Fowler wins novice cycling tour

Press, 15 August 1978, Page 22

Fowler wins novice cycling tour

A first season of remarkable progres? was made even more memorable foi Brian Fowler when, at Mosgiel on Saturday. he won the Royal Hotel novice cycling tour by a margin of 26 sec. Nor was it just that the aggressive Fowler was able to win ihis advantage on the hills and ;in the time trial. He fully demons! rated his growing sprinting powers with two massed start I stage victories: in the second, by leading in a breakaway bunch I of seven, and in the fourth by j out-finishing the whole field. ‘ There was a second placing to go I with that in the third stage, as • well. As usual, the secund stage—- | from Green Iriand to .Mosgiel. ; through. Fairfield and over Saddle Hill—and the concluding 10km time trial were vital factors to ; general classification. Fowler’s group, which Included [two Otago riders, Warren Stcn ning and Craig Padman. and four [other Canterbury riders, Bevan ' Gyde. Vaughan Harvey, Kevin Bishop anti Greg Shepherd, got away on the hills, leaving be hind two of the favourites. Craig Adair and Bieddy n Wills. Stenning, only 2-sec slower than Fowler, improved dramatically from fifth to second. Adair’s ; third placing in the time trial [brought him up to fourth over all while Bishop, Gyde, Harvey and Shepherd all slipped away a little. There was no touching f owler on the two crucial stages, and accordingly, there was little real activity on the other stages. In the first, to Brighton and back. Wills was very doubtfully judged winner from Adair and Padman, but Adair made amends by clearly winning stage three, round Mosgiel, and by following in Fowler in the fourth stage, round Wingatul. Although the much improved Stenning and Padman ga\e some local iov with their second and

third placings. t anterburj muenjoyed considerable auccess Adair. Harvey. Bishop. Gyde. David Ross-Smith—who did a very good time trial—and Sh'« iherd all joined Fouler In the tup 10 places. Abbreviations used in the < suits are Canterbury <C). Otago >(Oj and Southland »S>. Stage one. 19km.—B. Wills > ;1. C. R. Adair .C) 2. C. Padman O* 3. W. Stenning <O> 4. B. P Gyde <C> 5. Stage two. 17km -R. Foyyler ■ (Cl I. Padman 2. V. Harvey C s 3. Gyde 4 K. G. Bishop C> S Time: 28:13. Stage three. 18km. —Adair 1 Fowler 2. Wills 3. T Julian <C |4, Padman 5. Time 32:5ft. Stage four 20km- Fouler 1, Adair 2. Padman 3. Wills 4. Gyde 5. Time: 33:48. Stage five. 10km time trial Fowler. 14:41 I: Stenning. 14:43 2: Adair. 14:45, 3; D Ross-Smiti ((C). 15:07. 4; Wills. 15:19. 5; Pad man 15:21. 6; S. Batchelor <C 15:22. 7; R Bagot <C), 1529 8 Harvey. 15:31. 9 Bishop. 15:35, 10 General classification. —Fou leu 2:22:25. 1: Stenning. at 2fisec. 2 Padman. at 46sec. 3. Adair, at 53sec. 4: Harvey, at 1:12. ’ Rishnn. at 1:20. ft; Gyde. at 12’ 7; Wi’ls. at 1:33. 8: Ross-SmPb at TH. 9: G. C. Shepherd «C 4 at 1:54. 10. Other Canterbury placing? Bagot. at 2-03. 11: Julian, at 2 C j’3: Batchelor, at 3:11. 18. W Rastrick. a 4 5:28. 18; F Groeneq daal. at 5 37. 19.