CYCLING

Spoken Cycles take on REV Classic

By U Leisure

Spoken Cycles is getting ready to tackle the REV Cycle Race on Saturday 20 February, including a team of five who will compete in the REV Classic UCI 1.2 elite race.

Blair Taylor, shop owner and co-owner of Spoken Coaching, has worked hard to build a Spoken Cycles cycling community in Cambridge and the local brand is set to have a huge presence at this year’s event.

It is the second year the REV Classic has been awarded UCI 1.2 status and Spoken Cycles are among this year’s competitors. The team will compete against 11 other national and international teams over 138km of Waipa’s toughest road cycling terrain in a bid to win valuable UCI points.

Representing the local bike store is a team of five strong riders, including returning REV Classic rider and one of last year’s top 10 finishers Ryan Christensen.

“The team looks really good on paper,” says Blair who is also the team’s representative.

“Ryan was just recently crowned ‘King of the Mountains’ at the New Zealand Cycle Classic and we also have Ryan Will in the mix, he’s an ex-professional who rode for the Champion Systems Cycling Team.”

The team have been racing together at the Dynamo Team Championships so they are used to riding together and because it's a local event, coming out on top is even more important. Nick Reddish, Josh Haggerty and Nicholas Magill are also included in the squad.


Photo courtesy of U Leisure

As well as the REV Classic, Spoken Cycles will also have a number of recreational riders take the start-line in the REV100 and REV60 category on event day as part of their store community team.

The team will be eligible to compete for the Team Up Challenge Trophy, which will be awarded to the team with the fastest accumulated time of their first four riders across the finish line in the REV100 race.

Spoken Coaching have also come on board with the race this year, with the team putting together free specialised five-week training programmes designed specifically for the REV100 and REV60, as well as offering spot-prizes for event day.

The coaching venture started up five months ago when Blair and business partner Ryan Will saw a gap in the market in the Waikato.

Blair has watched the REV grow over the years and thinks that the one-day cycling event is important for his store and the Cambridge community as a whole.

“It’s great to be able to showcase the local roads and to give cyclists the opportunity to experience them in an event situation. Being able to interact with our riders and customers at the event in a fun and relaxed environment is something we really enjoy.”

For more info visit www.therev.co.nz