CYCLING

Tandem tumbles record in RaboPlus Age Group Cycling Championships

Nearly 200 riders have flocked to the RaboPlus Age Group Track National Championship at the ILT Velodrome in Invercargill this week.

Phillipa Gray and Sonia Waddell (Waikato Bay of Plenty), a tandem paracycling pair, stole the show, riding a superb 1m14s in the paracycling 1000m Time Trial, exceeding all expectations and smashing the New Zealand record.

“We were aiming to ride sub 1.15 minutes, hoping to do 1.14 minutes, but to ride under 1.13 minutes was phenomenal,” Waddell said.

Their time of 1:12.892 was nearly a second faster than the New Zealand record held by Jayne Parsons and Annaliisa Farrell of Canterbury.

“We weren’t even aware of what the record was, so to smash it is a great feeling.”

Sonia Waddell, best known for her rowing career, steers the tandem, while Gray, who is visually impaired sits behind her. Gray has only nine percent vision due to Retinitis Pigmentosa, a genetic disease.

These riders are showing remarkable promise, each relatively new to the sport of cycling. Waddell took to the bike a year ago, with Gray only taking up cycling a short four months ago. They first rode together in September last year, although they estimate they have only spent the equivalent of two weeks training on the bike together.

Canterbury teenager Elizabeth Steel was the other star of the show, taking gold medals in both the under 19 women’s 2000m individual pursuit and the 6km scratch race.

Dylan Kennett (Mid South Canterbury) clocked a new national record in the under 17 boys’ time trial.

The RaboPlus Age Group National Track Championships run until Saturday.

For full results visit www.bikenz.org.nz