Blair Stockwell, MBE: reward for quiet endeavour

Press, 16 June 1982, Page 30

Blair Stockwell, MBE: reward for quiet endeavour

It was nothing less than typical of Blair Stockwell that be should have welcomed his elevation to cycling’s nobility with the observation that his MBE recognised cyclists in general, rather than himself specifically. That was, it can be repeated, typical of Stockwell, not a man to proclaim his own efforts, but not naively modest to the degree to not know that bis accomplishments are a glittering few pages of cycling’s history in New Zealand. Blair Stockwell is not a man with an eye to figures or to the records. Ask him for the number of his New Zealand titles, and he will volunteer the, information that “you’d know that better than me” or to “ask Steve Cox,” the latter, a national team-mate of Stockwell, having an interest in those matters.

The truth of the matter is that Stockwell has tucked away 28 national titles since the chunky 17-year-old upset’ a Canterbury team-mate — and the Aucklanders who bad adopted him — in Stuart Stephen at Western Springs early in 1967, to win the junior individual pursuit championship. Thirteen years on, he brought the curtain down on his phenomonal track racing career with a storming victory in the 50km points’ race. In between, there were five individual pursuit championships (1969-71,1973, 1975), and six team pursuit wins in al) those years, and 1976, with the exception that the allCanterbury team of late 1973

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could not take the title as Russell Nant had only recently shifted to Christchurch.

That same championship season. 1973-74, Stockwell (with Paul Brydon) had won his other track title, the madison. There are 14 New Zealand team time trial titles, as well: in each of 1968, 1972, 1975 and 1977, his teams won the Hope Gibbons 40km and the national 100 km titles. Papanui also won the Hope Gibbons in 1974, 1979 and 1980; Canterbury, with Stockwell, the 100 km in 1969. 1971 and 1978.

And in 1976, Stockwell finally won the senior road championship, perhaps the most difficult of all the titles to win.

Throughout this astonishing career, Stockwell and controversy have never been bed-fellows, and perhaps that road championship win underlines the man.

He had, for a while, been given the title in 1969, when Bruce Biddle was disqualified for having done q victory wave. Stockwell it can now be said, was relieved that that decision was reversed; he wanted no part of such a cheap win. There was similar trauma before he received the victor’s laurels at Taradale in 1976. There was not a great deal between Stockwell, Kevin Blackwell and Paul Jesson as they flashed across the line, and it is a sad reflection that the careers of the latter two were cruelly cut short.

RAY CAIRNS

Blackwell was actually announced the winner, with the judges not availing themselves of the photo-finish equipment. The race management was only persuaded to do so as the riders were preparing to mount the rostrum.

But even before it was established that Stockwell had indeed beaten Blackwell by half a wheel, all he would offer was “I know it was Close: I think I got there.” Modest man, again, because any self-respecting cyclist knows when he has won-all but the narrowest of decisions.

Controversy, as has been stated, has never been a constant companion -of Stockwell. His career was just under way when this writer commenced reporting the sport, and there are only two instances which can be recalled when he got close to public disagreement with officialdom.

It was a bitter young man who beard his Canterbury junior pursuit team had been disqualified, on the most silly of technicalities, at Kew Bowl, Invercargill, early in 1968. Later that evening, he was named to ride for New Zealand for the first time, on a track tour to Australia, and he was of a mind to reject the opportunity. He was talked out of that, and an international career was under way. Eleven long years on, Stockwell was invited, but declined, to contest the Oceania Games in Noumea. He said he could not go, and

said so in very good time; an anxious team management clung to the hope that he would reconsider.

When it became apparent that Stockwell would not go. it appeared that he had let the team down at a late stage. National administration exonerated him of such actions, but not very publicly; Stockwell, for his part, just let it ride — no outbursts, no table-thumping. Though for years, for ever it has seemed, Stockwell has ridden track and road with equal proficiency, his record of representation does fall into distinct parts. After the little 1968 expedition, he was a track rider at the Commonwealth Games and world championships of 1970, the Olympic Games and to New Caledonia in 1972, the Christchurch Commonwealth Games of 1974.

He had ridden the road at Edinburgh in 1970, but just to make up the numbers, and he was first chosen as a roadman to New Caledonia in 1974, a trip repeated in 1977. Otherwise, he rode the Milk Race, in Britain, in 1976, the Edmonton Commonwealth Games of 1978, the Red Zinger tour in the United States that year and the next, and last year’s Oceania Games.

A month or two ago, he was off to Japan, and the Brisbane Commonwealth Games are next. No one can match that record of longevity; Neil Lyster, between 1968 and 1978, goes closest.

Truly it could be said by Blair Stockwell that he got his gong for “My Bike-riding Efforts.” But don’t expect him to say it.