RIYADH, 23 November — The strong and the fit came into their own in the latest round of the Riyadh Wheelers Championship, the TNT sponsored 80km road race, with support from Coca-Cola.
Although the circuit was relatively flat the wind and the distance took a heavy toll on the field of 42. As is often the case, the early kilometers gave riders who are not generally accustomed to riding in a large pack a chance to show, with the older generation of Chris Arrowsmith, Alex MacKay and Jim Norton demonstrating to the youngsters they were not afraid to set the pace. This situation was not to last long however, with pre-race favorites Patrice Delile and Blain Reeves patiently waiting for the right moment to launch an attack. It came at around half distance when a slight incline and stiff wind slowed the bunch, signalling the pair to take flight. Only three riders were able to go with the flying duo, Herbert Rom, Paul McParland and Rob Patrick, but they were unable to help in the pace setting such was the speed Delile and Reeves were setting. Just at this point an untimely puncture put out Wheelers’ Chairman Mark Nelson and although he quickly repaired it he was never to see the lead group again.
A coalition now formed at the head of the field, with Delile and Reeves deciding there was no place for non-working passengers, so after a series of attacks quickly got rid of Rom, followed soon after by McParland and Patrick. Rom was destined to drift back into the shelter of the pack, while McParland and Patrick decided to work together and keep clear of the chasers and avoid the sprint finish. Coming into the final kilometer Reeves tried to surprise Delile by putting in a strong attack, but the canny Frenchman was up to the task and easily came by him on the line. Shortly after McParland and Patrick came into view and it looked to be going Patrick’s way until a late surge from McParland saw him snatch a fine 3rd place. New to the Master ranks, McParland’s ride was the best of the day, as the pace set at the front was exceptional. Negative riding by the strong Pinoy contingent paid off in the sprint for the line, as seven crossed the line together in a blanket finish, though unfortunately hampered by lapped riders. When the photo finish was examined Colin Small and Gerard Robards had managed to somehow squeeze into the placings, although not enough to dislodge Edwin Seneres who took many a sprinters scalp with his 5th place.
In the absence of injured L. Pentlebury, K. Malone showed grit and determination to lead in the Cat B contenders. All finishers deserved praise in this very hard event, it’s toughness reflected by 7 non-finishers. Steve Baker took the race-shortened Mountain Bike category as his rivals dropped out one by one. Finally, spare a thought for former Chairperson K. Dryden who chose this hard event to start a comeback and finished bravely alone, an hour after the winner. (Jan Patrick)
Results
1st P.Delile; 2nd B.Reeves; 3rd P.McParland; 4th R.Patrick; 5th E.Seneres; 6th C.Small; 7th H.Rom; 8th G.Robards; 9th R.Platil; 10th J.Sunga; 11th V.Babilonia; 12th N.Ibarra;13th G.Morete.
