Fowler firms as favourite for cycle gold

Press, 26 July 1986, Page 31

Fowler firms as favourite for cycle gold

From

KEVIN TUTTY,

in Edinburgh

When the 50 riders are released on the 176 km individual road cycling race next Saturday evening (New Zealand time) the majority of them will be keeping a wary eye on one man, Christchurch’s Brian Fowler.

In the last week Fowler has firmed as favourite for the gold medal, and it is a position he would prefer not to be in.

Fowler knows that he will be a marked man, along with his team-mate, Graeme Millar, and it is going to be difficult for either of them to get the jump on the rest of the field at any stage of the race.

All Fowler can do is sit and wait and maybe make a surprise break, otherwise it will come down to a frantic sprint over the last few hundred metres. If it should boil down to that, Fowler feels confident he can match any other sprinter in the field. “I have raced against the English and Australian riders here and in Europe and have beaten them in sprint finishes, so I think Graeme and I would have an edge in that situation.”

The only unknown quantities are the Canadians. Fowler expects them to be tough because they will have raced in the United States where the standard these days is very high. “Some of them are probably racing for American teams,” said Fowler. When the Games were last held in this breezy Scottish city, it was a New Zealander, Bruce Biddle, who crossed the line first.

Fowler has been made aware of that fact, but he says it means little to him. What is important is to do well next Saturday because it is crucial to his future international career.

“The Commonwealth Games race is important, but by world standards it is not so important. I want to do well to qualify for the world championships next year and the Olympic Games the following year.”

Unlike his track teammates who are keeping their fingers and spokes crossed for the wind to stay away, Fowler is happy for it to blow strongly on the last morning of the Games. “I want it to be really windy. That way we won’t get guys there at the finish who shouldn’t be there. A strong wind will make sure the weak ones drop off during the race. The less there are at the end if it is a sprint the better.” Fowler would have loved to have been in the road time trial team this morning, but the cycling selectors decided that they would not push him into two events. They may have been regretting that

in the last few weeks considering his form. Fowler, though, has resigned himself to riding in one event “I am probably still a little young (he is 23) to compete in both events. The ideal age is 25 to 27. Maybe next time I will be able to ride in both.” For the next week Fowler is going to have to content himself with waiting patiently for the big day. It will not be easy. “There is not much to do in the village. I will have to fill in the day with a training ride, having a long chat over meals, watching a video, reading or sleeping.” His training is winding down now too. Yesterday he spent 90 minutes doing speed work tucked in behind his coach, Ron Cheatley, who was riding a motor-bike. “I will have a long ride on Sunday and from Monday will ease off. By Friday I will be down to an hour on the road. “At that stage I will be loading up on carbohydrates like potatoes and bananas.”

Fowler will burn all that off during the race, but he will still have to take a supply of bananas, apples and a litre of water laced with electrolyte replacements, with him for the race.

“If you don’t keep topped up during the race you get tired and if you get tired with 50km to ride, you know you won’t have much of a chance at the finish.”