Jack Swart wins incident-packed trial

Press, 3 October 1979, Page 38

Jack Swart wins incident-packed trial

By

RAY CAIRNS

Jack Swart clearly reestablished himself as New Zealand’s top road cyclist at Puketura yesterday. The Waikato rider won the 197 km Olympic trial with a commanding but narrow victory from the six survivors of a testing race. Swart won yesterday’s rain-affected trial by burning off the young Waikato and K a w e r a u rider, Eric McKenzie, with the youthful Canterbury rider, Mark Nichols, a fine third. Of the 23 who started, only nine finished, with Vern Hanaray (Hastings) coming in behind the lead bunch after puncturing three times. Swart’s winning time was shr 19min 21.5 sec. Tony Horne (Canterbury) finished fifth, then Keith Lucas (Auckland), Garry Bell

I (Waikato), Stephen Coxf I (Waikato) and Blair Stock-1 Swell (Canterbury) — another! [puncture victim. j The effort of Nichols was! I quite outstanding. He may I I not be the national junior; champion, but he is clearly! the best age-group rider in I New Zealand. Indeed, he can! take his place with the best in the country, no matter what their ages. This was a day for brave performances, and the greatest efforts came from Hanaray, and two members of the small Hertz-sponsored Canterbury team, Stockwell and Nichols. Twice in the sixth of seven laps, Stockwell punctured. The first time Stockwell was back on in a kilometre, then he left the pursuing! Hanaray to flash back up toj the bunch in equally-short' time. But those two chases I

I were the finishing of Stockiwell, and he lost contact in I the last nine kilometres. Nichols could have hardly I got his puncture at a worse | time. It came with just 17 ikilometres to ride, and the I built-in difficulties of rear- ! wheel changes on Nichols’s |typ? of frame, gave him a slow restart. But a magnificent chase brought him back to the field within three kilometres.

The convener of the panel, Mr Sharrock said after the trial New Zealand had not h;d a very good year internationally in road racing. “It doesn’t matter how much money becomes avaiL able through cycling or the Government — only people who come up to the standard can go,” he said. I The Olympics were not (like the Commonwealth Games. They were a lot l herder.