Thanks for visiting Cycling Southland's home on the web. We are in the process of revamping this site, so keep an eye out for some exciting changes and new features so you can stay up to date with everything that's going on in the ILT Velodrome and across the highways of the south.
This Week's Road & Track Rides
For this week's updated Road Racing and Track Sessions please click here.
2010-11 Selection Policy and Rider Application Form <details here>
Latest News
Diary Update: Road and Track Event Dates Confirmed
Mark down the following dates and watch this space for more information:
Business Team Racing Night - September 17th Yunca Junior Tour - October 1st-3rd Track Carnival - October 5th-6th PowerNet Tour of Southland - November 1st-6th ILT International Festival of Speed - December 7th-9th (incl. National Madison Champs on Dec 7th) Milford Road Race - January 12th Gore to Invercargill Classic - January 13th New Year Track Carnival - January 14th-15th New Year Criterium - January 16th Southland Track Championships - January 25th & 28th-29th RaboPlus Elite National Track Champs - February 24th-26th RaboPlus Age Group & Masters National Track Champs - February 28th-March 4th
2010 Yunca Tour Entry Forms Posted
20/07/10 - In its 26th year, the Yunca Tour is now the premier multi-stage road cycling tour for junior cyclists in New Zealand. Last year 138 cyclists entered the event including many New Zealand representatives and 23 Australian representative riders with a number of those riders now representing their countries at this year's Junior Worlds in Italy. Download the Entry Form for the 2010 event by clicking here.
Relief Over UCI Decision
19/07/10 - The feedback since our announcement last week on the PowerNet Tour’s parting of ways with the UCI has been interesting. For more from CEO Nick Jeffrey, click here.
PowerNet Tour Breaks Free of UCI
16/07/10 - The 2010 PowerNet Tour of Southland has followed the lead of other Australasian events and will not be a UCI-registered road cycling event in 2010. Cycling Southland Chief Executive Nick Jeffrey is relieved that the international body has finally given some direction as to the Tour’s ability to continue to operate under the UCI’s onerous Road regulations. For more click here.
2010 Updated Road Programme
The Cycling Southland Road Programme will recommence after the Winter break on July 31st. Note that Senior and Junior races are included along with rostered officials. (Juniors - your officials' roster will be updated once confirmed).
Members have official responsibilities about once in the season. If you are unavailable or you wish to ride, it is your responsibility to find a replacement and advise the Race Manager for that week before race day. Descriptions of Race Manager and Marshall roles are available from the Cycling Southland office or below. If you miss your duty you will be deducted Racing Series Points and may not race until you have done a duty turn.
A feature of this programme shall be the Cycling Southland Senior Racing Series. Points will be awarded for riders and officials. Details of points and series conditions to come. The major prize will be a trip for two to Christchurch (incl. airfares & accommodation) to watch the Armstrong Festival of Cycling on December 4th.
For description of Race Manager and Race Marshall roles please click here.
Jack is Back and Gordy is All Fired Up
06/07/10 - Legendary PowerNet Tour of Southland rider Gordon McCauley rates his 2010 Share the Road team as the strongest he’s ever been involved with.
That’s mighty kudos coming from a man who has an incredible 17 tours and two titles to his credit.
In November, the Auckland rider will join forces with last year’s runner-up and national road champion Jack Bauer, of Nelson, Olympic cyclist Jeremy Yates, of Hastings, Commonwealth Games medalist Jason Allen, of Christchurch, Tokoroa’s Justin Kerr and cycling stalwart Karl Murray, of Auckland, to contest the prestigious event.
Read more on Share The Road's powerful lineup by clicking here and visit the home of the PowerNet Tour by clicking here.
Southlanders Star at Secondary School Road Champs
05/07/10 - The South Island Secondary School Championships were held over the weekend with strong fields and great racing at Ruapuna. A total of 268 riders kitted up for the South Island Championships Individual and Teams Time Trials and road race competitions. To check out the outstanding Southland results click here.
Training Wheels Column 5/7
05/07/10 - With the Corporate Pursuit now confined to the memory banks, aside from a few lingering aches and pains, Cycling Southland is busy planning for its upcoming road and track racing seasons. Read more by clicking here.
EXCLUSIVE: RARE PHOTO DISCOVERED
06/07/10 - In a rare find, photographic evidence dating back to the late 1800s has been found in the Cycling Southland archives of a young would-be-commassaire by the name of Graham Sycamore. To view this incredible discovery, click here.
VIDEO REVIEW: 2010 HARREX GROUP CORPORATE PURSUIT
Feature Events
2010 Fashion Extravaganza
Yes it's back. See Cycling Southland members like you've never seen before, strutting the catwalk in a night of glitz and glamour. And there's not a skin-suit to be seen. One of our major fundraisers for the year returns at the Ascot Park Hotel on Saturday July 10th. Tickets are only $15 and available from Cycling Southland, Surrender Hair Design, McKnight and Brown, Warwick Woodfield and Farrys or by emailing us. This year also features a very special guest in Invercargill Mayor Tim Shadbolt. For more click here.
2010 BenchMark Homes Series
Follow the fortunes of our southerners in the H and J Smith Outdoor World team. You'll find race reports, action photos and exclusive deals for Cycling Southland members from Rob and the team at Outdoor World by clicking here.
News Archive
YMCA Go Back-To-Back in Corporate Pursuit
27/06/10 - YMCA Education defended its Harrex Corporate Pursuit title breaking its own record in the event’s finals held in Invercargill today. For the full report click here.
For final results in easy-to-follow Draw form, click here.
Or if you are into numbers, the full seperated list of results and splits from the Harrex Group Corporate Pursuit Follow click here.
Baxter & Neilson Series Update - June
25/06/10 - The fifth Baxter & Neilson Racing Night was held on Friday night and saw some new names challenging for points. For the full report, photos and updated points table click here.
Cam writes from Kutztown
25/06/10 - Cam Karwowksi has landed in Kutztown USA and has been greeted by hot, humid weather and some great racing.
Check in on his progress and on his first night on the track by clicking here.
And you can follow his updates directly on his cycling blog.
25/06/10 - A man’s first leg wax is a deeply personal event. Take last night’s Corporate Pursuit wax-off at the ILT Velodrome. Three men, selected by their fellow riders, were the lucky recipients of a free waxing in the buildup to Sunday’s finals. This was some undertaking. An 18-strong troupe – well, three actually – from Surrender Hair Design worked in shifts like coalminers as they went through about a month’s worth of cotton strips and enough was to keep the Vatican in candles until the next millennium. Read more from the Southland Times by clicking here.
Finals Day Expected to be Intense
25/06/10 - When the dust had cleared after the Corporate Pursuit time trials last Friday night only 0.1sec separated the YMCA Education team and the Police. Both teams had broken the competition record, with defending champions YMCA grabbing the favourites' tag courtesy of their 1min 14.4sec effort.
With the Police clocking a 1:14.5, Sunday's finals day is expected to be intense. Both teams, however, know that form in the time trial does not necessarily translate to speed on finals day.
Read the full Southland Times article by clicking here.
Dawkins Compares Notes at Zoo
24/06/10 - The burgeoning BikeNZ sprint cycling team, including the pride of the south Eddie Dawkins, heads overseas next week for a 12-week buildup for the Commonwealth Games, keen to ensure they are not an endangered species in this country. Read more from the Southland Times by clicking here.
VIDEO: Harrex Group Corporate Pursuit TT Aftermath
For more videos on the Harrex Group Corporate Pursuit visit our page on YouTube.
Mat Marshall Writes Home From Australia
Our team (Shortis.com.au) is based in the Gold Coast so the weather is mint all year round. It’s an awesome place to train. It's currently blue sky wall to wall outside and just touching 23°C, hate to think what it’s doing at home right now. There is an abundance of sweet training roads too. Amongst numerous other hills in the area we have a 20k climb right at our doorstep. If all goes to plan I should be a demon at climbing as soon as we roll into the National Series. For more on Mat's Aussie Adventures click here.
Adrenalin Rush on the Night Elicits Fine Effort From Rookies
21/06/10 - It’s a weird feeling walking into the velodrome with a bike rather than a laptop. Usually I’m there to write about other people doing stuff, but this time it was going to be doing rather than describing, a slightly terrifying prospect, to be honest. For more on Nathan Burdon's Corporate Pursuit Experience click here.
Southland Secondary Schools Road Championships
20/06/10 - James Hargest High School successfully defended its title at the Southland/Otago Secondary School Road Cycling Championships at Teretonga on Sunday. Having earlier this year taken out the overall Secondary School Track Championship there can be little doubt of its standing as the south’s premier cycling school.
Held in overcast and chilly conditions, James Hargest finished the day with 22 points, claiming its seventh consecutive School Title, holding off Dunstan High School (17) with Southland Boys High School finishing third on 14 points.
For the full report, results and winning photos click here.
Corporate Pusuit Time Trial Results
18/06/10 - The defending champs made a loud statement as the opening shots were fired in the 2010 Harrex Group Corporate Pursuit in the Grading Time Trial held tonight at the ILT Velodrome. For the report and full results click here.
Gabby Writes Home From Europe
17/06/10 - Our own Gabby Vermunt is enjoying a European summer from her bike seat in Belgium.
She gives us her thoughts on the Belgium racing scene and on how well she's settled in to her fulltime cyclist lifestyle.
And even though there's no place like home, I don't think she's missing the Southland winter.
16/06/10 - Invercargill Mayor Tim Shadbolt will be the guest model at Cycling Southland's annual fashion extravaganza next month.
Mr Shadbolt will be joined by members of the cycling community who will swap their helmets and cycling attire for trendy threads and impressive hair creations to help raise funds for the club at the July 10 event.
Organiser Bernie O'Neill, of Surrender Hair Design and Beauty, said while there was plenty of work required to put the show together, the way many of the cyclists adapted to modelling was quite impressive.
"Especially those males, they well and truly know how to wiggle themselves along."
The $15 tickets, which include a light supper, are available from the participating stores and Cycling Southland.
15/06/10 - Bernie O'Neill and Chief Executive Nick Jeffrey discuss the upcoming Cycling Fashion Extravaganza on Cue TV's South Today Lifestyle
For the full story on this year's Extravaganza including photos from last year's glitzy night click here.
Final Straight for Corporate Pursuit
14/06/10 - After a build-up which seems to have taken on Olympic-like proportions the business end of the 2010 Harrex Group Corporate Pursuit has arrived. This Friday night a capacity field of 34 will take to the ILT Velodrome in the Grading Time Trial. Finishing times will determine which teams will look to emulate the YMCA Education/Recreation team of last year in Division One and those fighting to be the best of the rest title in Division Two next Sunday (27th). For more thoughts from Chief Executive Nick Jeffrey on this year's Corporate Pursuit build up click here.
Pair Count Down to Dehli
10/06/10 - It's a perfect Southland winter's day. Some might sneer at the concept, but post-frost the sky is so clear and blue it revives the spirit and makes anything seem possible. But inside Invercargill's ILT Velodrome there are two cyclists dreaming of a landscape which couldn't be any different if you were trying to describe the moon. For the full Southland Times story click here.
Build Up to Big Corporate Day
08/06/10 - The Harrex Group Corporate Pursuit has been a sell out success since the Cycling Southland inaugural event in 2007. Now in its 4th year running, we have record 34 teams entered to compete, the line up is a mixture of 22 returning local businesses and 12 new competitors. For the full article click here.
Master Coaching Discussion
04/06/10 - On Wednesday the 3rd June Cycling Southland held a coaching forum targeted at Masters cyclists. For follow-up notes from the meeting visit the Coach's Corner.
Nathan Burdon on Scud
04/06/10 - It was gutting to find out Tom Scully's injuries were more serious than initially thought. Read Nathan's blog post on "The Roar" by clicking here.
NZ Track Coach Interested in Scully's Recovery
04/06/10 - New Zealand track coach Tim Carswell is keeping a close watch on Tom Scully's recovery from a racing accident in Ireland last week. For the full Southland Times story click here.
Junior Racing Results - Teretonga and Baxter & Neilson
03/06/10 - Cycling Southland’s 2010 Teretonga Schools’ Cycling Points Series is underway with 26 aspiring track and road cyclists having competed over the last two weeks and last Friday night the Baxter and Neilson track series had its fourth round of the year. For full results click here.
Tom Scud Scully Writes From Galway Hospital
02/06/10 - We all felt sick to our stomachs when we heard the news last week that Tom had taken on a power pole in the RAS Tour of Ireland and lost. This morning he opens up on the incident, the prognosis (which I'm afraid isn't great) and his recovery. He specifically asked that we make sure we let you all know how he's doing and how he appreciates all the support he's received from home. I am struck by just how positive he remains. In an email back to me he calls it a "wee setback." It shows why he has become so successful on the international stage so quickly. He is a level-headed young man who takes things in his stride and I'm sure you'll agree after reading his candid account that it won't be long before the Scud is back on target. For his full report from his hospital bed, click here.
Blog Update: Why Tom Will Bounce Back Stronger
02/06/10 - This morning I arrived at work to be greeted by news I had spent a week praying wouldn't come to pass. Tom Scully's crash in last week's RAS Tour in Ireland has ended his cycling year and with it, his hopes of representing his country at the Commonwealth Games in Dehli. Read more of Nick's thoughts by clicking here.
Breaking News: Monaghan Finds Friend!
31/05/10 - Spied by an eagle-eye on Facebook over the weekend
The real question is, "Did he accept his own friend request?"
Scary at first, ultimately enjoyable
31/05/10 - Diane Lindsay admits the ILT Velodrome can be an imposing place for the uninitiated. Nathan Burdon talks to the Corporate Pursuit rookie. Invercargill grandmother of two Diane Lindsay is a member of the Waihopai Health Centre, which will be competing in the event for the first time. Share Diane's experience by clicking here.
New Zealand Cycling Icon Honoured
30/05/10 - Cycling Southland is delighted to be the Centre which nominated cycling icon Bert McConnell as a BikeNZ Road & Track life member. Auckland’s Bert has been to a staggering 71 world championship events and been an ardent fan, supporter and promoter of cycling for almost all of his life. As Graham Sycamore, a BRT and Cycling Southland life member aptly put it, this recognition for Bert is long overdue. To read more on Bert's contribution to the sport over the year's and his generous gift to Cycling Southland which will leave a legacy for lifetimes click here.
Saturday Road Race Results - 29th May
29/05/10 - Something different, something new that is how the first part of the 2010 road program was to finish. Fifty riders turned out in chilly conditions to compete in four teams in three grades. It was to be the team with the lowest score that won. For full results click here.
Velodrome Effort Was Worth The Pain
29/05/10 - Southland Times Sports Editor and Cycling Southland member Nathan Burdon writes, "The Southland Times team had its second training session for the Corporate Pursuit this week. I missed our first training session because my wife had gone into labour, and have had a dose of the bot since then so was a bit anxious about lapping it out a the velodrome this week. With good reason. For more on Nath's effort click here.
Road Race Report & Results 22nd May
24/05/10 - An "unofficial ride" was held on Saturday commencing from the Old Makarewa Freezing Works. Two groups (55 riders) set off on a shortened course in damp conditions. It was a flat course that suited the sprinters who could stay with the bunch. Both groups did stay together with most riders doing their bit on the front... for full race report and results click here
Former World Champ's Advice for Corporate Pursuiters
24/05/10 - Former World Champion track cyclist, New Zealand and Subway – Avanti Pro Cycling team member Hayden Godfrey shares training tips and advice for teams training for the Harrex Group Corporate Pursuit and comments on talented Southland cyclists Tom Scully and Eddie Dawkins.
2010 Yunca Tour Entry Forms Posted
16/07/10 - The 2010 PowerNet Tour of Southland has followed the lead of other Australasian events and will not be a UCI-registered road cycling event in 2010. Cycling Southland Chief Executive Nick Jeffrey is relieved that the international body has finally given some direction as to the Tour’s ability to continue to operate under the UCI’s onerous Road regulations. For more 
06/07/10 - Legendary PowerNet Tour of Southland rider Gordon McCauley rates his 2010 Share the Road team as the strongest he’s ever been involved with.
Yes it's back. See Cycling Southland members like you've never seen before, strutting the catwalk in a night of glitz and glamour. And there's not a skin-suit to be seen. One of our major fundraisers for the year returns at the Ascot Park Hotel on Saturday July 10th. Tickets are only $15 and available from Cycling Southland, Surrender Hair Design, McKnight and Brown, Warwick Woodfield and Farrys or by 
Cam writes from Kutztown
Riders Polish Act for Corporate Finals
Finals Day Expected to be Intense
Mat Marshall Writes Home From Australia
20/06/10 - James Hargest High School successfully defended its title at the Southland/Otago Secondary School Road Cycling Championships at Teretonga on Sunday. Having earlier this year taken out the overall Secondary School Track Championship there can be little doubt of its standing as the south’s premier cycling school.
17/06/10 - Our own Gabby Vermunt is enjoying a European summer from her bike seat in Belgium.
16/06/10 - Invercargill Mayor Tim Shadbolt will be the guest model at Cycling Southland's annual fashion extravaganza next month.
Tom Scud Scully Writes From Galway Hospital
30/05/10 - Cycling Southland is delighted to be the Centre which nominated cycling icon Bert McConnell as a BikeNZ Road & Track life member. Auckland’s Bert has been to a staggering 71 world championship events and been an ardent fan, supporter and promoter of cycling for almost all of his life. As Graham Sycamore, a BRT and Cycling Southland life member aptly put it, this recognition for Bert is long overdue. To read more on Bert's contribution to the sport over the year's and his generous gift to Cycling Southland which will leave a legacy for lifetimes 
29/05/10 - Southland Times Sports Editor and Cycling Southland member Nathan Burdon writes, "The Southland Times team had its second training session for the Corporate Pursuit this week. I missed our first training session because my wife had gone into labour, and have had a dose of the bot since then so was a bit anxious about lapping it out a the velodrome this week. With good reason. For more on Nath's effort 
Former World Champ's Advice for Corporate Pursuiters