Dehydration scuppers veteran's ride

OPINION: Five and a half hours on a saline drip in hospital wasn't how legendary Palmerston North enduro cyclist Colin Anderson planned to spend his time in Taupo at the weekend.

For the first time, the 62-year-old failed to complete a solo ride in the Lake Taupo cycle challenge due to the effects of dehydration and lack of food after a week of gastroenteritis. He had planned to complete four laps of the great lake to be the first to ride 50, but survived only 180km of his planned 640.

During Anderson's ordeal on Friday, it was as hot as 34 degrees Celsius near Kuratau and that didn't help either.

"I'd always promised myself and my family that none of my solo cycles were going to be kamikaze rides," he told us. "This year's ride felt like it was heading that way."

The hundreds of Manawatu cyclists who ventured to Taupo fortunately escaped the wild wet the province copped on Saturday.

Around Taupo it was overcast, light winds and chilling rain at the halfway point, especially from Turangi to Hatepe and its great hill. Our featured gent, 65-year-old Brian Hughes, got around in 4hr 54min, his 19th lap of the lake.

Manawatu Masters club president Mike Keenan rode it in 5hr 46min, his 14th in a row and Manawatu Standard general manager Craig Nash made it in 5hr 15min.

There were 4764 solo riders but Manawatu cyclists were surprised by the number of crashes and ambulances. They put it down to inexperienced cyclists changing lanes or stopping without warning.

Technology never sleeps, even in bowls.

Barry Wynks' Takaro team, which won the Manawatu open centre triples on Saturday, revealed they were equipped with the latest Henselite secret weapon, the Alpha.

The bowl was partly designed from an Australian model by New Zealand player Gary Lawson and coloured sets sell for a cool $800.

Wynks and his team-mates have always tried new machinery and he says the Alphas aren't as narrow bias as the ones he was using last season.

It will be a young, inexperienced Bay of Plenty golf team that will line up at the 59th national interprovincial which tees off at the Manawatu Golf Club tomorrow. They might not have Danny Lee these days but they always have golfing pedigree.

They are the defending champions, have beaten Wellington in the last two finals and are chasing their sixth win in nine years.

Wellington have a strong team with the Spearman-Burn brothers – Peter and Thomas both New Zealand representatives – and former Golf City player Sean Kells.

But don't rule out Manawatu-Wanganui on their home layout.

You have to feel for the organisers of the Wellington Phoenix versus Sydney FC soccer match in Palmerston North on December 12.

Arena Manawatu manager David Walsh said the A-League's match organisation manual was 126 pages long. That's more than light reading.

One has to wonder with all the red tape required these days to keep everyone happy why people even bother trying to run these things. Good on David and his team for making it happen.

- © Fairfax NZ News