Hornby riders eye hat-trick in cycling

Press, 24 September 1988, Page 42

Hornby riders eye hat-trick in cycling

Hornby cyclists will be out to make' it three in a row at today’s Blue Diamond, three stage, graded race in North Canterbury. Hornby have been placed first, second and third in both the Canterbury championships a fortnight ago, and in the South Island championships in Nelson last weekend. Aaron Lauder, Darrell Kircher, Carlos Marryatt and Brent Ferigo are all entered and if they race as on form as they have been, will be in the top placings at the end of the tour. Michael Leahy (Woolston) will be riding his second race since a crash at the Canterbury championships put him off his bike for a week. Two riders the rest of the field will also have to watch out for, are Chris Nicholson (Woolston) and John Morrison (Papanui). These riders have just returned to New Zealand after racing in the tour of Tasmania. They were placed third and fifth respectively. John Cosgrove, a visitor from England, who has been racing in Australia, is an unknown quantity in this race. Reports have it that Cosgrove is on form but conditions and the course may

not suit him. William Rastrick (Papanui) will make an appearance tomorrow. It will be one of Rastrick’s rare races on the road and judging by his form in a recent club race, he has been putting in some miles in preparation for the track season. Only two women have entered the 158 km race. Sally Fraser (Woolston) will ride her first race in New Zealand after seven months of overseas experience in the United States and Europe. Katrina Stewart (Hornby) is the only other woman. Racing starts at 9 a.m. from the Canterbury Frozen Meat store in Belfast and heads out through Kaiapoi, and the Ashley Gorge finishing at Oxford. That first stage, of 70km, includes two hard climbs and should spread the field before the final two, easier stages. Stage two starts from Oxford and heads over Summerhill to Cust and oh to the West Belt of Rangiora, a distance of 38km. The final stage heads back along Tram Road to the Papanui club’s 13km circuit in East Eyreton. Racing finishes in East Eyreton. Sixty-one entries have been confirmed.