Benefit in road massed start

Press, 25 October 1982, Page 15

Benefit in road massed start

By RAY CAIRNS Any doubts on the wisdom of holding national professional road cycling championships as massed-start events for the first time were dispelled on Saturday. There was full agreement after the titles were decided in Waikari and Waipara — and not just from the winners — that the D. 8.Waipara Hotel champion-

ships were unqualified successes. The manner in which the titles were decided set the seal on their successes, too. To win the senior championship. Peter Cox. aged 36, of New Plymouth, had to beat in a bunch of five, including New Zealand's fastest track sprinter. Colin Ryan (Timaru). It was Ryan who most closely pressed

Geoff Keogh (Dunedin) won his junior title in a twoman sprint from Tony Ward (Ashburton); Brian Wood rode away from the veteran field to lead a Dunedin 1-2-3 domination of that race: and Darrel Kircher (Ashburton) had too much finishing speed for the rest of the cadets.

That race provided the most representative field of the lot. for Craig Connell, of Pukekohe, was equally convincing in second place, and third went to Trevor Corry (Timaru).

Most of the action in the senior 150 km championship was reserved for the final 12km when the buffeting winds had reduced the field to seven. Then the attacks started, most of them from the highly impressive Paul Hoskin (Dunedin), plus some smatterings frbm Brian Thomson, another Dunedin rider. Cox and Ryan in turn covered all those, though those aggressive efforts put paid to Steve Doherty (Christchurch) in the Weka Pass and, soon afterwards, to Brent Stanaway, another Christchurch rider.

The constant foilings of his ambitions did not daunt Hoskin, but by the time the field

had returned to Waipara — for the bulk of the race was round the Waikari-Hawarden block — the five were still together, Cox burying Ryan in the final 50m, and Thomson shutting Grant Scott (Timaru) out of third place. Keogh and Ward had the junior race to themselves from the first of their two laps, but Graham Schist, the well-fancied Christchurch rider, had many puncture problems. The last of them even cost him third place, enabling the hard-pursuing Nigel Dent, another local rider, to pick him up through the Weka Pass. Wood gained his break on the veteran field after 40km, just entering the second lap.

when he rode away down hill. Then, helped by his Dunedin team-mates, Willie Stevenson — a strong favourite for the title — and Doug Todd, he established a handy advantage of about a minute. Connell, aged 15, who had the cadets’ championship to contest again next year, was the most aggressive in the youngest and shortest race. Kircher covered all attempts in an otherwise slow race to win by 10m or more from the willing Connell.. ■ Abbreviations used in the results are Taranaki (T). South Canterbury (SC). Otago (O). Canterbury (C). Mid Canterbury (MC). Auckland (A). Senior 151 km.— P. J. Cox (T)

1. C. J. Ryan (SC) 2. B. D. Thomson (O) 3, G. Scott (SC) 4, P. Hoskin (O) 5, all 4:18:14; B. M. Stanawav.. (C), 4:18:58, 6; S. P. Doherty (C). 4:22:09, 7. Junior 76km — G. Keogh (0) 1, A. Ward (MC) 2, 2:12:51; N. Dent (C) 3, G. D. Schist (C) 4, 2:18:29; M. Jones (0) 5, 2:20:46; G. Penman (SC) 6 Veteran 76km.— B. Wood (0) 1, 2:10:31; W.. Stevenson (0) 2. 2:11:20; D. Todd (0) 3. F. A. Paviell (C) 4. A. J. O'Hagan (C) 5. 2:11:55; R. Craig (C) 6. S. McCracken (A) 7. C. Bremner (0) 8.

Cadets; 16km.— D. Kircher (MC) 1. C. M. Connell (A) 2. T. Corry (SC) 3. G. Geange (A) 4. G. Todd (0) 5. M. Crpsbie (C) 6. E. Lander (A) 7, G. Gardiner (0) 8. D. Thomson (D) 9,'J. Busbridge (C) 10. Time. 38:30.