Road race course will suit Miller

Press, 27 September 1988, Page 23

Road race course will suit Miller

By

TOM BRIDGMAN

of NZAP in Seoul The men’s 196.8 kilometre road race today with its flatish course is expected to suit Auckland’s Graeme Miller who has been having a successful year in the United States. But the cycling team manager, Gordon Sharrock, says he believes all three members of the road team — Brian Fowler, Miller and Wayne Morgan — could take to the course. ‘‘lt’s a little bit harder than what we were led to believe. The hills are a little bit steeper but there % *

are no real road racing hills,” he said. The 143 starters will make part of their ride near the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea. Mr Sharrock said the East Germans and the Russians would be tough opponents. Traditionally the Western European nations are also strong. "If it comes to a sprint finish Graeme and Brian are going to be very tough to keep out of the top half dozen,” Mr Sharrock said. “They are J road sprinters and have been top track men in the past.” - - - -->

Fowler, New Zealand’s top rider, has called the outcome of the road race a lottery. “There’s just so much luck involved and then for a race that lasts four and half hours your chances could go in a split second,” he said after arriving for the race. Fowler finished eighteenth in the 1984 Olympic road race and seventh in the Olympic points race. He took the silver at the 1986 Edinburgh Commonwealth Games, beaten in the final sprint by the Englishman Paul Curran who also rides today. Fowler believes the

stronger riders in the race, such as the East Germans, will go hard and early. “It will be fast and dangerous to start with because the East Europeans won’t want to be messing around. “With inexperienced riders up the front of a big bunch, there’s too much chance of a crash so they’ll want it all sorted out quickly.” Morgan has had extensive European racing over the last three years and finished twenty-second, the first New Zealander home, at the 1987 world championships.

Miller, who had been on the professional riding circuit in the United States this year and only arrived on Seoul last week, was twenty-sixth in that event. The men’s road team will be hoping the Korean support services will more efficient than yesterday when New Zealand women’s rider Madonna Harris was hopelessly left behind when the service crew could not quickly change a wheel on her bike. She later pulled out of the race after being up with the leaders before the puncture.