Stockwell had no mercy

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33066, 6 November 1972, Page 28

Stockwell had no mercy

(New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON. B. G. Stockwell, of Canterbury, sewed up the 1972 Dulux Auckland-to-Wellington six-day road cycle tour with a watchful ride in the ninth, and final, stage from Palmerston North on Saturday.

It proved to be one of the most uneventful parts of the tour as Stockwell, with an overnight lead of 10} minutes, needed to do little more than “stay on his cycle” to emerge the over-all winner. In fact, a bid to beat V. J. Hanaray (Hastings) for third place in the King of the Mountains event was about the only semi-serious challenge which Stockwell faced throughout his day’s riding. Stockwell was the complete master of the situation and was placed in all the sprints and climbs from Waikanae. BREAK FOILED

Hanaray, who finished second over-all, lOmin 27sec behind, tried to split the field and drop Stockwell with 50 miles to ride, but the Canterbury rider would have no part in the exercise.

The decisive break in the stage came, as was predictable, on the Paekakariki Hill, when Stockwell, Hanaray, M J. Hughes (Invercargill), and B. V. Ulyatt (Hastings) rode away from the main bunch. It was then that misfortune struck the overnight runnerup, Ulyatt. With only 20 miles of the 700-mile journey to complete, he had a puncture and was unable to catch the leaders again. VITAL 12 SECONDS “The change of tyre took only 12 seconds, but it enabled Hughes, who had a fairly easy race throughout, and Hanaray to attack,” Ulyatt said. Hanaray won the final sprint up Jervois Quay from Stockwell and Hughes, and took the coveted $l5O final sprint trophy of a canteen of cutlery.

The Aucklander. V. Richards, was the early leader, winning the first three sprints, at Foxton, Levin and Otaki. However, he was involved in a crash when the bunch passed over a strip of harsh metal reading just before Waikanae and did not figure prominently after that. RYDER FALLS A similar fate overcame the winner of the next two sprints, J. I. Ryder (Timaru), on the Paekakariki Hill. The

crash, the only bad moment of the day’s riding, also involved B. R. Cornish (Weilington), who-eventually finished th? .*•)**“ ?*) position, hfi (Canterbury). D. Bown Q’_uranaki) already hal the/ King of the Mountain** title won, and Ryder, too, was well clear on points beforehand to taka second place. Results were:—- 1

Final placlngs: Stockwell, 27:9:39, 1: Hanaray, 10:27, 2; Hughes, 10:57, 3; Ulyatt. 11:48, 4; Cornish, 15:55, 5; J. Ludlam (Waikato), 20:27, 6; P. F. Neale (Canterbury), 21:40, 7; K. Collins (Wellington), 26:21, 8; A. D. Morris (Canterbury), 26:43 , 9; Brown, 31:4, 10; A. Manssen (Manawatu), 24:26, 1; Ryder, 48:46, 12. King of the Mountains: Brown, 71 points, 1; Ryder, 55, 2; Hanaray, 34, 3: Stockwell, 32, 4; Rich ards, 19, 5.