Veteran champion wins S.I. road event

Press, 14 October 1985, Page 32

Veteran champion wins S.I. road event

The national veteran champion, Alan Hood (Healing Papanui) was too strong over the final half lap, and rode away from the break bunch to win his second South Island road cycling championship on Saturday. Hood first won the title as a senior in 1974.

The handicap section was won by Don Stewart riding off the three minute mark. Jason Smith won both handicap and fastest time honours in the 32km novice event.

The senior 96km open race was held in windy conditions and raced over 12 laps of the HalswellCashmere circuit.

The English visitor, Dominic Windsor, who is riding the Healing tour, established an early break in the first lap with John Morrison (Healing Papanui) and opened up a 30s lead on the bunch.

Both riders managed to hold the lead until the third lap when the bunch increased its work-rate and gathered them in.

Trent Hiles, Peter Coates (Papanui) and Windsor again tried to break clear later in the race but it was not until the ninth lap that the best break of the event came.

Coates, Hood and Olympic cyclist, Murray Steele, broke free of the bunch to open up a 45 second lead and were joined with a lap to go by Greg Hume and Michael McLister, both of Papanui. With three quarters of a lap left it was Hood who managed to surprise the opposition with a deft finish for line honours ahead of Steele, Hume, and McLister. The novice championship was raced over four laps of the eight kilometre Halswell circuit and was won by Smith after breaking clear of the bunch on the third lap. Smith established a 30 second lead and held it to the finish.

Abbreviations used are.—Heat ing Papanui (HP), Hornby (H), Woolston General Lee (W), Invercargill (I), Mairehau (M). Open 96km Championship: A. Hood (HP, scr) 2hr 33min 51s,

1; M. Steele (H, scr) 2:34.07, 2; G. Hume (HP, scr) 2:34.08, 3. Handicap section: D. Stewart (W, 3min) 2:32.00, 1; E. Hunter (HP, 4 min) 2:33.06, 2; C. Jordan (W, 3 min) 2:33.10, 3; B Ferigo (H, 3 min) 2:33.10.5, 4; M. McLister (HP, 30s) 2:33.39, 5; A. Hood (HP, scr) 2:33.51, 6. First Junior: C. Marryatt (H, 30s) 2:35.24.

First Veteran: A. Hood. Novice championship: J. Smith (W, scr) 55:17, 1; D. Edwards (W, scr) 56:30, 2; A. Laplanche (HP, scr) 56:30.5, 3. Handicap section: J. Smith (W, scr) 55:17, 1; G. Wengler (W, 30s) 56:02, 2; N. Gibson (M, 15s) 56:16, 3; D. Edwards (W, scr) 56:30, 4; A. Laplanche (M, scr) 56:30.5, 5; J. Rico (W, scr) 56:31.5, 6.