Gruelling cycling race

Press, 28 July 1976, Page 14

Gruelling cycling race

By

RON PALENSKI

Montreal

A pre-Olympic European campaign stood New Zealand’s road cyclists in good, stead yesterday for the' gruelling Games 180 km in-

[dividual road race on the I twisting Mount Royal circuit above Montreal ii The mountain dominates • the city of Montreal, and the I 123 starters in the race were 11 cursing it with every breath. It was said to be one of the

toughest road courses used ini an Olympics and to make; matters worse, the crack; (European riders set a hot tpace from the start. I The leaders were going at [such a rate up and down the (steep climbs and round the tight comers that 63 of the! starters — more than half the field — withdrew. Among the withdrawals was Jamie Richards, of New Zealand, who was ill after five laps. “The pace was too fast for him.” the New Zealand team manager (Mr Neil Lyster) said. The two other New Zealanders, however, rode well, even if they could not match the 1972 fourth placing (later 'raised to third) r*.hieved by j their countrvman Bruce' I Biddle. ’ Garry Bell, of Waikato, who; ifirst gained national promin-; ience when he won a 1974, [Commonwealth Games trial; on the hilly Cashmere circuit, finished fifteenth in the race, and Vem Hanaray overcame two crashes to finish fiftysecond. A 23-year-old Swede. Bemt Johansson, winner of the British Milk Race last year, broke away from a group of 10 on the last of the 14 laps to win by 31 seconds. Peter Thaler (West Germany), who had also remounted after a crash, won the sprint for the silver, but he was later disqualified for “switching” in the sprint over; the final kilometre. Second place was awarded; to an Italian. Giuseppe Marti-; nelli, and Mieczysl Nowicki 1 (Poland) was third. Bell and Hanaray were both in the chasing group during (the "business end” of the* (race, but two riders in front; ■of Hanaray collided and he

‘had to ride into a barricade Ito avoid them. He remounted lonly to crash again a lap | later. “I was going around a corner and my bike just Went from under me,” he said. “It must have been because of the wet road.” Hanaray again remounted and continued the race, although he had no hope of regaining contact with the main bunch. Bell was riding easily but his efforts to step up the pace and catch the leaders were being stalled by two Poles — who had one of their men in the breakaway group. “It’s very hard, especially on such a tough course as this one. to make up time when you’ve got riders iagainst you,” Bell said. Bell’s group made up some (time on the leaders on the (final lap but after Johansson (forged ahead on his own, the pace increased again and the advantage was lost. Bell, not a noted road sprinter, followed the Poles on the run-in to the line for a good sprinting position and fifteenth place. Hanaray said afterwards that he and Bell did not thrash themselves early in the race trying to keep at the front of the speeding bunch. “We learned in Europe that things settle down after a while and we were prepared to wait,” he said. “Going to Europe was a real advantage for the others, although I iwas there already. We knew (all the riders, we knew who Ito watch and who not to.” The New Zealanders will now return to Europe for a few more months of racing in the cycling centre of the i world before returning to New Zealand, probably in November.

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