Coates wins Otago tour

Press, 4 April 1989, Page 42

Coates wins Otago tour

Peter Coates, of the Papanui club, in Christchurch, won the two-day Tamahine cycling tour in Dunedin at the week-end. The tour became a battle between Coates and Otago’s Geoff Keogh. Keogh won a sprint on the first stage, afterr he and Coates broke away from the bunch. On the second stage, a group of six riders got a large lead on the field and finished together well ahead. Both Coates and Keogh featured in that finish, but Invercargill’s Gary Smith took the honours. At the end of the first day, Keogh lead Coates by one second. That changed in the third stage. Coates made up the second and took a healthy overall lead by breaking away. Keogh whittled some time back by winning the time trial. The Cantabrian maintained several seconds advantage with one stage remaining.

In the final stage, a criterium, both Coates- and Keogh broke away from the field with some other riders. They lapped the remaining cyclists, and by finishing in the bunch Coates won the tour, by eight seconds from Keogh. Smith was third overall, followed by Canterbury’s other A grade entry, John Morrison.