Middle cyclists dominate scratch riders at Timaru

Press, 26 June 1978, Page 3

Middle cyclists dominate scratch riders at Timaru

By

RAY CAIRNS

; Good personal efforts and surprisingly extensive . scratchings from the back marks gave middle-mark ! cyclists rich rewards at Timaru at the week-end. Merv Dryden, a Dunedin : veteran, went home happiest. He won the Allan Loach Memorial race at iOtipua yesterday in a des- ! perate finish, with the [scratch riders and the huge [support it had gathered a I mere 2min away and catchling up. The previous day he had finished second in the [Peter Howes Memorial race I which was won by Graeme Howes, the eldest son of a late former Timaru club president. Although the middle markers.. and those from a [ little further out had good ! returns — Kim Gilchrist and I Robert Forrest also twice I finished in the first six placi ings — the back markers [were not handicapped out of [the races. i The first of the scratch [riders on Saturday, Bryan i Stenning, was 4.smin from the winner and Blair Stock[well yesterday was even [closer after he had cleared

out in the final 3km in hot pursuit of Wayne Howes, who had himself cleared out about Ikm earlier. But the unevenness of the back bunches meant a few concerted efforts, and the break mark for the second race, already facing a formis dable scratch bunch of nine, Was hit even harder when Paul Flattery, the best of the bunch by far on Saturday,! was rehandicapped to! scratch. It was not so much a race! for fastest time or whether! other bunches near the back[ could hold off the scratch] riders but whether the) scratch bunch would go through the field. Ther sternness of the test was quickly evident. After 15km, the 18min bunch, including Dryden and Gilchrist, had caught that off! 20min, was within 2.smin of the front, and was still a[ full 15min clear of the! scratch riders. After 35km, near halfway, the 18min riders and the eight they had gathered in were in front and the scratch bunch, then 14strong and including all the break bunch with the ex-

ception of Mark Nichols,! was nearly 12min behind. Twenty kilometres later [ the scratch riders had got back only 3min more andj for the final 25km the back I mark was a big unmana-[ geable mas.. It numbered I more than 20 by then and al good two-thirds of them were passengers, some unwittingly, some by design. I Spasmodic attacks by [Stockwell, Stenning, and Peter Goding, with Flattery [and Nichols usually promi[nent near the front, all came Ito naught until Howes [slipped clear near Brasells [Bridge. There was no concerted effort to catch him and only Stockwell, getting away on a! downhill stage, made any I impression. Bruce Brunton! easily outsprinted the large! [bunch. | The Peter Howes Memori-l al race for novices was won! by the Dunedin rider, Lyn-1 don Stenning, with the best! of the Canterbury riders, Ian!: Cooper and Craig Nichols,); taking fourth and fifth [[ places. Blendon Wills). (Southland) won fastest time? from Craig Adair (Canter-[' bury).

I Abbreviations used in the results are Timaru (Tj, Dunedin I (D.), Invercargill (I.), Papanui (P.), Woolston (W.)» Hornby (H.)» [Mairehau (M.) and Kaiapoi (K.). j Peter Howes Memorial race, 65km: G. McD. Howes (T., 16min), 1; M. Dryden (D.. 16min), 2; G. A. [Duff (T., 18min), 3; J. Cattermoic (P., 18min), 4; K. Gilchrist (T., |l6min), 5; R. .1. Forrest (P.. 21 j mini. 6; S. Keil (1., 21min), 7; C. Holding <D.. IBmin). 8; G. Hannam (T„ 11 mini, 9; B. Thin (T.. 1 llmin), 10. Fastest time; B. W. Stenningj (P., scr.i, 1:32.53. 1; T. R. Horne: (P., scr.), 1:32:53.5, 2; M. J. K. Hughes (1., scr.), 1:32.54, 3. Allan Loach Memorial race J 75km: Dryden ilSmini, 1; Gilchrist (IBminij 2; M. Morgan (W.,i 23min), 3; Forrest i2omim. 4; Holding i2omin), 5; G. Howes (15mmi. 6; D. Todd (D., 15mim,l I 7; D. D. Johnson <\V.. Jpmini, 8;1 1 G. W. Howes (T., sminL 9; B. GJ Stockwell (P., scr.), 1:45:14. 10 t land fastest time; B. Brunton (H., jscr.), 1:45.18, 11 and second fast-1 lest time; J. I. Ryder IP., 2minU 12; M. Sycamore (1., scr.i, 1:45.19,1 ;13 and third-fastest time. ( Peter Howes Memorial novice , race, 20km: L. Stenning (D., 8 imini. 1; M. Miller (T., Bmini. 2;) |M. Hewitt (1.. 12mini. 3; I. C. | Cooper (K., 6.smini. 4; C. P. Nichols FK., 6.smini, 5; B. Has tie i |(D., Bmin), 6; W. Evans (D.. 6.5 imin), 7; A. Crawford 4T;i< 9.75 min), 8: M. Johnson (K.. Bmin), 9: B. Wills (1., scr.i, 31:16.3, 10 and fastest time; C. ■ Adair (M., scr.), 31:16.5, 11 and second-fastest time; V, Harvex UH., 45si. 12: B. P. Gydv (H. 45s I j 13: W. Ztenning (D.. scr.), 31:17, ‘ 14 and third-fastest time.