CYCLING

JLT grab first stage win in New Zealand Cycle Classic

By New Zealand Cycle Classic

English based pro team JLT Condor secured their first stage win today during stage three of the New Zealand Cycle Classic held in the Wairarapa.
 
New Zealand rider Alex Frame, the only Kiwi rider in the team, won the 136km stage which ended in the wine village of Martinborough in 2hours 47 mins 18 seconds. Team Sapura’s Mohammad Abd Halil was second over the line while Oliver’s Real Food Racing’s Sean Whitfield was third. Of note was a strong finish by the New Zealand National team who claimed fourth, fifth and ninth place thanks to a powerful riding by Brad Evans, Luke Mudgway and Hayden McCormick while Italian U23 rider, Francesco Mancini, racing for Team Figros Snep was sixth.
 
Frame who hails from Christchurch and was a member of the 2015 New Zealand Pursuit team that gold at the World Track Championships in France, was delighted with the stage win and thanked his team mates for setting him up.
 
“The guys rode really strong today – the team set me up, they rode for me and I am just pleased the plan worked, we got there in the end,” said Frame. “I felt good out there today in fact I felt great all day. My team mates who had set me up didn’t have much at the end but it was a super strong finish.”
 
Stage three of the tour was raced between Masterton and Martinborough and included a fast and furious 8 lap circuit around the town’s vineyards, olive groves and town square which were lined with spectators. Raced in dry, hot conditions the race saw an early breakaway of four riders form in the Gladstone region that worked well together to secure a solid lead ahead of the peloton. The group, which included Cobra9 Interbuild Racing’s Nick Woods and Jordan Kerby, Oliver’s Ryan Thomas and Mobius Future Racing’s James Fouche, worked well together taking turns to drive the breakaway forward. At one point they were 3minutes 10 seconds ahead of the peloton.
 

With three laps to go of the circuit, Thomas re-joined the peloton and then with two laps to go, the peloton caught the leading trio. From there it was a tussle for positioning with Hamish Bond (Blindz Direct), Hamish Schreurs (NZ) and all members of JLT Condor working hard out front to drive the peloton forward. Trust House’s Morgan Smith made a solo break away on the final lap but was caught by the chasing group.

As the peloton roared towards the finish line near the Martinborough Square, Frame dug deep to the take the stage win. New Zealander James Oram officially crossed the line in 28^th place but was awarded the same time as the other riders and did enough to retain the general classification yellow jersey and help his New Zealand National team to second place in the team’s classification. Oram also was presented with the King of the Mountain Jersey on the podium by Aaron Slight, a former world super bike champion, who lives in Masterton.
 
Oram congratulated JLT Condor on a good race and paid tribute his own team mates who had worked cohesively in the peloton. He said the retaining the yellow jersey was a priority for the team for the next two days of racing.
 
Thomas was thrilled to claim the sprint ace jersey, something his team has been targeting all week, and said he had no plans to relinquish it tomorrow. Fouche won the Most Aggressive Jersey and Alex West from Team Skoda, the U23 jersey.
 
Stage four of the New Zealand Cycle Classic continues tomorrow. It begins in Masterton and heads south down SH2 through Carterton, Greytown and Featherston before heading around Lake Wairarapa back to the wine village of Martinborough. Coined “The Five Towns” the stage is a new addition to the Tour as part of its 30^th Anniversary.
 
The New Zealand Cycle Classic is a five-stage, elite international men’s road cycling race staged entirely in the Wairarapa. It is the only Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) sanctioned race to be held in New Zealand in 2017.
 
Being held simultaneously is Huri Huri: Wairarapa’s Bike Festival which celebrates the Wairarapa’s bike-friendly roads, tracks and trails; the people that ride on them and the bikes they ride.  The 2017 Festival (www.hurihuri.co.nz) has a variety of events and activities held across the region, catering to all levels of involvement in biking and to all ages.  These include the Town to Tide multisport race; the Castlepoint Station family fun ride; Pedal for Parkinsons road cycle; mountainbike workshops and a kids programme.
 
For more information please visit www.cycletournz.com.