FAMOUS CYCLIST PAINTS GLOOMY OLYMPIC PICTURE

Greymouth Evening Star, 8 October 1948, Page 4 (Supplement)

FAMOUS CYCLIST PAINTS GLOOMY OLYMPIC PICTURE

“The man bred in our cycling formulae who is capable of beating European riders without prior experience against them, is not yet boin, writes Hubert Opperman, well-known Australian professional road cyclist, to a Wellington friend. Opperman was commenting upon the performance of Jack Hoobin, who finished seventh in the Olympic event at Wembly recently. “However much we excuse oui selves with tales of bad luck (this goes for your representative, Carter, too), wrong gears, etc., I am convinced that there will always be one or two Continental men with the ability to pull out that little extra which would result in Ausstralians and New Zealanders being among the ‘also vans.’ “I do not think for one moment that, fundamentally, our chaps are any less gifted than Europeans. But I venture the opinion that the latter’s success can be traced to the hammering and polishing they get in their competitive upbringing, competition based on continued massed-start racing of a high order. ' .... “Moreover,” Opperman says, the gulf widens as the competitor’s age increases. By that I mean that although Hoobin could, finish seventh today if he remains in the Commonwealth for the next four years and tries again at Helsinki, for example, he would find it harder to finish in the first dozen. “It is not only age that makes the task more difficult, but the fact that Hoobin would be virtually marking time in Australia until 1952. On the other hand the Continental Olympians of 1948 will be gaining still more experience (by virtue of regular massedstart competition) every season.”