Welcome to a mammoth edition of your weekly newsletter! With track nationals, road races, track training, and all other things cycling on the go, and a team announcement as well, there is a lot to get through today, so let us dive straight in!
Five Southlanders in Track World Championships team!
Eddie Dawkins, Natasha Hansen, Kirstie James, Nick Kergozou, and Corbin Strong have been selected as part of a very strong Cycling New Zealand team to compete at the UCI Track Cycling Championships in Berlin next month. Congratulations!
Strong shows strength in New Zealand Cycle Classic
Corbin Strong, riding for the New Zealand National Team, was a star performer at the New Zealand Cycle Classic over the weekend. Strong finished third overall in the five stage event against some of the top names in New Zealand cycling, and took out the best young rider classification as well. Over the five stages he never finished lower than fifth, with three fourth place stage finishes, a fifth, and third on the final stage. Nick Kergozou (Couplands Bakeries) also put in very impressive performances in the sprint stages, walking away with a photo-finish second place and an eighth place in the final stage. Matt Zenovich (St George Continental Team) also completed the tour, helping his team leader Dylan Kennett to a couple of stage victories along the way. Lachlan Robertson and Hamish Keast also competed.
Elite and Under 19 Track National Championships
All the best to the 29 Elite, U19, and Para cyclists representing Cycling Southland at the Track National Championships later this week. The team left for Cambridge early yesterday morning, with competition starting on Thursday morning.
We will be posting regular updates on the Cycling Southland Facebook page along with reports on the Cycling Southland website, and will update with streaming links and photos if and when available.
Team announcement – Age Group Track National Championships
Congratulations to the following riders who have been selected to represent Cycling Southland at the Age Group Track National Championships, taking place in Invercargill from 5 to 8 March.
Thank you to the selectors who had a tough task when it came to selecting from such a talented group of riders, and another word of thanks to those who volunteered as coaches and managers.
The coaches will be in touch with their athletes about any additional training times and any other requirements in the lead up to nationals.
Under 15 girls: Caitlin Kelly, Grace Griffin, Olivia McCabe, Kate Russell, Lucy Griffin
Under 15 boys: Finn Edwards, Kayne Borrie, Hadley Sheehy, Jack McLeod, George Manson, Magnus Jamieson, Liam Ramsay, Frankie Thomson
Under 17 girls: Jaz MacLeod, Hayley Patterson, Lillie McIntyre, Pearl Harris-Blain, Alana Breen, Ciara Kelly, Jade Cameron, Ruby Bath
Under 17 boys: Liam Bergius, Conrad Clark, Marshall Erwood, Tom Kerr, Jess Willis, Ronan Shearing, Cody Harvey, Reuben Heslip, Hunter Thompson, Ben Mulholland
Masters women: Ruth Whelan, Leanne Dalley, Sonya Barton, Erin Criglington, Nicola Stevens, Nicole Avery
Masters men: Craig Sadlier, Neil Familton, Brad Harris, James Jubb, Brendan Akeroyd, Roger Nicholas, Brett Roulston, Kerry Russell, Colin Horton
Team Manager: Nichole Saunders
U15 Head Coach: Dave Beadle
U17 Head Coach: Gerald Paterson
Masters Coach/Manager: Eugene Bonthuys
Cycling Southland Skinsuits
Anyone interested in hiring a Southland skinsuit for AG Track Nationals need to contact Janine at the Cycling Southland Office as soon as possible, as there are limited numbers and sizes available.
Skinsuits can also be purchased from the three providers below.
Orders for Age Group Track Nationals close 22 January through Champion System, with delivery scheduled for 24 February.
Skinsuits can also be ordered through the Dawkins Performance Team Store on the Jakroo website through the link below.
http://shop.jakroo.com/storefront/Dawkins-Performance
Skinsuits can be ordered at any time through Ultimo, but their website lists a 14 day lead time, so take that into account when ordering and do not leave things until the last minute.
https://shop.ultimoclothing.co.nz/categories/speedsuits/cycling-southland
Wednesday Worlds is back!
For those needing to stretch their legs a bit midweek, Wednesday Worlds is back tomorrow! Meet at the usual place (Tisbury Hall) at the usual time (6:00pm for a 6:30pm start). 30km for A, B, and C grade, 15km for D and E grade. Please note that the race briefing is compulsory as there have been some changes that need to be communicated.
Race report – Coopers Corner Graded race, sponsored by Southland Commercial and Car Painters
A good group of 32 riders pinned on their numbers for the first road race of the season on Saturday 18 January. The Coopers Corner graded race, sponsored by Southland Commercial and Car Painters, took place in absolutely perfect conditions, with good racing across all grades. A, B, and C grade raced over 40km on an out and back course, with D grade doing 25km and E grade 15km.
It was a tough fight in A grade, with Fraser Hewett taking the win over Hamish Keast in second and Hunter Gough in third. B grade was a race of attrition, especially once the A grade group, which started three minutes behind them, swept past. Kerry Russell put in a valiant effort to hang with the A graders, especially significant after his hard racing in the previous evening’s ILT New Year Track Carnival, but in the end Reuben Heslip managed to hang on just a little bit longer to claim the B grade title, with Russell in second, and Brook Armishaw in third. C grade was the closest race out there, with the legend that is Ray Robinson showing that he is still a force to be reckoned with, taking the win over Grant Colbran and Peter Bruce Redpath. In D grade, Tom Kerr took the win over Frankie Thomson, with Finn Edwards in third, while E grade honours went to Lachie Kelly, with Poppy McIvor in second and George Thompson in third.
A big thank you to our race sponsor Southland Commercial and Car Painters, without whom we would not have been able to put on these races.
Road Race – Rimu Handicap by Southern Ultrasound Ltd
Road racing is back, and after a successful road race last weekend, this Saturday promises some really tough racing as riders take on the Rimu Handicap, sponsored by Southern Ultrasound Ltd. A, B, and C grade will compete over 40km out and back, D grade 25km, and E grade 15km. The start is at 1:30pm from Rimu School, with sign on from 1:00pm. Entries close at 12pm on Friday, and can be done by clicking on the following Webscorer link: https://www.webscorer.com/register?raceid=205849
Stonewood Homes Gore to Invercargill Classic – 7 February
Entries are open for the Stonewood Homes Gore to Invercargill Classic, the longest running club road race classic in New Zealand. It is a handicap race, so anyone stands a chance to add their names to a long and illustrious list of past winners. The main race takes place over 72km, with a shorter 27km race for U17, U15, and U13 riders.
https://www.webscorer.com/register?raceid=205864
Track training
With the stadium back to regular hours, track squads are back in action this week. Check https://www.cyclingsouth.org.nz/pages/track-schedule/ for confirmation of the times as we start our build up to Age Group National Track Championships from 5 to 8 March. Tuesday’s Endurance Squad will be on hiatus for the next couple of weeks but will restart shortly.
ILT New Year Track Carnival
Thank you to everyone who raced, helped out, or cheered during the ILT New Year Track Carnival on Friday night. Results are on the Cycling Southland website at https://www.cyclingsouth.org.nz/files/14473_20200120104018-1579470018.pdf and photos are up on our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/pg/cyclingsouthland/photos/?tab=album&album_id=10157135810512989
Licence Renewals for 2020
As we are now in 2020, your 2019 Cycling New Zealand licence is no longer valid, and you need to be licenced to be allowed to race. Licence renewals can be done online through the Cycling New Zealand website - https://www.cyclingnewzealand.nz/ - click join or login. If you have any problems the team at Cycling NZ will be able to assist you or contact Janine in the Cycling Southland office.
Call for volunteers – Age Group Track Nationals
We are hosting the Age Group Track National Championships in Invercargill from 5 to 8 March. Hosting an event of this magnitude requires a lot of help, so we are looking for volunteers who would be able to help out during the course of the event. If you would be willing and able, please email [email protected]
Returning Skinsuits
Could anyone who hired a skinsuit from Cycling Southland last year and has not returned it yet please get these back to the office (in a clean condition) as we expect quite a number of requests to come in as we get closer to track nationals.
After all that, if you are still reading, congratulations, you have made it to the end of this week’s newsletter!
Have fun on the road, track, trail, or wherever two wheels may take you this week.