Hanaray leads tour

Press, 15 October 1976, Page 4

Hanaray leads tour

PA Invercargill. The Olympic representative, Vern Hanaray. made himself the outright favourite to take the Rothmans cycle tour of Southland when he rode away from a leading bunch to secure his place at the head of the tour and win the second stage to Tuatapere yesterday. Hanaray’s performance showed him to be a tourist in form and his ride gave him a distinct advantage as the riders head out on the third fourth, and fifth stages today.

Although he did not finish up leading the bunch in at the head of the first stage, it was Hanaray who attacked all day after the field of 37 riders left Invercargill in nearly perfect conditions yesterday morning.

After the time trial on Wednesday evening, Mike Hughes (Invercargill) was a dual leader on the tour and his second place In the first stage made sure that he kept the yellow jersey in the afternoon ride around the coast to Tuatapere. But, by the end of the day, It was Hanaray who had burnt off Hughes, back in the middle of the field and the close chasing group of Jack Swart, Paul Jessen, Tony Horne, Dave Hewson, and Max Vertongen. Stage one: M. Vertongen, 2hr 20min 12sec. 1; M. Hughes, 2:20.13, 2; N. Sargent. 2:20.13, 3. Stage two: V. Hanaray. 2:8.47, 1; Vertongen. 2:9.26 2. Over-all classification: Hanaray. 4:34.33, 1; Swart. 40sec, 2; Vertongen, 44sec, 3.