Miller takes lead in cycling tour

Press, 30 October 1984, Page 36

Miller takes lead in cycling tour

PA Hamilton Graeme Miller took over the lead but Jack Swart won the riches on the second day of the Dulux Auckland to Wellington cycle race yesterday. Riding possibly his last race, Swart started the day leading Miller by eight seconds and ended it nine seconds behind the Aucklander after they each won one of two stages. Miller won the morning stage from Hamilton to Te Aroha, finishing 31s ahead of the bunch containing Swart to wrest the yellow jersey from the Waikato man. With Japan’s Keito Seino and Leigh Chapman (Waitara), Miller caught Greg Fraine (Nelson) about five kilometrers from Te Aroha. These four broke up on the outskirts of the town, with Miller first six seconds ahead of Fraine. Seino was 25s down and 6s in front of Chapman just ahead of the bunch. Fraine had been in several breaks during the morning stage and his second placing took him to third over-all — a position he held throughout the day. The stage was marred by a mix-up in which half the field missed a corner 800 m out from the finish at Te Aroha.

Many riders were angry about the incident, which cost them any chance of a placing, and caused the Englishman, Dominic Windsor, and Marcus Bai, of Hamilton, to crash.

Both riders were able to continue the tour. Bent said he saw the crowd at the top of the road and sprinted. No one made an effort to turn the riders on to the correct course. “It caused two people to crash. What gets me that one of the guys who crashed asked the commissaire what was going on. The commissaire started yelling at him for using bad language,” Bent said. “If there is ever an excuse for bad language it’s when you get sent the wrong way. If I lose time over this there will be a few sharp words said,” the British Olympian said. Paul Leitch, of Auckland, sixth into Te Aroha, said the situation was chaotic. “We were sent straight through then everyone hit their brakes and turned. A couple crashed — guys were going everywhere.” All the riders except the first four in the stage were given bunch time. Swart stormed back in the afternoon stage to Tokoroa, racing away from the leading group of 13 to win the richest stage of the tour. The pack had just caught Dave Barnett (Wellington),

who had got clear to win two sprints, when Swart attacked on the undulating hills two kilometres from Tokoroa.

Though Miller chased, he had little help and was 15s behind Swart at the line. Swart won $l2OO for the stage. The West German, Gotz Heine, the winner of stage one, put in another powerful sprint to take second place from Nathan Dahlberg (Palmerston North), and Paul Leitch, from Auckland. Steve Cox (Hamilton), Steve Fairless and Steve Bent finished well back at Tokoroa to lose their high over-all placings. Bent and Fairless dropped from the front group about eight kilometres fron Tokoroa while Cox, thought to be having back problems, had already lost contact with the leaders and finshed 32nd, over six minutes down. Results: Stage 2 — Hamilton to Te Aroha (55km): G. Miller, Ihr 14min 465, 1; G. Fraine (Canterbury) 2; K. Seino (Japan) 3; L. Chapman 4; B. Stockwell (Canterbury) 5; P. Leitch 6; T. Rice (Wgtn) 7; G. Heine 8; E. O’Brien (Akld) 9; S. Cox 10.. Stage 3 — Te Aroha to Tokoroa (87km): J. Swart, 2hr 2min 365, 1; 'Heine 2; M. Dahlberg 3; Leitch 4; G. Skaines (Aust) 5; Stockwell 6; P. Cox (New Ply) 7; G. Tyrrell (Hamilton) 8; G. Miller 9; Fraine 10. Over-all standings: G. Miller, 6hr 54min 455, 1; J. Swart, at 9s down, 2; Fraine, 295, 3; Skaines, 51s, 4; Heine and Stockwell, 525, 5; A. Whitford, 555, 7; R. McKqrkill (Aust), 595, 8; D. Barnett, imin 4s, 9; W. Morgan (Wgtn), Imin ss, 10. Sprint ace: P. Miller (Hamilton), 12 points, 1; S. Bent, P. Cox (Stratford), R Mellsop (Te Awamutu), spts, equal 2. . '