DULUX CYCLE RACE Stockwell’s day, but Bell leads

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33995, 8 November 1975, Page 52

DULUX CYCLE RACE Stockwell’s day, but Bell leads

(N'c’r Zealand Press Association) PALMERSTON NORTH. (Jury Bell (Waikato ), strong and aggressive after a season in Europe, has taken the lead in the Dulux six-day cvcle race, after the previous tour leader. Barry Hyatt, slipped hack on the hard eighth stage from Wanganui to Palmerston North yesterday.

In a sla’-e dominated h\ the power and brilliance of one of \eu Zealand's finest cvclists. Blair Stockwell (Canterbury), Bell showed that with his strength over the final stages he will be verx hard to keep out of the top position on the final stage today.

n«n mm hi< a lliseci Stockwell was first over bell »ow ivu. a *7 Vinegar hill climbs-on lead ovei the piiMMent the seconci tjU i C kiy asserting Stephen fox ( Lex in >.|his superiority. who finished second toi Soon after this, Bell, with Stockwell in yesterday's some urging, started to move strongiv, and to such good stage.

In thud place in the; genera! classification is! LT'att. who is 3min 37sec behind the leader. and Wavne Hammond from Aus-, tralia. who kepi up well with, [the pace vesferday after his| misfortunes of the <iav. and is now 4min I sec, i behind the leader. Bell, a vastly experienced: rider, should not now lose] ■ the race, barring accidents.! Most of the main contenderare a long way back, and! ■Cox, although a regular contender in maior races. ha«| alwavs misled out on the maior prizes. Stockwell, who made his| presence felt from the start, of the stage, had made his mistake on the stage from Otorohanga to New Plv-> mouth, when he let the break; bunch go and never caught: them. He won both the earlv hill: climbs on the stage —at | Whangehu and Turakina —i •and then relaxed while Alan! Goodrope (Australia) and' °eter Neale of Canterbury! broke away just before Mar- 1 ton. They quicklv opened a! big gan. and were well awav 1 from the field when Stock well, ohviouslv with his eve. on the King of the Motin-, tains title, eave chase about! 10 miles before Hunterville Neale was first through; Hunterville. but Stockwellwas closing fast and joined! the p; ir soon after He made, the pace consistently from! there on as the other two) slowed. ■

, effect tiiat he had the bunch [only 20sec behind Stockwell jat Cheltham. Into Feilding, and Stock-; well still led by a small mar-! ‘gin. with Stephen Cox ’second, and Bell third as the 'bunch worked strongly. Into Palmerston North, ■ and Stockwell still had 'enough strength left to win the sprint from Cox. with the 'time for the stage being 3hr s(>min 57sec, the slowness '! being the result of head ■winds being met over the ’last third of the journey. The tour started the day i; with 35 cyclists and the first |[ casualty was Mike Hughes I (from Southland, soon after ■.Wanganui because of food i[poisoning. Hughes began the ■■ i 147-kilometre stage, but was i feeling so weak he withdrew.

Bartley had chain trouble' 1 shortly after the start and changed bikes with an Otago j rider, Peter Goding. Stage results were:— Whangehu climb. — Stockwell! 1. Ulyatt 2. W. Nieholl (Aus-! tralia) 3. Turakina climb.—-Stockwell 1, Bell 2, Nichols 3. Marton sprint.—Goodrope 1, Neale 2, D. Hollows (Christchurch) 3. Hunterville sprint.—Neale 1,( Goodrope 2, Stockwell 3. Ohingaiti sprint.—Stockwell 1, Goodrope 2, Neale 3. Vinegar No. 1. —Stockwell I,| Goodrope 2, Neale 3. Vinegar No. 2.—Stockwell l.j Goodrope 2, Neale 3. Feilding sprint.—Stockwell Li Cox 2. Bell 3. ; Stage finish.—Stockwell 1, Cox, 2, Goodrope 3, Bell 4, Neale 5, 1 J. Richards (Auckland) 6. General classification.—Bell, 22:43:6. 1: Cox. at 16sec. 2; Ulyatt, at. 3:37, 3; Hammond, at 4-1, 4: W. Cornish (Wellington), at 4:45, 5: C. Hogan (Canterbury), at 5-28. 6; D Foley- (Stratford), at 7:42. 7: Neale, at 8:23, 8; P.-j Stenning (Canterbury), at 8:31. 9;, S Bartlev (Australia), at 8:39,i 10- B. Stockwell (Canterbury), at 13:55. 11.