MASTERS NATIONAL CYCLING : Competitors Achieve a Number of Goals

For some cyclists, the Great Earth Masters National Championships means competing in their first masters race. For others, it means winning their first national title. And for still others, it means adding another red, white and blue jersey (symbolic of a national championship) to their collections.

Saturday’s opening day of the week-long masters nationals featured all three in the first of two days of criterium competition around the county administration building downtown.

In the race for women 30 to 34 years old--covering 40 kilometers in 31 laps--the competitors were somewhat conservative, with no one breaking away from the pack. That could have partially been because of a collision that sent eight to 10 riders to the ground about a third of the way through the race.

The eventual winner was Betsy Davis of Redondo Beach with a time of 1:00:46. She pulled away in the last 500 meters to beat defending champion Liz Heller of St. Louis.

Audrey Thornton, who rides for the San Diego Bicycle Club, took the lead with a lap remaining but lost it to Davis on the final turn and eventually dropped back into the pack.

Davis then relied on her strong suit, a late sprint, to win.

“One of my teammates (Maureen Chambers of Chapel Hill, N.C.) took after (Thornton) but couldn’t catch her, so I went after her,” Davis said.

Heller said she was pleased with her race but was disappointed in the lack of aggressiveness by riders in the pack.

“I felt it was a negative race in terms that except for (La Costa’s) Meg Gordon of Weight Watchers, no one was willing to work hard,” Heller said. “I figured nine out of 10 that Betsy Davis was going to beat me on the sprint. She sits at the back of the pack, then sprints at the end. I don’t respect that kind of racing.”

Tani Barbour of Vista, who rides for San Diego-based Club Seals, placed fifth in her first national masters race. She has competed in the senior nationals three times, but because she will turn 30 before the end of the year, she was eligible for this event.

“This one was really good for me because I won a medal,” Barbour said. “There were a lot of really strong people, but they were a little bit conservative. There were only a few making the attack. Most were waiting to react.”

The men’s 40-44 race, 50 kilometers over 39 laps, was different. Ken Fuller of Anaheim and Steve Johnson of Salt Lake City broke away from the pack with 17 laps remaining and maintained a lead of at least 10 seconds over the pack. On the final lap, the two former world masters champions jumped to a 20- to 30-second lead. Fuller pulled ahead coming down the final stretch and won in 1:09:56.

“With 17 laps to go, I yelled at (Johnson) to come with me because if I tried to do it alone, he would have chased after me and probably brought the pack with him ,” Fuller said.

Added Johnson: “We worked together until the last lap. Then it’s every man for himself.”

Fuller and Johnson both expected it would come down to the two of them, with another former world champion, Skip Cutting III of Laguna Beach, also in contention. Fuller and Cutting were on the 1972 Olympic team together. Fuller was also a member of the 1976 team, Cutting also competing in the Games in both 1964 and 1968.

“The way I was fantasizing it is that Steve and I would go out in front,” Fuller said. “We’re the same type of riders, very strong. I have a little better sprint than him.”

Fuller said it was a “sweet victory” because the last time the two met, at the nationals in 1987, Johnson beat Fuller in the road race and the criterium. With the victory, Fuller collected his ninth national jersey.

Fuller, a commercial real estate broker, said cycling is his “release.”

“I feel (I’m) where I left off when I was younger,” Fuller said.

Criterium racing will continue at 8 a.m. today. The championships then will travel to Tijuana Monday and Tuesday for time trials.