Cycling: Swart is on the road again

By TERRY MADDAFORD

For years Jack Swart was one of New Zealand's top road cyclists. In multi-stage tours he ruled the roads, the North Island tour his domain.

In two of his three Dulux victories he wore the tour leader's yellow jersey from start to finish. In the third, in 1986, he turned in two explosive stage wins, including the first-time climb to the Chateau on Mt Ruapehu, to demolish one of the strongest fields to line up.

That was years ago. Now, the wheels are again turning as 47-year-old Swart sets himself for a comeback.

Keen to ride the Tour of Southland - the country's most enduring race - in November, Swart has his sights set initially on the World Masters in Melbourne where he will ride the 100km road race and track races.

"I'm going through the pain barriers for sure," said Swart, who is spending 10 to 12 hours a week churning out about 350km in training. "I need to get that up to 16, then 20 hours.

"It is a good scene down here again. Dave Mann is as competitive as ever and Roger Leaf is going real well."

Like Swart, Mann and Leaf were Dulux winners.

"On the Sunday ride we have had up to 70 riders going around some of the old haunts," Swart said. "There have been some serious rides."

Swart got back on his bike a couple of weeks before last year's Round Taupo - a ride in which he suffered a bit. But the bug was back and Swart set his sights on the Tour of Southland, a race he first rode in 1976.

"I had the yellow jersey at one stage before Vern Hanaray and the rest dealt to me. I suppose most of the riders who will be in this year's tour would not have been born then."

Swart pays tribute to the support of riders such as Mann and Leaf for getting back on the bike.

"Dave [Mann] is a freak. He seems to be going faster than when he finished as a pro in 1993.

"We got together with Roger and Kerry Evans to ride the national team time trial. We didn't win, but rode 54 minutes, which made the young fellas work a bit harder than they might have expected.

"The one-day race in Melbourne does not mean a lot to me, but I need some racing before Southland."

Swart fits his training around his work as a builder - employing seven to keep his business ticking over.

The organisers of the Southland tour have already promised Swart a start in the race he rode six times and won twice before Brian Fowler made it his own.

"I will not be looking for line honours, but I want to be respectable. It will be up to the organisers to decide in which teams they put me and Dave Mann," said Swart, who was encouraged by a similar comeback effort by Paul Leitch in last year's race.

"Paul did well to finish 19th in a field of 90 which was a great effort."

Swart has "done up" his original bike and says it is doing the job.

"I was never a gear freak. You can spend all the money you want on gear but in the end it is the man on the bike that has to do the work."