Canterbury cyclist looking good for nationals

Press, 23 September 1988, Page 48

Canterbury cyclist looking good for nationals

By MALCOLM CONDIE Two 1100 km tours in the space of three weeks have set up Chris Nicholson as one of Canterbury’s top prospects in the national road cycling championships next month. Nicholson arrived back in Christchurch late on Wednesday evening after finishing third in the tour of Tasmania. A six-man New Zealand team was sent to Tasmania but injuries and ill health plagued the side. Canterury’s John Morrison, not in the New Zealand team, finished fifth having made his own way to the race. Nicholson started the six-day Tasmanian tour hard and after the first day was wearing the yellow jersey. After the first stage there were three Canterbury riders in the top six placings, he said.

Bad luck struck immediately the coveted jer-

sey rested on Nicholson’s shoulders. About 100 m after the start of the next stage he punctured, but managed to pull back up. It was also on the second day that Canterbury’s Stuart Lowe crashed. In a brave move, he remounted, finished the stage and after lunch rode a further stage before officials decided he needed a cast and stitches for his injuries. Lowe was out of the race. “He didn’t really complain much either,” Nicholson said. "It was quite a gutsy ride.” The next day, after dropping several places, Peter Cox dropped out because of bronchitis. Cox had been unwell for most of the tour. New Zealand’s team was becoming depleted. However, Morrison made it worth his while going over to Tasmania, attacking well on the hills and staying with the leading

bunches. On one stage Morrison punctured and, according to Nicholson, “he just attacked us on a hill and rode straight through.” “He was climbing better than anybody,” Nicholson said. The eventual winner of the race was a former Czech, now living in Australia, Omar Parlov. “The only reason John (Morrison) didn’t win the king of the mountains was because Parlov was better at sprinting at the tops of the hills,” Nicholson said. Nicholson found the race hard. “It would not have been too hard to finish twentieth or thirtieth,” he said, “But to be right up there was very tiring. “There was no real easy stage and there were quite a few hills.” Of the 55 starters only 35 finished. New Zealand’s other top placing in the tour was a fourth

from Mike Griffiths, of Auckland. Before the Tasmanian tour, Nicholson had been racing in New Caledonia. “It was a more international race there,” he said. “Although there were only 22 starters, five countries were represented.” New Caledonia’s tour was the same distance as in Tasmania but was over 10 days, not six. “It was still just as hard to win it,” Nicholson said. He finished third in that tour but was first in all the events attached to the tour, like the sprint series and king of the mountains. Nicholson’s plans now are to catch up 911 lost sleep and ride several races before the national championships in Dunedin. He is a starter for the three stage Blue Diamond 156 km race around North Canterbury tomorrow.