Crazy Course Doesn’t Bother Saling in Masters World Cup : Cycling: Fifty-one-year-old New Jersey cyclist overcomes numerous turns around the Town and Country Hotel parking lot to win Masters criterium.

What was described by promoters as a difficult .7-mile, 10-turn course proved to be quite simple to 51-year-old Joe Saling, who on Saturday won his second Masters World Cup criterium in the 50-54 age group in as many years.

It could be said that Saling won by cliche.

“Like in many aspects of life,” said Saling, who hails from New Jersey, “the saying ‘out of sight, out of mind’ is true in cycling. If you can manage to get out of your competitors’ sight, it’s very easy to go on and win.”

And with 10 turns per lap, and 20 laps around the parking lot of the Town and Country Hotel, Saling hardly found a challenge in doing just that.

“These crazy courses are actually good for breakaways because you have so many turns,” he said.

Saling used those turns and quickly disappeared. Or did the rest of the field disappear?

Actually, it was a little of both.

Saling was more than a minute ahead of the field 12 laps into the race.

Said Germany’s Manfred Nepp, “Joe was just faster today.”

Nepp, who has won several Masters world championships, finished second, then complained that things might have been different had he not chosen the wrong cranks.

The ones he used were extra long, designed to get more power from less pedaling. But on a tight and windy course, Nepp had to quit churning his legs around the many corners to keep his pedals from hitting the pavement.

But whoever tried to catch Saling often came up against John Aur, Saling’s teammate on the Somerset Wheelmen who played the part of offensive lineman and blocked the other riders from gaining ground.

“Every time John got out in front of the pack,” Saling said, “the pace slowed down.”

The two cyclists have been racing since 1957, but only recently have become teammates.

“Yeah,” Aur said, “we raced against each other in the 1957 National championships in Wisconsin, and we didn’t even realize it. Joe was the New Jersey state champion, and I was the California state champion.”

Neither was among the top finishers--not then, anyway. Now the two can be seen crossing in front of most others. Last year when Saling won the criterium, Aur finished second. This year he was fifth.

The criterium victory capped an impressive week for Saling, who on Wednesday won a gold medal and a rainbow jersey, symbolic of a Masters World Cup championship, in the 3,000-meter pursuit. He did so in an age-group world record time of 3:56.6.

On Friday, Saling shattered his two-day-old world record in a time trial, completing 3,000 meters in 3:51.88.

Masters Cycling Notes

Steve Johnson won the 40-44 age-group criterium and Jim Montgomery stole the gold from Rob Lea in the final lap of Saturday’s 45-49 age-group criterium. Lea broke away from the pack after 10 laps and appeared to be well on his way to victory. But with three laps to go, Montgomery flew from the field and eventually caught the winded Lea. . . . Today’s races are scheduled to begin at 9:15 a.m. with the 30-34 age-group criterium. The event will culminate with the U.S. Masters Open Championships, a 35-lap race scheduled to begin at 2:30. All races are being held at the Town and Country Hotel in Mission Valley.