4-Apr-83
4-Apr-83
| Girvan Three-Day |
STOCKTON
WHEELER international Paul Curran led the Northern Region Cycling Centre of
Excellence team to a very successful holiday weekend.
He finished fourth overall while taking second place in the King of the Mountains competition in the 270 miles Girvan three-day stage race.
In a very high class field, Curran began to make his presence felt during the opening 75-miles stage, finishing second to John Cavanah of Kirby and leading the squad to the head of the team table, while securing the lead for himself in the King of the Mountains contest.
1. John Cavanah (Kirby)
2. Paul Curran (Northern Region C of E)
He was once again up among the leaders the same evening in the 16-miles second stage criterium in Victory Park, Girvan, taking sixth place but slipping back to fifth place overall. The team, having lost Ferryhill's Gordon Panicca during the opening stage with a virus infection, moved back to sixth place among the 20 teams entered.
The northern region team had to work hard during the 92-miles third stage after missing the vital break, but with the help of his remaining team-mates, Middridge CRT's Peter Stevenson and Burnley's Ian Smith, Curran was instrumental in cutting back the leaders' two minute advantage to a much slimmer gap of 49 seconds.
This allowed them to hold on to their positions on general classification in both the individual and team competitions.
Finishing second to the eventual overall winner, Manchester Wheeler Dave Lloyd, on the final day, Curran moved up a place on general classification after getting into the 87 miles race's decisive move along with Lloyd, Joe McCaulugh and Martin Young.
When Lloyd jumped clear with five miles left, Curran outsprinted the other two members of the group as they finished in Girvan.
With Smith finishing in 16th place on general classification and Stevenson 36th, the northern region squad finished third in the overall team contest.
1. Dave Lloyd (Manchester Wh)
2. Paul Curran (Northern Region C of E)
THERE was a nerve-wracking start to the Girvan three-day for the North-East
Centre of Excellence team.
Their roof rack with bikes and wheels on it came off their car at speed on
the M6 over the climb of Shap, as they drove to Scotland.
The four riders, Paul Curran, Ian Smith, Pete Stevenson and Gordon Pannica, plus driver Brian Cossavella, felt the car rise on its suspension as the weight of the rack disappeared skywards and landed in the fast lane behind them.
Cossavella slammed on the brakes, and the Archer RC team car, which he had just passed, also stopped to help retrieve what was left.
Fortunately, there was no great damage to the bike frames although Smith's had bent forks, and several pairs of wheels were wrecked. The rack was ruined. The Archer team loaned Smith a pair of forks.
1. Dave Lloyd (Manchester Wh)
4. Paul Curran (Northern Region C of E)
By STAN HILTON