Cycling Timaru-Chch race to Papanui riders

Press, 12 August 1985, Page 28

Cycling Timaru-Chch race to Papanui riders

By

BRYCE SIMS

Healing Papanui riders won the double in the annual Accent Lighting 160 km Timaru to Christchurch race, held on Saturday in good conditions. Peter Sweetapple, riding off the limit mark of 53min, took line honours, after riding the final 40km solo. A fellow club member, John Morrison (break), won the fastest time when he attacked the bunch 800 m from the finish. He won by nine seconds, from Peter McNairney, of Palmerston North.

The race was split into five handicap bunches with the weaker riders riding off the 53min limit, and break riding off five minutes. In the first stage to Temuka the scratch bunch picked up 45s on break as Brian Fowler (Woolston) stirred up the riders but their advantage was soon cut back to 40s 6km on the Ashburton side of Temuka. With an experienced Dunedin veteran, Peter Goding, at the helm, the break bunch was travelling well with each rider doing his share of the work.

At Rangitata the 14min bunch was ably lead by Darryl Wispinski (Dunedin). It had picked up four minutes on the 23min markers, but lost two minutes to the break bunch. At Hinds the 23min bunch lost time to the 32min bunch, being led by last year’s winner, Roger Fowler, a Woolston veteran.

The limit riders had a 28km lead at Ashburton, on the 32min markers, with only one rider withdrawing from the 72-strong field at that stage. At the Ashburton feeding station, the limit riders’ lead was chopped back to HVzmin, with a woman rider, Sally Fraser (Hornby), doing a considerable amount of work in leading the 32min bunch into Ashburton.

The 23min riders, who were not working well together, were down 2V2min on the second limit bunch with the 14min bunch being a further four minutes back. Meanwhile the scratch riders were still working on break but were only up 38s

with Morrison doing the large share of work in the break bunch. Steve Harcourt, an Invercargill scratch rider, was the first casualty in the scratch bunch. He pulled out with a foot injury on the Christchurch side of Ashburton.

At Chertsey the 23min bunch, which was riding badly, was only two minutes clear of the 14min markers, with Steve Woods (Woolston) and Jim Ryder (Timaru) doing all the work. Chris Hogan (Healing Papanui) led the break bunch through Chertsey. The scratch bunch, led by Fowler, had lost 15s and the advantage it had made on break.

At Rakaia Sweetapple, riding off limit, made the initial break to lead the field by 45s and stretching it to four minutes at Lincoln. The field tried to ride him down, but only pinned him back by one- minute. Sweetapple’s lead increased on the final stage into the wind from Tai Tapu to Halswell. He finished 4min 15s clear to take line honours, from Peter De Boer (Glengary). Another Invercargill rider, Merv Davis, was third. At the end of the field at Rakaia the break bunch opened up a 40s lead. The scratch bunch was not prepared to work with Fowler to pursue the break and lost further time. A number of the riders withdrew, leaving Fowler and Greg Hume (Healing Papanui) to go it alone, but

they could not pin back the ■ break bunch. Fowler pulled out near Leeston leaving Hume the only scratch rider J in the field. ;■ Soon after he punctured, but went on to finish the race. Morrison was doing most of the work in the break bunch, but got support from Nigel Donnelly, a Woolston junior. The bunch was closing quickly on the combined 14min and 23min bunch. At Tai Tapu, the limit bunch was only s%min in front of break, and closing fast. Morrison attacked the break bunch 800 m from the finish and went on to win by 9s from McNairney, who outsprinted the bunch. Wayne Howes, of Timaru, was third. Abbreviations used in the results.— Woolston General Lee (W),' Healing Papanui (HP), Hornby (H) Timaru (T), Invercargill (I) Dunedin (D), Palmerston North (PN), Glengary (G), Southern Districts (Auckland) (SD). Accent Lighting Frew Shield: P. Sweetapple (HP, 53min) shr, Imin, 0.7 s 1; P. De Boer (G, 32min) 4:43:47, 2; M. Davis (I, 23min) 4:25:47, 3; C. Marryatt (H, 32min) 4:25.47:5, 4; W. McLellan (I, 14min) 4:25:48, 5; S. Fletcher (G, 14min) 4:25.48:5, 6; P. Leonard (HP, 23min) 4:34:49, 7; J. Stock (G, 23min) 4:34:49.5, 8; B. Cowie (HP, 14min) 4:25:50, 9; A. Frazer (SD, 23min) 4:34.50:5,10. Beckenham Cycles Frew Cup: Senior fastest times: J. Morrison (HP). 4:18:50, 1; P. McNairney (PN) 4:18:59, 2; W. Howes (T) 4:18.59:5, 3. Junior fastest time: N. Donnelly (W) 4:19:00. First woman: S. Fraser (H) 4:44:27.