Chch cycling official picked for Moscow

Press, 10 July 1979, Page 36

Chch cycling official picked for Moscow

By

RAY CAIRNS

Wayne Thorpe will become the most-travelled New Zealand cycling official to Olympic and Commonwealth dames next year. The Christchurch man, a former national selector, will attend his fourth successive games in an official capacity, at the Moscow Olympics. A coach with the 1974 (Christchurch) and 1978 (Edm o n t o n ) Commonwealth Games teams, and also coach to the 1976 Montreal Olympics, Mr Thorpe will be the mechanic for the 1980 team.

His appointment was one of several made at the annual general meeting of the Amateur Cycling Association during the week-end, and he beat off for the job the young Wellingtonian, Guy Brady, who has been well favoured for such appointments in recent seasons by the Wellington-based national council.

Another Wellington man expected to get some appointment, Kevin Ratten, also missed out. He was beaten for the position of track coach for Moscow, by Dick Johnstone, a former international and the coach of Michael Richards. Mr Ratten was also beaten — this time, by the well-re-garded Ron Cheatley (Wanganui) — for the coaching position with the New Zealand track team on its internal tour.

Mr Cheatley is road coach for Moscow, winning the position ahead of Messrs Thorpe and Bob Pratt (Wellington), and the latter and Kelvin Hastie (Otago) lost

the ballot for manager to the convener of the national selection panel, Gordon Sharrock (Wanganui).

Mr Sharrock will also be manager for the internal track tour, and Brady is the mechanic; iwhile the manager for the New Zealand team tour to Tasmania next year is Mr D. J. Griffin (Kawerau).

Though the Canterbury attempt to restructure the national counci’ into a management committee failed there was some streamlining with each centre now having only one delegate. Also, the council chairman will now control Ml council meetings; previously the president could choose to take the chair. The major racing changes relate to the youngest and the oldest. The boys’ national hard track programme will now include a 500 m time trial — on an experimental basis — while a move for the 4000 m to revert to 2000 m was defeated. Also, high pressure tyres will be optional, not compulsory, for under-14-year-old riders. If entries warrant, two veterans’ road championships will be held: one for the age-group, 35 to 44, the other 45 and over. Canterbury failed in its bid to stage the national road championships next year; they went to Mataura, in Southland. With the exception of the Commonwealth. Games-preview championships in 1973, Canterbury has not staged these since 1961.

The hard track championships will again be at Levin, and the grass track at Bulls.