Coast riders make money in plains winds

Press, 28 August 1978, Page 20

Coast riders make money in plains winds

The brisk south-westerly at Lancaster Park was rather more warmly welcomed by the front-markers in the National Bank Ashburton to Christchurch 80km cash cycling classic on Saturday.

The conditions made a mockery of the handicaps, which looked a shade long, and the three ’Greymouth riders made their long trek over the Alps a worthy journey.

Dennis Fahy won from the front mark of 32min, and from the time he dropped George McGregor in the first 100 m, he was alone at the head of the field. An indication of his worth, and the value of the tail-wind, was reflected in Fahy’s time of a mere 4sec over two hours; the next of his fellow West Coasters, Graeme Peters, was nearly 2min slower and he started 4min behind Fahy. The other rider from the recently re-formed club, Vern Pattinson, off Peters’ mark, was actually 22sec slower than Fahy. The scratch markers, and more specifically the fancied 6min bunch, had no chance of line honours; Russell Nant led across the line the big bunch of assorted backmarkers — Michael Doyle having slipped clear just before the finish — a quarterhour after Fahy had made his solo entrance at Shands Road.

A shade surprisingly, there was no bunch finish until Nant’s big group; the first eight finished singly, and being followed by a three-man remnants of the middle marks. Big bunch or not, there was no chance of the back-markers going through the field, and the performances of the three

Greymouth riders suggests they may be a little more severely handicapped when next they travel for an open race.

The scratch riders — without Paul Wylie, an early puncture victim — had gathered in the break markers by Springston, and. the 6min bunch succumbed to them with just Bkm to go. But Fahy and the rest were rested and recovered by then. It was a nice change for a long-handicapper to get some material return, as Nant observed.

Nant and Fahy completed good week-ends in the Town Hall criteriums the next morning. Nant was the clearest of winners of the A grade 34km with 31 points, 14 clear of Steve Doherty. Tony Morris was third with 11 points. Brian Roulston got 3 r points in the B grade, Johi Doherty 22, and Fahy eight. Abbreviations used in th results are Greymouth (G) South Canterbury (SC) Canterbury (C), Mid Canter bury (MC):— National Bank Ashburton to Christchurch 80km.— D. Fahy (G, 32min) 2:0:04, 1; G. Peters (G. 28min), 1:58:14, 2; V. Pattinson (G, 28min), 2:0:26, 3; K. Niven (SC, 28min) 4, C. Woods (C, 25min) 5, S. Dawson (C, 25min) 6, T. Thompson (C, 25min) 7, B. Froggatt (C, 21min) 8. B. Roulston (C, 12jmin) 9, J. Williams (SC, 16min) 10.

Fastest time.— R. D. Nant (C, scr), 1:43:13, 1; S. P. Doherty (C, scr), 1:43:13.5, 2; C. D. Yaxley (C, scr), 1:43:14, 3. Junior: J. Ward (MC, 3min), 1:46:14, 1; O. Wylie (MC, 3min) 2. Veteran: R. Craig (C, 9min, 1:52:39, 1.