Wait and see for Dahlberg after race

Press, 12 June 1989, Page 24

Wait and see for Dahlberg after race

NZPA London Nathan Dahlberg finished the round Britain Milk Race in eleventh place yesterday and now has an agonising wait to see if his effort was good enough to get him into the Tour of France.

“The Milk Race is good but the Tour of France is the one that really counts,” the 24-year-old Palmerston North rider said before dashing off to catch a plane to Belgium where he is based.

Dahlberg is one of about 20 riders based in Italy and the United States from which the American 7Eleven team will pick their eight man squad for cycling’s greatest event. Yesterday’s race was won by Dahlberg’s 7-Eleven team-mate, Brian Walton of Canada, in his first year as a professional. “If I couldn’t win then Brian winning is the next best thing,” Dahlberg said.

“I was the second 7Eleven man home so I am Just hoping that it’s enough to earn me selection for the Tour of France.”

Dahlberg was called in the 7-Eleven side as a lastminute replacement last

year finishing in the middle of the field. “I feel I am much better prepared for it this time but I will just have to wait and see what happens.” Of the Milk Race, Dahlberg said that he was delighted to win a stage and would be happy to return again next year.

Tom Bamford of Cambridge finished in twentythird place, the leading rider in the New Zealand amateur team.

Behind him were Brian Fowler (34th), Chris Nicholson (40th), Gavin Stevens (74th), and Blair Cox (83rd).

The sixth member of the squad, Michael Griffiths, retired during the tenth stage with influenza. The team finished tenth of the 16 teams in the race.

The team’s manager, Peter Southart, told NZPA later that he was disappointed they were not able to win a stage or to finish higher over all.

“But at least we did better than last year when we were last out of 16,” he said.

Southart said the riders had gained valuable experience for next year’s Commonwealth Games