Sport Front-markers rule Timaru cycle races

Press, 26 June 1989, Page 26

Sport

Front-markers rule Timaru cycle races

By

MALCOLM CONDIE

in Timaru Front-markers dominated the handicap section of the two cycling races held in Timaru at the week-end. Saturday’s race was won by Robin Mills, of Christchurch, and yesterday’s longer event, held on a circuit, was won by David Savage, also of Christchurch.

Both cyclists were off front marks. They held the handicap advantage race organisers had given them and won by clear margins. Savage made hard work of his win yesterday. He was with 10 other riders on the 27min mark and battled to what was effectively a sprint finish between himself and a man who had ridden all the way with him, Andrew Taylor, of Dunedin.

Both riders were obviously exhausted after the 80km Alan Loach Memorial event, held around a 16km circuit. Savage, known for his strong riding, cleared away at the finish line to win by only a couple of bike lengths. Carl Crowe made a tactically sound break from the elite bunch to win the fastest time section of the race. He took the wheel of the tiring Russell Ownsworth in the lead-up to the start/finish line and lapped around him for a clear view of the line, about four bike lengths from the second-fastest timed rider in the race, Darrell Kircher,

Jason M. Smith was third fastest, on time. What weather conditions did hamper cyclists in yesterday’s race were doubly present in the 65km race on Saturday. Although there was little wind in that event, very cold temperatures meant some of the warmer-blooded competitors could not keep up with the pace. A relatively unheard of cyclist, Robin Mills, of the Woolston club, took the field of the Peter and Mary Howes Memorial handicap by surprise on Saturday, when he powered ahead on the second of the two major climbs in the race to a lead he was never to relinquish.

Mills was on the second limit handicap of. 22min and blew that bunch apart on the 2km climb up the Pareora Gorge hill. He had ridden strongly in the first 25km of the race, a relatively flat section of road from Washdyke to Cave. He had the opportunity to break away on the short but testing Cave Hill, and although he was second up the climb, he stayed with the front-markers until the Pareora Gorge. The ride to Cave halved the distance between the scratch riders and the frontmarkers from 28min to about 12. Scratch riders made good time throughout the race and had caught the break bunch at the bottom of Cave Hill.

That bunch in turn caught the second break bunch, on a handicap of minutes after the descent of Cave Hill.

By that stage the frontmarkers had bunched up considerably. The leading three marks were almost together, followed by a very large and fast group consisting of a few middle marks. Scratch riders, now joined with the break bunch, made contact with the most of the second break bunch at the top of the Pareora Gorge hill climb. A notable exception from that smin bunch was Darrell Kircher, from the Hornby club.

Kircher, who won the Queenstown two-day tour only a couple of weeks ago, was handicapped on the smin mark, a mark some thought far too easy. Riders he had been beating consistently this season were in scratch. Kircher made good' time in the first half of the race, leaving his bunch and joining up with the big middle-mark-ers’ bunch ahead. That bunch then set about reeling in the eventual winner of the race, Mills. He was riding by himself from half-way up the Pareora Gorge Hill to the finish line. The bunch chasing him made good time, but could not catch him before the end, finishing only 10s down. What glory was left was in the sprint for the minor places.

Kircher and lan Dickie of Papanui, set the pace, Dickie just pipping him at the line.

The scratch riders were only a matter of seconds down on that big bunch and sprinted in for the fastest time placings. Nigel Donnelly, of Papanui, won that sprint, followed by Carl Crowe, also of Papanui, and Carlos Marryatt, of Hornby.

Fastest time for the 65km course was Ihr 29min 545. Mills’ winning time was Ihr 49min 445. Apart from the fourth over-all placing, taken by Gerard Stock, of Invercargill, Christchurch riders took all the honours. Results —

Peter and Mary Howes Memorial Handicap, 65km: R. Mills (Woolston) 1, I. Dickie (Papanui) 2, D. Kircher (Hornby) 0, G. Stock (Invercargill) 4, H. Ferguson (Papanui) 5. Time: 1:49.44. Fastest times: N. Donnelly (Papanui) 1, C. Crowe (Papanui) 2, C. Marryatt (Hornby) 3. Time: 1:29.54. Alan Loach Memorial Handicap, 80km: D.. Savage (Woolston) 1, A. Taylor (Dunedin) 2, K. Hessell (Timaru) 3, D. Wildermoth (Papanui) 4, P. McKendry (Hornby) 5.

Fastest times: C. Crowe (Papanui) 1, D. Kircher (Hornby) 2, J. M. Smith (Woolston) 3, N. Donnelly (Papanui) 4, P. Coates (Papanui) 5. Time: 1:43.50. .