Games cyclist triumphs

Press, 4 January 1988, Page 16

Games cyclist triumphs

The Commonwealth Games cycling medallist Greg Fraine powered home on the cycling leg to win his third Nelson Ironman triathlon title on Saturday. The Nelson rider, aged 25, won the inaugural event in 1981 and also triumphed three years ago. Fraine lagged well behind the leaders in the first leg of the gruelling triathlon; an 1100 m swim across Port Nelson harbour to the Boulder Bank lighthouse. The pack was led from the water by Paul Jarvie and a Blenheim competitor, Nigel Muir. But Fraine gained ground on the 11km run down the Boulder Bank and was handily placed in sixth position when the runners emerged at The Glen. The running leg was headed by a Christchurch triathlete, Andrew Hooper, aged 23, who had a handy lead over the experienced Nelson campaigner, Graeme Postles. Hooper had taken over the lead at the threequarter mark down the Boulder Bank and was first on his cycle for the 15km cycle ride back to the start-finish line at Port Nelson. However, Fraine’s cycling expertise proved invaluable on the crucial final leg. He blitzed through the field on his carbon-fibre-wheeled machine and finally overtook Hooper on Atawhai Drive, about 2km from Nelson City. Fraine swept a&ay to win the event in u very

creditable time of Ihr 28min.

Hooper hung on determinedly for second place, an improvement on his third placing last year. Postles, aged 34, who suffered a puncture on the cycling leg last year and had to be content with fifth place, was the third competitor home this year. Peter Kersten held off Muir, aged 20, for fourth place after Muir had been third at the end of the Boulder Bank run. The first of the nine women home was the experienced Nelson triathlete Claire Parkes, who finished 38th in Ihr 43min 10s, about 15 minutes behind Fraine. The race organiser, and veteran competitor, Mike Ward, said the field of 100 was the largest in the history of the popular event. He said competitors had had to contend with Saturday morning shopping traffic. John Slotemaker, a Nelson national league soccer player, was bowled off his bike by a car making a hurried turn at the intersection of Rutherford Street and Halifax Street. Slotemaker recovered to finish the race. “When we fixed the date, we didn’t know there was going to be Saturday shopping,” Mr’ Ward said. “The traffic caused a few problems and it was difficult to record the finishes of some competitors because they crossed the line obscured by caravans and cars.”