25-Jul-81
25-Jul-81
Cleveland Grand Prix |
CZECH
cycling ace Martin Penc scored a double triumph at the County Leisure Services
promoted international Cleveland Grand Prix at Clairville Stadium, Middlesborough.
Penc, a member of the bronze medal winning team in the 4,000 metre team pursuit at the Moscow Olympics, kept the Czech team in command of Europe's major cycling series, the Coupe D'Europe le Coq Sportif, by convincingly winning the 4,000 metres individual pursuit.
He completed his doubts at Cleveland's richest and most competitive cycling meeting by winning the Cleveland Grand Prix Sillars Trophy, adding the £120 first prize to the four lap sprint awards in this event.
The man from the Dukia Club of Prague never missed a chance to apply the pressure, playing a major part in the establishment of the ten-man breakaway which lapped the rest of the strong 53-man international Grand Prix field shortly after the halfway point.
Even before Guisborough rider Stuart Morris, of the Dinnington RC - Universal, outsprinted Italian Paulo Di Martino to take the opening prime prize after seven laps, a strong break including local men Paul Curran (Stockton Wheelers) and Morris, was beginning to form.
As the gap widened, former Teesside Clarion rider Hugh Cameron, now a member of Manchester Wheelers, bridged across to the eight leaders just as Penc went off on a lone sortie collecting two prime prizes worth £15 each.
Di Marino was the first to make contact with Penc, followed by professional Steve Heffernan, and within two laps, the others in the leading group along with Great Britain's Shaun Wallace, were only yards away from lapping the rest.
Ales Trcka of Czechoslovakia, who had broken the track record with a 4 min 59.08 sec. in the 4,000 metres pursuit in the Coupe D'Europe preliminary session, took the last of the prime prizes with three laps left and the big bunch prepared for the final gallop.
Approaching the final 200 metres Curran tucked himself in behind Penc and went over the top of third and fourth place men, professionals Tony Mayes and Heffernan, on the final banking to finish only a yard behind.
Trcka completed Czechoslovakia's joy in the Coupe D'Europe by taking second spot, with Shaun Wallace beating Di Marino in the ride off for third place.
Cleveland Grand Prix - Sillars Trophy - 20 kilometre
1. M Penc, Czechoslovakia, 26-44.56
2. P Curran, Stockton Wheelers
3. T James, Great Britain
4. S Heffernan, Great Britain.
Cleveland Points Race - 9 kilometre
1. A Trcka, 22 pts
2. S Heffernan, 17
3. P Curran, 12.
Coupe DEurope le Coq Sportif -4,000 metre individual
pursuit
1, M Penc, 5-4.23
2, A Rchka, Czechoslovakia, 5-8.29
Ride off for third place, S Wallace (GB), 5-1.26 beat P Di Martino (Italy),
5-3.26.