N.Z. couple help Madonna Harris

Press, 26 September 1988, Page 25

N.Z. couple help Madonna Harris

PA Seoul A New Zealand couple has come to the aid of the New Zealand woman cyclist, Madonna Harris, taking in her. coach and easing major problems in > the final lead-up to today’s Olympic road race. Harris has been plagued by on-going disagreements with cycling’s officialdom about having her coach, the Romanianborn Constantin Negulescu, in Seoul. The United States-based Harris was not assigned ' an Olympic coach and the New Zealand association refused to officially ap- . point Mr Negulescu. Nevertheless he came to Seoul but it was taking up to l‘/ 2 hours every day 1 for coach and athlete to < meet and get to a training venue. w Y . v

Harris approached expatriate New Zealanders Mike and Jan Cotter who were happy to have Mr Negulescu board with them which also provided a base from which the pair could operate. The niggling with officials has proved annoying to the 32-year-old rider but she has turned it into. motivation while at the same time tried not to let it overly distract her. “I’m kind of used to all this carry on,” she said yesterday. “It’s a real drag and I just wish they would learn they are meant to help the athletes.”

For the last week Harris and Mr Negulescu have trained on the 82 kilometre course, studied it and planned tactics they are hopeful will a

medal. The course is an extended version of last week’s men’s 100 kilometre time trial route. It is 30km north-west of Seoul and takes the field within sight of the North Korean border. “It is going to be a very demanding race,” she said. "There aren’t any real hills on it where you can break the field and to a degree it will rely on being there when the break comes. “The little hills that are there are what I would call rolling hills and ones that you can ride in high gears. “I have been doing power work on those and just getting to know the course and places where I can do things.”

Harris predicts she is capable of a time in the vicinity of 2 hours 20 minutes but says there are two dangers. Although the road is tar-sealed there is an extraordinary amount of shingle on it shortening the odds for a puncture or mechanical failure. The other danger is in the final run to the line. Only one side of the road is open to finishing riders until it fans out 200-250 metres from the line. The flat nature of the course creates the possibility of a large pack of riders sprinting for the medals which heightens the danger of collison as people try to create or go for gaps. “Sprinting is not my style,” Harris said. “Ip-ide best hanging on

to a fast pace, i nave a good chance and I hope to be there when the break comes.” Included in the field will be a number of United States riders whom Harris has competed against, including Inga Benedict who beat her into second place in the Coors Classic in Colorado in August. Benedict was a member of the United States Olympic team in 1984 and was placed twenty-fourth in the road race. The silver that year went to another American cycling today, Rebecca Twigg, who this year won the gold medal at the Pan American Games road race. She is a four-times winner of the world individual pursuit championship.