Garry Bell

Garry Bell, born in Hamilton in 1952, was a fine road cyclist and an equally good sports coach and administrator.

He represented New Zealand at two Commonwealth Games and the 1976 Montreal Olympics.

He attended Hamilton Boys’ High School and showed early promise as a cyclist, particularly on the road.

Just turned 22, he was included in the New Zealand team for the 1974 Christchurch Commonwealth Games, where he made a strong showing in the strength-sapping 114-mile road race, finishing 5th in 5h 18min 25 seconds.

New Zealand hopes before the race rested primarily on Vern Hanaray, but Australian Clyde Sefton and Englishman Phil Griffiths cleared out and turned it into a two-man duel for gold. Behind them, another Australian, Remo Sansonetti and Hanaray tussled for bronze and Bell was a clear fifth after an impressive ride for someone so early in his international career.

Bell continued to ride well on the roads, winning the prestigious Tour of the North Island in 1975.

At the Olympics in 1976, he rode strongly in the road race and finished 15th in 4h 49min 1s, about two minutes before the winner, Sweden’s Bernt Johansson.

Bell had one more crack at Games glory and at the 1978 Edmonton Commonwealth Games, he won the bronze medal in the road race, just coming up short of gold in a tight sprint finish. The race was won by Australian Phil Anderson from Pierre Harvey of Canada. Bell’s time, 4h 22min 35.06s was just half a second behind Anderson.

Bell also raced for New Zealand at the world championships between 1975 and 1979.

By 1982 Bell had turned to cycling administration. He was a coach in the New Zealand team at several Olympics, Commonwealth Games and world champs and for a time was a national high-performance coach. He was President of the national association from 2009-12.

Bell, who settled in Whitianga, was awarded the New Zealand 1990 Commemorative Medal and in 2016 he became a life member of Cycling New Zealand.