Cyclists chosen for tour

Press, 26 September 1989, Page 28

Cyclists chosen for tour

Five of New Zealand’s top tour cyclists have been selected for one of Australia’s largest tours, the Commonwealth Banks eight-day event.

Three Canterbury riders, Aaron Lauder, Chris Nicholson and John Morrison, made up the majority of the team. Tom Bamford, of Waikato and Leigh Chapman, of West Coast, North Island complete the combination. All five have ridden successfully in Europe in the last four months and „ were selected on that basis. "They are our top tour riders,” said

a national selector, and the N.Z.A.C.A. president Graham Sycamore. “They were the guys that performed well in Europe this year.” The manager of the team is Christchurch’s John Delore. Mr Sycamore will also be at the race, but not representing the team. The team leaves New Zealand immediately after the Oceania Games trials this Sunday and Monday and will be in Australia for the Grafton to Inverel one-day classic race — an event more than 200 km long. Members then have a long wait and several criteriums to ride as a build-up for the tour which starts in Cooiangatta on October 14 with a 4km . prologue and a 30km criterium. The criterium is one of five during the 13 stage tour. There is only one time trial, of 3km, and six racing stages, the shortest of which is 61km and the longest, 200 km. The tour finished in Wollongong on October 22. This year a sponsor has been found to look after the finance of the New Zealand team, and apart from personal expenses all the teams costs are being paid.