Cyclists tense about tickets

Press, 1 June 1988, Page 76

Cyclists tense about tickets

By

MALCOLM CONDIE

Feelings among riders in New Zealand’s first women’s team for the Tour de France cycling race in July have become tense after the distribution of sponsorship money by the team manager, Ms Angela Drake, of Auckland.

When the team and travel plans were presented to the New Zealand Amateur Cycling Association early this year, the association stated the team could not travel unless a sponsor was found. Air New Zealand came up with sponsorship at the eleventh hour. That sponsorship included the equivalent cost of five return air tickets to France from New Zealand and articles of clothing for the team. Of the five tickets allocated, Ms Drake has taken one and a ticket has been given to the mechanic for the team, Dale Quelch, of Auckland. This obviously leaves the team to find more funding. Originally the team had seven riders, a liaison officer or manager, a coach and a mechanic. One rider, Sue Golder, of Auckland, is unsure of her commitment to the team. The six definite riders and the coach now have three tickets to divide up. Consequently . personal costs have risen dramatically for the riders who originally had not budgeted for such an expensive trip, having first thought their allocation of the sponsorship would have been greater. Ms Drake and Quelch will not contribute to helping the rest of the team to France.

According to Ms Drake, Air New Zealand had

given its sponsorship only as a “contra deal,” and riders were expected to cover the rest.

Ms Donna L’Amie, the Air New Zealand public relations officer who arranged the sponsorship, said from Auckland yesterday: “The sponsorship was for the whole team, so all members will benefit.”

The convener of selectors for the N.Z.A.C.A., Mr Graham Sycamore, said from Invercargill: “As far as the association was concerned, we agreed to it (the trip) as long as the cost was equalised. “Because Angela (Drake) had done all the work into putting the team together we could perhaps unofficially give her a free seat but there is no way we would agree to another free seat,” Mr Sycamore said. Madonna Harris, the most senior rider in the team, felt taking a mechanic on the trip was unnecessary. “The N.Z.A.C.A. has decided we have to take a graded mechanic to travel with the team. That’s a bit of a joke,” Harris said from her home in Utah, United States, yesterday. Mr Sycamore was surprised when he heard that Harris had said this. “We just agreed to the whole proposal Angela put to us, and that included a mechanic. I don’t even think this guy is graded.” Mr Sycamore also stated that Ms Drake

would not be able to officially hold the position of manager for the team because her grading was not high enough.

“She was to be called the team liaison officer,” Mr Sycamore said. Mr Sycamore was not pleased that Ms Drake and Quelch had taken two of the five tickets given to the sponsorship. “I don’t agree with it and I’m sure the association doesn’t agree with it,” he said. , Five of the six definite riders for the Tour de France Feminin are now training in the United States under the team coach, Constantin Negulescu.

Finance for most of those riders is tight. Canterbury’s representative for the tour, Sally Fraser, has had to call home to New Zealand to acquire extra finance for the tour.

"I had to ring my father for money for the air tickets,” Fraser said from Utah. Harris, concerned at the way the sponsorship money was being dealt out, said: “The big controversy now is that a mechanic is going when it is not necessary except for the fact that it is deemed by the N.Z.A.C.A. That mechanic doesn’t share the cost and Angela doesn’t share the cost. That is not really fair because it is a team and every member of the team puts their own specific work load into the

effort. “There is a bit of bad feeling now as far as Angela’s concerned and that we have to take this mechanic.” ( i

Ms Drake, on hearing that there was some doubt on the suitability of the mechanic said: “I’m saying we’ve got a mechanic and that is that. Anyone that thinks the guy’s not going to be needed over there needs their head read.”

Even though the tour is little more than a month away, Ms Drake ' is still seeking money for the team. “We’re grateful to get anything that we can.”

Training for the tour is going well; The five members in the United States — Harris, Fraser, Yvonne Sprey (Wellington), Michele Gammie (Waikato), and Jonnell Mills (New. Mexico, formerly Auckland) — are all in Utah and have already ridden a large United States race together.

They are training at altitude and' racing in all club events and some larger, open races. On June 15, the entire team will meet in Europe and consider entering the Giro d’ltalia (Italian tour) from June 22 to 30.

The actual Tour de France Feminin begins in Strasbourg, north-east France, on July 11 and will be raced for 13 days over 900 km, ending in Paris.