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6-Jun-81

Japanese Open National Cycling Championships

Curran turns on style in Japan

AT the end of four demanding days of racing, Stockton Wheeler Paul Curran provided the climax to the Great Britain team's visit to the Japanese national cycling championships by taking second place in the 90-mile road race, only inches behind Japan's Koichi Tetsuzawa.

Curran, 20, an apprentice turner at ICI Wilton and a member of the Northern Region Cycling Centre of Excellence, had secured a place in the decisive seven-man breakaway on the final 20-mile hilly circuit around Maebashi City, 60 miles north of Toldo, before bringing his second international selection to a memorable finale.

Curran was one of only two of the Great Britain squad to complete the race which was covered at over .25 m.p.h., at times in torrential rain, by the big field which included a USA team in addition to the Britons and Japanese.

The busy three-day Japanese national track championships provided the young multi-talented squad of British riders with some good results.

Unique

Curran's best individual track performance came when he took third place in a 4,000-metre scratch race which incorporated a unique system of points scoring which forced a high attacking pace.

With the standard of competition, described by national director of racing Jim Hendry as comparable with world championships, Great Britain's Piers Hewitt produced a personal best in the kilometre time trial to finish fourth as the best foreign rider.

Curran, Gary Sadler, Darryl Webster and Steve Denton rode into third place in the 4,000 metre team pursuit after getting through the qualifying rounds seventh of 18 teams.

In the final rounds only the Japanese Shimano club team and the Nippon University squad beat the young Britons.