Favourites comfortable winners of titles

Press, 27 September 1982, Page 24

Favourites comfortable winners of titles

By

RAY CAIRNS

Maybe it was something to do w'ith the favourites, in most cases, winning convincingly but more probably it was the absence of the Commonwealth Games riders which made the Canterbury amateur road cycling championships at Sefton on Saturday rather less entertaining than in recent years. Greg Cox won an overdue success in the senior championship; Glen Fuller shook off the illness which has prevented his working all week to win the junior crown; and two national champions. Alan Hood and Debbie Zanders, won the veteran and women’s championships respectively. The same pattern followed in the novice championships, and if there was no outright favourite for’the senior title. Philip: Gibbs enjoyed the most backing and duly won well. _ So did Brendan Kiesa'nowski, in the youngest of the grades, and he took his victory by riding away. ” Of all these champions, only • Cox was not clearly favoured — though he, too. was seen as surely a medalwinner, — but it was to his advantage, and to those of all the 1 others in the senior race, that Greg Fraine was ill. He ; still rode, but in considerable discomfort, and quite remarkably, after one unplanned stop on the side of the road, he almost regained the bunch.

But wisely, in view of recovering properly for the national championships, Fraine withdrew before the finish, and there were just two bunches, each of four riders. In the first of them, the one which counted. Cox finished far too strongly for Wayne Howes, resigned to a

silver medal yet again. Paul Miller and Dave Hewson were the other doughty perforates who had survived the eight laps raced in light, warm nor’westerly conditions.

The juniors struck the balmiest conditions of the day, however, and that was reflected in virtually the whole field contesting the finish. The only real casualties came very early; Steve Bennett with a loose head-stem on his bike. lan Holland with a puncture, and Mark Johnson with a crash.

So although there was no shortage of activity, especially in the final lap. this usually difficult block was made easy on the day. There were early, positive efforts by Dean Lovett and Craig Fenton; and in that last lap, attack followed attack with Greg Hume and Richard Lauder perhaps shading the rest in the regularity of their efforts.

At the finish, however. Fuller, one who had left the bunch by a little, had far too much finishing strength for Malcolm Robertson and Jamie Nisbet. Gibbs won the novice title in a similarly sized sprint and by a similar margin from Wayne Eyre and Ross Brimer. but the most conspicuous in this race was Chris Williamson, who made numerous little breaks in the final lap. but was reluctant to maintain them.

Although Hood was again clear of the other veterans in retaining his title, he struck a more positive group this time. They worked rather more industriously to keep the national champion wish them, and in the end. John Tait and Basil Ensor still had Hood well in their sights. The other girls in the

inaugural • women’s championship could do little about Debbie Zanders riding away for an expected win. The rest finished almost in ones and twos. Rachel Roberts getting just clear of Julie Cox for second placing. The junior novice race went on a similar pattern. Kiesanowski clearing out from Julian Sands and the rest, often being brought back to catching distance, but still keeping clear.

Abbreviations used in the results are General Lee-Carpet Market-Supertred • (G). Timaru (T). Papanui (P), Hornby WMC (H). Woolston WMC (W). Mairehau (M).

Senior 160 km- G. Cox (G) I. G. W. Howes (T) 2. P. J. Miller (P) 3. D. B. Hewson (T) 4. all 4:14:58: W. J. E. Rastrick (P) 5. B. Cowie (P) 6. R. Maguire (P) 7. W. Meggitt (T) 8. all 4:17:38.

Junior 80km.— G. F. Fuller (P) 1. M. E. Robertson (H) 2. J. Nisbet (P) 3. D. Andrews (T) 4. C. Newsome (W) 5. M. B. Hazeldine (P) 6. G. Hume (P) 7. P. A. Clare (H) 8. M. McLister (P) 9. D. B.'. Kinzett (H) 10. Time. 2:04:57. Veteran 80km'.— A. J. Hood (P). 2:04:58. 1; J. M. Tait (P) 2. B. Ensor (T) 3. G. Inwood (W) 4. D. R. Johnson (W) 5. R. J. Connelly (P) 6. D. J. Savage (W) 7. Novice 40km.— P. Gibbs (M) 1. W. Eyre (W) 2. R. Brimer (M) 3. S. R. Hendren (M) 4, A. Mcßeth' (M) 5. R. Higgins (M) 6. A. Girvin (M) 7. C. Williamson (M) 8. Ab Graham (M) 9. D. P. Harvey (G) 1 ' 10. Time. 1:10:22.

Junior novice 12km.— B.' i Kiesanowski (M) 1. S. J. Sands ■ (M) 2. S. Bruce (M) 3. A. Terris ’ (M) 4. M. Crosbie (H) 5. R. Scott (T) 6. P. O'Hagan (M) 7. A. Laplanche (M) 8. G. Evre (W) 9.' ■ Time. 20:30.

Women’s 30km - D. Zanders 1. R. Roberts 2. J. Cox 3. C. Nye 4. M. Smallridge 5. D. Fuller 6. Ballisat 7. S. Coates 8. Time. 47:40.