N.Z. cyclists win final stage

Press, 13 June 1977, Page 6

N.Z. cyclists win final stage

NZPA staff correspondent i London] New Zealand gained its' first ever individual and team! first in the final stage of the! gruelling British Milk Race] yesterday as Roger Sumich] outsprinted some of the! world’s best amateur riders. Sumich raced home just] yards ahead of the Russian' Sergei Be'.oussov as the main! bunch of some 60 riders] pounded along only seconds' behind. Sumich covered the 170km] final stage from Swindon to I Southampton in 4hr 38mini 35sec —crossing the line to| the cheers of the big crowd lining the finish. It was an! outstanding effort by the Auckland rider, who had ] spent the previous 11 stages] working quietly in the back-, ground. The Milk Race, considered! one of the toughest amateur] stage races in the world, was i won over-all this year by the] powerful Russian team, re- 1

(turning to the Milk Raceii Jafter an absence of many]< .'years. The leading Soviet; ’(rider, Said Gusseinov. was.< Hplaced first over all after] i ■ ] wearing the leader’s yellow;! ,; jersey all week, and his i Jefforts, along with those of] J the King'of the Mountains, ! ’' Sergei Morosov, were easily 1 !] enough to place the Russian. ! ([team first over all. J The next New Zealander |< . home after Sumich was Gary;: ]]Bell at seventh. Bell has ; < (ridden consistently well since t ] the race left Southend-on-Sea ] ] Jon May 30 and only bad luck j /stopped.him from gaining a l i ,|much higher placing. As it!’ nwas, his performance tester-;■ J day placed him at seven-it .iteenth over all, easily the 1 ((leading Kiwi. . Other New Zealand stage;/ Jplacings yesterday were:]: I Mike Hughes 21, David Hew- , [lson 28 and Vem Hanaray 34. ( I The Kiwi team’s first place Ji Jin yesterday’s final stage did!" II little to boost the team in the], •'final over-all placings, where I j

lit was seventh out of the ! 1 'competing teams. Final over-all individual .classifications for the Nev. (Zealanders were: Bell 17, Hanaray 26, Hewson 44. Su mich 46. Hughes 57. j The sixth member of the New Zealand team. Stephen ICox. was forced to withdraw ,fn>m the race earlier this (week after a senes of courageous individual perform - ances, including a sixth in i one of the race’s toughes: i stages. Final team placings Russ!., '142:54.59. 1; Sweden, 142:59.23. 2, ;Britain A. 143:00.00. 3; Poland. 143:02 42 . 4: Czechoslovakia [143:04.20. 5; Switzerland. 143:24.17, 6; N.Z.. 143:25.00, 7: United State? [143:29.24. 3; Britain B. 143:40.51. ■9; Netherlands. 143:53.11, 10: 'lreland. 143:57.20. 11. Individual final standings. Said Gusseinov (Russia'. 48:22 13. 1; Alf Segersall ’Sweden). 48:22.21, [2; Paul Carbutt 'Britain A 43:22.32, 3: Bob Downs (Britain A), 43:22.33. 4; Werner Bret/ I [Switzerland', 48:22.35, 5: Sergei [Morozov (Russia), 43:22.41. 6. [Tommy Prim Sweden:. 48:22.44, 7; Tadeusz Wotjas (Poland).same time, 8; Vaclav Vondracek (Czechoslovakia). 48:23.19. 9; Rinat [Sharafulin (Russia', 48:26 13. 10.