The cycling stronghold of Te Awamutu will host the Cycling New Zealand elite road nationals this week for the third time.
It is the first occasion the club has staged the event since Gordon McCauley won his record fifth elite men’s title in 2009, while it will be the 14th time that the championships have been staged in the wider Waikato region.
The championship, supported by GJ Gardner Homes Waipa, begin on Thursday with time trials based from Roto-o-Rangi School near Cambridge.
There will be a new elite women’s champion with the winner for the past two years, Paris Olympian Kim Cadzow missing this year, and previously dominated by the retired Georgia Williams on four occasions from 2018.
There are only seven elite women competing, but they comprise four UCI World Tour Riders, headed by Ella Wyllie (Liv AlUla Jayco) and Henrietta Christie (EF Education-Oatly), who were second and third respectively last year.
Add to that list outstanding World Tour riders Mikayla Harvey (SD Worx Protime) and Paris Olympian Ally Wollaston (FDJ United-Suez), while her Paris teammate Bryony Botha leads the way for the local Te Awamutu club.
World Tour standout, Finn Fisher-Black (Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe) returns to defend his elite men’s time trial honours and is likely to get plenty of competition from Paris Olympian Tom Sexton (St George Continental), who was third last year. Others to watch include World Tour veteran George Bennett (NSN Cycling), kiwi high performance riders Ben Oliver, Keegan Hornblow, WorldTour’s Reuben Thompson (Groupama FDJ) and star triathlete Hayden Wilde.
Also integrated into the action will be international kiwi Para-cyclists in USA-based Rory Mead along with New Zealand international teammates including Emma Foy, world champion Devon Briggs, Siobhan Terry and Nicole Murray.
The action turns to the road on Saturday with the elite and under-23 women on Friday with elite and under-23 men on Saturday.
Wanaka’s Paul Wright will defend his elite men’s title against a super-strong group. Wright and 2021 winner Bennett are the only previous elite men;’ champions in the field, while there will be a new champion in under-23 where World Tour riders Lewis Bower and Reef Roberts, both from Groupama FDJ professional teams, will tackle a talented group headed by the Whoosh-NZ Cycling Project trio of Marshall Erwood, James Gardner and Joshua Grieve.
There will be plenty of local support for Cambridge professional Ally Wollaston, with the FDJ United Suez rider enjoying two stage wins in the Tour Downunder and repeat win in the World Tour Great Ocean Race across the Tasman over the past few weeks.
It is a title Wollaston craves but she is under no illusions about the difficulties.
“It is the most unpredictable race of the whole season with the lack of teams. It is interesting racing as individuals which is a different dynamic to what we are used racing in the peloton on the World Tour,” said Wollaston.
“I think everyone has a chance because you cannot control things riding on your own. You must be pretty smart and savvy to win a national championship and have a bit of luck on your side as well.
“It is a tough circuit. The finishing climb is steep but short. I’m looking forward to racing on the course. I think it leaves options open for all sorts of riders.
“But I would love nothing more than to take the national jersey back with me. It is one of the most beautiful jerseys in the World Tour peloton and I would love nothing more than to wear it back in Europe.”
Certainly the field will be wanting to stretch things out and not leave the star sprinter to turn up the gas in a bunch finish, with plenty of aptitude and experience in the peloton.
Time Trials begin from 10.30am on Thursday, with road racing from 8am on Friday including elite and U23 women from 1pm over 122kms (13 laps) on Friday with elite and U23 men over 188km (20 laps) from 9.30am on Saturday.
