Swart poised to win Dulux tour

Press, 5 November 1983, Page 68

Swart poised to win Dulux tour

PA Palmerston North Jack Swart continued his domination of the Dulux cycle tour of the North Island yesterday, winning the morning stage from New Plymouth to Wanganui and finishing well up in the bunch on the afternoon stage to Palmerston North. With just today’s long stage to Wellington to go, Swart appears to have a mortgage on the event, emphasising his considerable superiority over the rest of the riders.

The day itself was a quiet one, with the riders appearing to take things easy after their hectic ride from Otorohanga to New Plymouth the previous day. Much of the play came from riders well down the list, with Swart eventually re-establishing his grasp on the race by winning the Wanganui sprint, and then bringing the bunch up close to Anthony Cuff, who produced a home town finish to win the sprint into Palmerston North. In fact so slow' and so lackadaisical was the afternoon stage that the riders

were 9min slower than last year’s effort by Swart, even though conditions were yet again perfect, with a following wind and good climatic conditions. Swart now has a lead of more than three minutes. Results.—

Stage nine (Wanganui to Palmerston North): A. Cuff (Palmerston North), Ihr 50min 16s, 1; T. Jamieson (Australia) 2; G. Tyrell (Hamilton) 3; D. Robertson (Wellington) 4; J. Swart (Hamilton) 5.

General classsification: Swart, 23hr 25min 20s, 1; B. Fowler (Canterbury), 1 3min 12s, 2; W. Hildred (Australia) and S. Cox (Walpa), at 3min 17s, equal 3; B. Stockwell (Canterbury), at 3min 18s, 5; D. Barnett (Wellington), at 6min 275, 6; M. Griffith (Auckland), at 7min Ss, 7; T. Horne (Canterbury), at 7min 255, 8; B. Vandenberg (Auckland), at Bmin ss, 9; N. Dahlberg (Palmerston North), at Bmin 445, 10.

King of the mountains: Barnett 43, P. Miller (Waipa) 25; B. Fowler (Canterbury) 16. Sprints: P. Leitch (Auckland) 12, Vandenberg and R. Mellsup (Waikato) 10.