Cycling classic to Fitzpatrick

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33966, 6 October 1975, Page 19

Cycling classic to Fitzpatrick

(By RAY CAIRNS) Just as he had done when winning his first classic, two years ago. Kerry Fitzpatrick rode half the distance alone to take first place in the Harry Saundercock Memorial 100 km cycling classic at W aikari on Saturday.

Fitzpatrick was off the! front mark of 40min but ini the harsh conditions, a bit-' ing wind and persistent' heavy rain, he was a cut| above his co-markers. In; such conditions — so un-i usual in the 25 years of the: Waikari classic as to be almost unique —' frontmarkers suffer more, and more quickly, than do • the better riders back on the! marks.

But this was not the case

with Fitzpatrick on Saturday Certainly he lost time to the back-markers, but not as quickly as some of those on the middle marks. Even on the last lap, apart from the hard leg between the Lewis Pass highway and Hawarden, he held his own. Fitzpatrick was 4min in front of the 13-strong bunch of back-markers at the finish, just as he was comfortably clear of the rest when he won the Shirley Lodge classic in 1973, his first year of cycling. In such conditions, it was not surprising that only 26 of the 49 starters finished, and Fitzpatrick was nearly not among them.

His father, patrolling a corner, 1 ■ ~ked to be relieved cf his duty . because he thought bis frozen,, son would be ready to withdraw; and should not be left to stand in the cold. No sooner had the; request been made when Fitzpatrick appeared, just at the|! start of his winning break ' Blair Stockwell won fastest time easily, though beaten in the sprint for second place by two juniors. Frank Schaapveld arid Toni Horne. The other surlying scratch riders. Peter ; .N'fale and Chris Hogan, were comfortably in Stockwell’s wake.; and the fastest time of 2hr 39min ; Isec was a measure of the unpleasant conditions: the record is' more than lOmin faster. i Schaapveld thus won junior fastest time and the experiment ot, placing the leading juniors on the same mark was certainly | ( r.o failure. They stayed together as- a bunch better than any I other group and had the condi- ! ’ Otis been a little less demanding. might well hate stayed clear 1 or the scratch riders. i ©ave Hewson as expected on ] .‘H lOmin handicap, soon rerioted his bunch quite drastic-J ally until there were only he. < D*Jc Hollow, and Mick l.itolff 1 remaining. But they were all ■ caipgbt in the end. and never J lopked likely to catch the gal- 1 lant and steady Fitzpatrick I Results: ’ ! Harry Saundercocl. Memorial ' 100 km.— K. Fitzpatrick J4ommj, 1

3:15:20, 1; F M. Schaapveld ismini. 2:44.0, 2 and junior fastest time; T. R Horne (smin>. 3; B. G. Stockwell (scr.), 2:39:1, 4 and fastest time; K. P. Basher •smin) 5; P. F. Neale (scr.), 2:39:1.5 6 and second fastest; time; C. M. Hogan (scr.). 2:39:2.1 7 and third fastest time: R. M. Fowler i24min) 8; M. P. J Horne 1 ■ 14min) 9: R. G. Pine <smin) 10 Novice open 13km.—M. R. Sincock ilmin). 22:44. 1 and third fastest time; R. Wells timin’). ; 22:46. 2 and fourth fastest time; P. Clarke <2?min) 3; K. Woodley I(scr.). 22:18. 4 and fastest time:i J. Horne (scr.). 22:19.5, 5 and second fastest time.