Veteran cyclists surprised Bush with their strength and ability

Press, 16 September 1976, Page 25

Veteran cyclists surprised Bush with their strength and ability

By.

JOHN DREW

The secret of maintaining youth, strength and fitness for men from 40 upwards might well lie between the wheels of a racing bike.

This seems to be the message which the New Zealand veteran champion cyclist, Ross Bush, of

Christchurch, has brought home, after competing among more than 2000 veteran cyclists at the world road championships at St Johaan in Austria.

Bush, who was pleased to take twenty-sixth placing in the young veteran’s class for cyclists between 40 and 43, said he was astonished at the strength and fitness of competitors in all classes. Bush said the performance of his Canterbury team mate, Peter Deller, in twenty-fourth was outstanding. Both he and Bush finished only a few metres behind the second and third place-getters in the sprint finish, which was won by the world champion of only a few years ago, Camille Le Menn. He is now an officer and head cycling instructor in the French Army.

The ride by Bush was the more creditable because he had been in bed with a high fever and throat virus for two days until the morning of the race.

In the New Zealand veteran championship, won by Bush in July, Deller was seventh and the remarkable Auckland 60-year-old, Doug Kingsford, was fifth.

In Austria the course, which included a climb to 4000 ft in 60 kilometres, was the toughest Bush had competed over. The course narrowed to only a ■few metres wide in places and taking the tight bends at speeds of 60 kilometres an hour wiht a field packed round him like sardines was a hair raising experience. “There were several nasty crashes but i managed to avoid coming off.” Bush said the popularity of the sport of cycle racing was enormously wide spread. In his grade, there were many highly placed

and well to do businessmen from throughout the world, including a diamond millionaire from South Africa who was a very capable rider. Men in the over 70 section climbed the same mountain course in the Tyrol as did the riders in Bush’s class, which contained many riders only

slightly below the standard of the world’s best professionals. “Not only did men over 70 maintain speeds of some 20 miles an hour average for the 40km course, but they handled the hard hill climbs with the power of young men. “And there was no need to make allowances for

their age because they handled the sprint finish with all the fire and flair of men in their natural prime. “It takes a lot of cour-

age to ride a bike at racing speeds of up to 100 kilometres an hour down steep narrow hill courses but that’s what the men in the over 70 class did. They got a standing ovation from a crowd of more than 8000 and it made tears come to your eyes to see them riding with the power and verve of young men.

“It is widely accepted by medical authorities in Europe that bike riding is one of the best ways of avoiding coronary troubles,” said Bush.

But he is insistent it must be the right kind of bike of racing pattern so that the power can go through in the proper way with greatest efficiency. Extra light weight was not so important as a correct riding position on a bike of suitable dimensions for the height, leg length and reach of each individual concerned. “If men of 70 can ride like that in Austria there is no excuse for men and women of pensioner age not to do the same here. I say to older men, get off your seat and ride.” He quoted the instance of a British 68-year-old grandmother who recently put up an astonishing riding time for the 700 kilometre non-stop journey from London to Edinburgh. At the world championships, Bush was specially impressed with the New Zealand over 60 rider, Doug Kingsford. “He showed he was nearly as strong and fast as me, although he was 20 years older,” said Bush. Kingsford took fifth place in the 60 to 65 age group, which was a particularly strong class, with really capable riders from throughout Europe, Scandanavia and Britain.

"Doug had the outlook and behaviour of a young man and on his performance as a bike rider he is in fact young in all respects except in years.”