Strength shown in cycling

Press, 4 July 1983, Page 3

Strength shown in cycling

Murray Steele again showed his strength and sprinting ability to take first and fastest time in the Healing Waikari classic road cycling race over 100 km on Saturday. Bitterly cold and windy weather forced many early retirements.

One of the pre-race favourites, Brian Fowler, was unfortunate to puncture at a vital stage. With 20km to ride, the strong scratch bunch had been reduced to 10, but had reached the front nearing Waikari. Peter Coates and Toni Horne established a break, but failed to capitalise on their advantage. In the long sprint to the finish, Steele just edged out Blair Stockwell and Peter Lewis. Dean Lovett rode an impressive race to be the only junior to finish with the front bunch. He took the junior fastest time. Results:—

Murray Steele (Hornby), 2hr 31:57.54, 1; Blair Stockwell (Healing-Papanui), 2:31:58.0, 2; Peter Lewis (Woolston-General Lee), 2:31:58.5, 3; Russell Nant

(Hornby), 4; Greg Cox (Hornby), 5. Fastest junior: Dean Lovett (Healing-Papa-nui), 2:37:08. First veteran: Don Johnson (Woolston-General Lee). Fastest veteran: Jack Hill, 3:08:15. Teams’ cup: Hornby.

Hornby’s Mark Crosbie won the 16km open novice handicap race also held at Waikari. The trio of Crosbie, Alex Laplanche and Paul O’Hagan, rode as a team into the strong head wind and established a lead of one minute.

They stayed clear until the finish and, in the sprint, Crosbie proved stronger. In a tight finish for fastest time, Andrew Macßeth held off his fellow scratch marker, Ross Brimmer. Results:—

Crosbie (Hornby), 31:42, 1; Laplanche (Mairehau), 31:43, 2; O’Hagan (Mairehau), 32:14, 3. Fastest times: Macßeth (Mairehau), 28:00, 1; Brimmer (Mairehau), 28:05, 2.