Cycling Lauder continues form to take top time

Press, 28 July 1986, Page 26

Cycling Lauder continues form to take top time

A fine ride off the limit mark of 20 minutes by Jonathan Rice, of Woolston, General Lee, paid just rewards, when he held off a spirited bid over the last 400 m of a 100 km group handicap cycle race at Halswell yesterday.

Aaron Lauder (Hornby) continued his good form to take fastest time. With “The Press” Christchurch to Akaroa cycle race postponed on Saturday because of snow on the hill top stage, the additional 100 km group handicap event from Halswell to Cooptown return was raced in good conditions. Raced in three groups of riders, with limit off the 20min mark and break off the 13min advantage, the scratch bunch settled down early and by the 20km mark had picked up 2min. on the break bunch.

With Lauder, and Jason Smith (Woolston) applying the pressure at the front of the scratch pack, they had the break riders led by Andrew Fairweather (Woolston) in their sights just short of the turn at Cooptown.

On the return through Little River Greg Hume (Papanui) pulled the scratch bunch up on to break and settled down to go in pursuit of the limit markers whose advantage had been chopped back to 13min.

In the limit bunch Les Fibbens (Woolston) who had been doing the bulk of the work stirred up the bunch and a number of the weaker riders were tailed off.

With 15km still to ride a break developed in the combined bunch with several riders taking off the front of the pack, but not being able to work properly together were eventually picked up after several kilometres.

At the front of the field Fibbens, along with his teammate, Roy Pemberton, increased the tempo of the depleted limit bunch as they approached the finish, but the pair could not hold off the determined sprint of Rice who won by 1 second from Fibbens.

As the main bunch approached the finish Lauder and Hume jumped the pack to open up a handy lead, but Lauder being far too strong for Hume in the sprint went on to win by 3s.

The bunch sprint was won by the Woolston rider, Phillip Gibbs, narrowly from Hornby’s Brent Marryatt.

Abbreviations used in the following results are — Healing Papanui (H.P), Hornby Working Mens Club (H), Woolston General Lee (W). J. Rice (W), 2hr, 26mln. 03s, 1; L. Flbben (W), 2:26.04, 2; G. Hartley (W), 2:26.05, 3; G. Tweedie (W), 2:26.07, 4; R. Pemberton (W), 2:26.11, 5; G. Ashby (W), 2:26.15, 6; A. Perry (H), 2:30.48.7; G. Wakefield (W), 2:32.35, 8; A. Lauder (H), 2:12.51, 9.

Fastest time: Lauder, 2:12.51, 1; second latest time: G. Hume (HP), 2.

Fastest Junior A. Laplanche (H.P) 1.

Fastest Woman: S. Fraser (W) 1.

Fastest Veteran: A. Hood (H.P) 1.