CYCLING

Elite teams for REV Classic UCI 1.2 announced

By U Leisure

Elite teams to compete in the 138km REV Classic UCI 1.2 road cycling event at this year’s REV Cycle Race on Saturday have been confirmed.
 
It is the second year the REV Classic has been awarded UCI 1.2 status, attracting a strong field of 69 Elite and Under 23 male cyclists from around the globe.
 
Competing teams are made up of four to five riders and include three UCI continental teams, a New Zealand national team and eight New Zealand regional teams.
 
Australian continental team Avanti IsoWhey Sports (formerly Avanti Racing) will be back to defend their title on Saturday. Ranked as the number one continental team in Oceania, the team will showcase a distinctively different line-up to last year’s winning combination, riding without last year’s champion Patrick Bevan and with only Fraser Gough returning. He will be supported by Liam Aitcheson, Mathew Zenovich, Mark Obrien and Sam Crome.
 
African continental team Kenyan Riders Downunder, an amalgamation of the Kenyan Riders and Pro Team Downunder teams, will also race the REV Classic. Current New Zealand Road Cycling Champion Jason Christie will feature in their line-up alongside fellow teammates Nick Miller, Morgan Smith and Tom Coates.
 
The final continental team registered for the race is Data#3 Cisco Racing Team P/B Scody. The team has a combination of Australian and New Zealand riders consisting of Thomas Hubbard, Scott Thomas, Adam Allen, Alex Grunke and Saxon Irvine.
 
Cycling New Zealand has entered a strong team of four to represent the national side, including Dion Smith, Roman Van Uden, Taylor Gunman and Alexander Ray. Smith is currently ranked the sixth best competing rider in Oceania behind last year’s Tour de France winner Chris Froome.


Photo courtesy of U Leisure

New Zealand regional team, Livingstone Building Team, have also entered a strong group of local riders, including current Tour of Southland Champion Brad Evans. Josh Aldridge, Matthew Roets, Nathan Bunn and Blair Treymane make up the rest of their line-up.
 
The remaining regional teams include Team ŠKODA Racing, Spoken Cycles, Opus International, Rotorua Racing, Team Sign Factory, Speed Works and L&M Group – Ricoh NZ.

With valuable UCI points and prize money on the line, event organisers anticipate fierce competition to transpire throughout race. UCI points and a share of the $9,900 prize money will be awarded to the eight fastest riders.
 
Points awarded that count towards UCI individual rankings are: 40 – 30 – 16 – 12 – 10 – 8 – 6 – 3.
 
The race is scheduled to begin at 11.00am on Saturday 20 February, with riders departing Event HQ at Tom Voyle Park in Cambridge.
 
Riders will first complete two laps accounting for 77km of the race before completing the final two laps that will see them through the final 60kms of the course and back to Event HQ through the finish line on Swayne Road.
 
Both laps feature significant climbs, tight corners and undulating terrain. Competitors will have to conquer both French Pass and Maungakawa Road twice before using what’s left of their legs to attempt a sprint finish along the home-straight.
 
With a field containing some of the world’s best riders, the REV Classic UCI 1.2 race will be a demonstration of world-class road cycling in the flesh. Last year the race concluded with a three-man sprint to the finish and with a similar spectacle expected to occur this year, spectators are encouraged to head to the finish line at approximately 2.00pm to watch it unfold.
 
The REV Classic is one of six event categories featured at the REV Cycle Race.
 
For the full list of teams and riders visit:
http://www.therev.co.nz/assets/REV-Classic-UCI-1.2-Starting-Teams-Riders-2016.pdf