fowler, who was also in the Canterbury team last season, G, R. Sibley and L. A. Sword should test Bruce while the young group who developed during the road season should continue to improve.