CYCLING

Battle into unknown for New Zealand cycling's prized jersey

By Sports Media NZ

The battle to wear the national champions jersey in cycling events around the globe is a major draw for riders in this weekend’s Big Save Elite Road Championships in Napier.

All competitors are riding into the unknown on an exciting new course in Napier, the sixth time the championships have been staged in the Hawkes Bay, but the first time venturing into the inner city.

Organisers, supported by Napier City Council, have developed an exciting and testing road course with an initial long loop into the rolling country near Taradale, before returning for several laps of a testing and spectacular 13km inner city lap that includes the climb of Bluff Hill.

The championships begin on Friday with the time trials based at Church Road Winery with the course offering a mix of technical challenges and hills.

The national champions are entitled to wear the New Zealand colours throughout 2016 wherever they race.

The country’s most celebrated rider in recent times, Julian Dean, said the honour of wearing the champion’s jersey was a thrill.

“I got to wear my New Zealand jersey in races like the Tour de France. Not only was it a real honour, it also drew a lot of attention for the country,” said the now-retired, two-time national champion who is the event ambassador.

The new road course is the major talking point as riders of all types from climbers like Nelson’s George Bennett to sprinters like Otago’s Greg Henderson weigh up who is best suited on this circuit.

Young hope Patrick Bevin, who recently signed for World Tour team Cannondale Pro Cycling, believes the course will be a tougher overall test that the daunting Cashmere Hill climbs in Christchurch which hosted the championships for the past five years.

“It is so hard. I do not think riders realise just how tough it will be. If it is a typically hot Hawkes Bay day then it will be absolutely brutal,” Bevin said. “You will have to hang tough for as long as you can and hope to have some legs left for the final lap.”


Retired racer Julian Dean, now the event ambassador at the national championships got to show off the national jersey in major cycling events, pictured here in the 2009 Tour de France. Photo © Graham Watson

Double Olympic medallist and World Tour pro with Orica GreenEdge, Sam Bewley thinks there is something for all riders.

“It is a good course for a number of guys. The climbers will have a chance for sure. Greg Henderson is one of the fastest guys going around and he won’t struggle too much on these climbs.

“Hopefully it is a hard race – the harder the better for me. If it is a hard race then those pure sprinters will feel the fatigue more.”

The sentimental favourite will be Henderson, the three-time Olympian and highly credentialed professional in Lotto Soudal, who at 39 is likely to be contesting for the last time in a race he has never won.

There are five World Tour riders competing comprising Henderson, Bewley, Bevin, Jesse Sergent (AG2R Mondiale) and Bennett (LottoNL-Jumbo).

It is one of the most open fields with Avanti Racing looking to produce another strong team performance like last year that propelled Wellington’s Joe Cooper to victory.

There is also a raft of young talent on show including first-year elites James Oram and Dion Smith, both standouts at age levels on the world scene, who have joined the new UK-based Pro Continental team ONE Pro Cycling.

Also watch for the likes of Commonwealth Games track gold medallist Tom Scully, who has signed for Pro Continental team Drapac and track world team pursuit champion Alex Frame.

Europe-based pro Hamish Schreurs (Canterbury) will defend his under-23 crown in a field that includes 2014 national champion Hayden McCormick (Waikato BOP) and world champion team pursuit track riders Dylan Kennett and Hawkes Bay’s Regan Gough.

The women’s field has been dented with the late withdrawal of 2015 winner and time trial world champion Linda Villumsen who has been forced out with an ankle injury she suffered this week.

It leaves an open field that includes 2010 and 2014 champion Rushlee Buchanan, the 2013 winner Courtney Lowe, both Waikato-BOP, and double Olympian Joanne Kiesanowski (Canterbury), who won the national honours in Hawkes Bay in 2003. Double time trial champion Jaime Nielsen will compete along with , Southland’s world and Paralympics champion co-pilot Laura Thompson, US-based professional Emily Collins (Auckland) who has a string of top five finishes; track star Georgia Williams (Auckland); triathletes Kate McIlroy (Otago) and Sophie Corbidge (Waikato BOP) and a number of talented young guns.

The Big Save Elite Road National Championships begin with the time trials at Church Road tomorrow, with the elite women’s road race over 117kms including 4.5 loops of the inner city course on Saturday and the elite and under-23 men’s race on Sunday over 180kms with 7.5 laps in the Napier CBD.

To find out more go to www.elitenationals.co.nz or www.cyclingnewzealand.nz