Barker shines in Akaroa cycling classic

Press, Issue 33846, 19 May 1975, Page 7

Barker shines in Akaroa cycling classic

(By I

RAY CAIRNS

Even though a junior,! Kevin Linton, had his first open win. and the veteran, Ron Bush, his first win since the 19641 Buller 100, there was no question that Saturday’s Akaroa cycling classic belonged to Errol Barker. The race was a return to the old style of two distinct i and separate races — from ; Christchurch to Akaroa in': the morning, then back in! the afternoon — and Barker marked the change by domi-J nating the back marks both ! ways. He won fastest time going;' over the peninsula, comfort- 1 ably winning a bunch sprint.! ahead of his fellow scratch-' < markers, Peter Neale and ' Dave Hewson, and after! being as responsible as any- i one for the smart time. > Then, on the return, Bark-: er again beat Neale, the only I other survivor from the ‘ back mark, and all but led t the small group of heavily if handicapped riders through 1 to the front. i ’

L-T 1115 A tagc was > ® s it is so cn * mo6t interesting of thZ race - Th is year, as so often, ;.„ e . fr ont-markers took full advantage of their handicaps on ° a , tw ? rd teg and Linton, v 1111 *!- won by more than! Imin from two others off the' same handicap, Graham Lock and! Dave Savage. Barker. Neale and' Hewson were 7min behind them,; with two or three riders thev had picked up along the wav' in companv. B“‘ striking the hills at thei beginning of the return journey,! and the resultant heavy toll it; took of both the field and the; stami,la > made for an i intriguing second stage. !.. A* the Hilltop, Bush and the; (htUe group with him—Alistair; .Mewart. Louis Slade, and Peter' • Lewis—were 13-jmln from the leader. Bill Straight, and 9mini clear of Barker and Neale—Hew-1 ; son , j i ust been dropped—looked likely winners even then.i By halfway, they were only I 4*m>n behind Straight, just i caught by Lock, while the scratch • riders and Mike Hughes—picked up from the break mark—were back, in between, among; ~w ere T° nl Horne and! Chris Hogan, making a determined effort from the break! . mark but one which became too hard in the strong winds! round Lake Ellesmere. j WHITTLED AWAY I Steadily the lead was whittled l®way After 50km of the 75 to! ,i de ’ « oek stlll le d. but by less! than 2mm from the pursuing! four, and the scratch riders andl Hughes were another smin in arrears. __Jn the next 6km, Bush and I

> Stewart not only made contact; f with Lock, but dropped him and I , the excellent Lewis, while losing -'only smin to their pursuers. i, With 15km to ride, Bush and , Stewart led by 33min, with 10km ; ijto go, their lead was 2imin. ‘ But time and distance ran out; I; for Barker and Neale—and ; l Hughes, who was as powerful I »{as anyone in the last 40km—, r and they were still Imin 20sec ' short of their quarry at the : finish. i, Hughes stormed away in the! final 2km for third place, con-' : jvincingly, and Barker, getting! Hover Lewis right at the finish,! b cemented his superiority for the ,day. He emulated the feat of •! Blair Stockwell two years ago •| in winning fastest time both ’ ways, and over-all. DETAILED RESULTS Abbreviations used in the results are Woolston-Avon (W.) ! Hornby (HJ, Papanui (P.) and ; Invercargill (I ). I Stage one. Christchurch-! Akaroa: K. Linton (W, 27min)i :1. G. Lock (H.. 27min) 2. D. J. I Savage (W, 27min) 3. R. E. Bush! j(P.. 19min) 4, G. Cumming (P..! I Ulmin) 5, A. J. Stewart (P„ 1 19mln) 6. i Fastest time: E. J. C. Barker |(P, scr.l, 2:9:10, 1; P. F Neale |(P., sen), 2:9:12. 2; D. B. Hewson |(P.< Scr.l, 2:9:14, 3. Stage two, Akaroa- . Christchurch: Bush 1, Stewart 2, M. J. K. Hughes 11., 6mini 3, ' Barker 4, P. M. Lewis (W, ! I 12min) 5. Neale 6. Fastest time: Barker, 2:22:19, 1; I Neale, 2:22:21, 2; Hughes, 2:28:11, . Over-all fastest time: Barker, . Neale, 4:31:33, 2. J