Fowler nominated for Games

Press, 13 January 1986, Page 38

Fowler nominated for Games

By KEVIN TUTTY Brian Fowler, of Canterbury, added the Oceania Games cycling road race at Wanganui on Saturday to a fistful of road race successes in the last few months, and with that victory secured a place in the 1986 Commonwealth Games team. Fowler is the only Canterbury rider among seven who were named for the Edinburgh Games road race and the 100 km team time trial. The names are only nominations to the Commonwealth Games selectors at the moment, but because

of the strength of New Zealand cycling there are unlikely to be any deletions. Although pleased to know he had been nominated, Fowler believed the team should have been named earlier. “I thought the nominations should have been made after the road nationals. It would have given us a chance for a rest before the track nationals in March. I don’t think the selectors were sure of the road team they wanted.” Fowler has done little road riding for the last couple of months. His

activities have been confined mainly to track racing. His next big assignment is at the track nationals in Christchurch in March where he will compete in “most” events. He would like to aim for a track event at the Edinburgh Games — he won a silver medal in the team pursuit in Brisbane in 1982 — but is unlikely to be permitted to do so by the cycling selectors. “They don’t like you riding in both track and road events at the Ganfts.” Fowler likes to ride track

events because it enables him to maintain speed for what is often the make or break part of the road race — the final, frantic sprint for the finish. After the Commonwealth Games Fowler and other members of the New Zealand team will compete in the world cycling championships in the United States. Fowler hopes to compete in the track points race in that series — there is no points race on the Edinburgh programme. The three other riders nominated for the roafd race in Edinburgh are Stephen

Cox and Craig Griffen, both of Hamilton, and Graeme Miller, of Auckland. Miller will join Blair Cox (Taranaki), Paul Leitch (Auckland) and Greg Fraine (Nelson) for the 100 km team time trial. Blair Cox’s selection was especially gratifying for him. He has been riding for only four w'eeks after a long spell off the road with a broken collarbone. Nominations for the track events will be made after the national championships in March.