Cyclists protest over team selections

Press, 20 February 1980, Page 27

Cyclists protest over team selections

By RAY CAIRNS

Track cyclists have been making their own form of protest at the Canterbury team selections for the Healing National Hard Track championships. The mcfst drastic action was that taken by Terry Gyde, a last-year junior overlooked for the 8000 m team of five: he promptly changed to the cash code — winning gold and silver medals at the Canterbury championship — and said it was the only way he could register his disgust at the “system.” And Mark Nichols, another junior from the Hornby W.M.C. not chosen for the 8000 m, which he and Gyde both rode last season, refused to race last leg. “They don’t seem interested in picking the best team,” said Nichols. “I know I haven’t ridden that regularly this season,” said Nichols, “but I think I have been rather better placed than some of those chosen ahead of me.”

His younger brother, Craig, also intends not to ride ’ the track again, after missing novice team selection; and the prominent senior, Kim Reid, is going even further. “I’m giving up altogether after the nationals — selling the lot,” said Reid.

Also critical of Canterbury team selections, Reid pointed out that Ray' Knight, a 15,000 m selection ahead of him, did not even finish the Canterbury championship race. “It’s rank the way they’ve chosen some of the team, and the way some were left out,” said Reid. Reid also said, without elaborating, that he was not very enamoured at the actions and attitudes of some fellow riders after the Canterbury championships and it is believed he has registered his feelings at a provincial administrative level.

The selectors have adopted double standards in, their team selections. On one hand, they have chosen part of a team based on Canterbury championships performances, that is, they picked the first five for the 800 m.

By so doing, they failed to acknowledge that that event was raced near the end of a long final session ridiculously demanding on a handful of riders. Nichols and Gyde both had medal rides in the 3000 m individual pursuit, and rode for first in the team pursuit. Brian Fowler had a similiar schedule — riding in sprints as well — and that effort meant the 8000 m was far from a true performance. Gyde has a record second only to Murray Steele of those chosen this season; only sixth, he was left out of the team. Nichols did not ride the event because he was not satisfied he could perform satisfactorily after' such a testing programme.

If. the championships were so important, why did the selectors not then name Toni Horne (second in the senior 15,000 m) for the national championships, even if he has barely raced the track this season?

And if the championships counted that much, why did the selectors throw out second chances to some junior sprinters? Shane Smith, Craig Adair and William Rastrick all had mediocre sprint performances, but by match-races being placed on Sunday evening’s programme, they were being invited to reinforce their claims.

Tony Fuller and Steve Woods could justly feel aggrieved; they produced the sprinting performances' at the championships and deserved recognition. It is a situation which smells of a fair degree of

horse-trading, and of compromising policy to suit individual cases.

In their selections for the 8000 m — particularly those of Adair and Brent Kircher — the selectors have shown scant regard for consistency of results over the season.

By far the feature of Sunday evening’s meeting at Denton Park was the kilometre heat ”ictory of Jacob Schriek. He flashed away at the very beginning and was never sighted in recording the brilliant time of Imin 9.55. Results were:— OPEN 800 m sprints.—C. R. Adair beat B. R. Kircher, 12-9: A. P. Fuller beat W. J. E. Rastrick, 14-1; Fuller beat Adair, 13-1; Rastrick beat Kircher, 13-8, and beat Adair, 13-7; Fuller beat Kircher, 14-0. 3000 m junior individual pursuit.—A. J. Strang, 4:03.0, beat P. A. McEwen, 4:04.8. Scratch.—Open 1000 m: R. E. Knight 1, M. A. Steele 2, P. M. Lewis 3. Time: 1:23.1. A grade “Devil take the hindmost”: B. A. Fowler 1, B. G. Stockwell 2, J. Schriek 3. B grade “Devil take the hindmost”: Fuller 1, B. W. Brunton 2, McEwen 3. Aces 400 m: Schriek 1, Lewis 2, Knight 3. Time: 30.9. Aces promotion 400 m: Steele 1. Fowler 2, S. C. Woods 3. Time: 30.4. NOVICE Four-lap individual pursuit.— Qualifiers: P. J. Turnbull, 2:10.7; P. E. Clare, 2:17.3: M. B. Hazeldine, 2:21.0; I. Stanicich, 2:21.1. Scratch.—A grade “Devil take the hindmost”: Turnbull 1, Ilazeldine 2. V. R. Harvey 3. Aces 400 m: I. C. Cooper 1, M. A. Childs 2, Turnbull 3. Time: 32.1. Aces promotion 400 m: Harvey 1, Clare 2, K. Law 3. Time: 32.1. B grade “Devil take the hindmost”: I. Stanicich 1. Hendren 2. P. Bone 3. A grade 4000 m: Harvey 1, Hazeldine 2, Childs 3. Time: 5:47.0.

Handicap,—A grade 400 m: N. Dent (40m) 1, H. Walton (35m) 2, Clare (25m) 3. Time: 29.3. B grade 400 m: S. R. Hendren (10m) 1, R. Stevenson (45m) 2, P. Tutty (30m) 3. Time: 31.6. B grade 1600 m: Stanicich (scr) 1, Hendren (scr) 2, Stevenson (150 m 3. Time: 2:16.4.

Other Canterbury team selections made last evening were: — Junior sprints: Murray Steele, Steve Woods. Tony Fuller. Craig Adair. Reserve. William Rastrick.

Senior team pursuit (from): Blair Stockwell. Jacob Schriek, Ton.y Duder, Kim Reid, Toni Horne, Bruce Brunton.