New Zealand cyclists picked up 14 medals and a third of the titles on offer at the Oceania Road Championships held in Tasmania from 15-17 March.
Rising road and track talent Finn Fisher-Black (Nelson) set the standard for the New Zealanders, topping an all-Kiwi podium in the junior men’s time trial on Friday before backing up with gold in the road race the following day. Other Kiwis to take away titles were Sharlotte Lucas, who successfully defended her elite women’s road race crown, and Auckland’s Ella Wyllie, who won a three way dash for the line in Sunday’s junior women’s road race.
Fisher-Black, fresh off setting the junior men’s individual pursuit world record on the track in early February, switched his attention back to the road to contest the Oceania Championships. He snared time trial gold in a time of 34:01.41, 28 seconds ahead of his nearest rival Canterbury’s Laurence Pithie, with Cambridge’s Xander White a further 10 seconds back.
In the road race, Fisher-Black again proved too strong for the field, pulling away on the final lap and putting his time trialling strength to maximum effect.
After a five man New Zealand breakaway pushed the pace for the middle portion of the race, it was Taupo’s Kiaan Watts who made the solo move before being caught with 20 kilometres to go, setting off a flurry of attacks. A four rider move including Fisher-Black, Dylan Hopkins (Australia), Sebastian Barrett (Australia) and Josh Lane (New Zealand) emerged with 15 kilometres to go and proved to be the decisive move of the day. Initially working well together, the quartet built a near 30 second advantage before Fisher-Black attacked as he approached the five kilometres to go mark. Once in time trial mode, he was unstoppable, finishing 24 seconds clear of Barrett who won the sprint for second ahead of Lane.
The elite women’s road race was a tactical and cautious affair over the opening three laps before a group of nine riders, including defending champion Sharlotte Lucas, emerged to contest the title. Lucas and Australian road race champion Sarah Gigante were joined by four Australian and three New Zealand riders, with the group trading attacks on the final lap. Sensing the opportunity to snare the title, every move was quickly chased down leaving the group together as they hit the final kilometre.
With the finish line in sight, Gigante was the first to jump but the uphill drag for the line proved too much for the young Australian with Lucas pipping her for the sprint finish.
“To come out today and back up from last year has been awesome,” said Lucas.
"I had a couple of goes to get away, but we were reeled back in and I knew obviously on that last lap what I needed to do to win that sprint finish. It is quite a technical one coming around that corner, so I was happy to take out the win.”
In the junior women’s road race, Barfoot & Thompson Auckland Performance Hub rider Ella Wyllie stormed clear in the final corner to sprint away to the title ahead of compatriot Hannah Bartram and Australian Neve Bradbury (Australia).
After a group of 10 riders set the pace early during lap one of the three lap 79 kilometre race, it was eventually six riders Francesca Sewell (Australia), Catelyn Turner (Australia), Henrietta Christie (New Zealand), Bradbury, Bartram and Wyllie who traded attacks as the final lap drew to a close. A late move by Wyllie in the final kilometre saw her hit the final corner ahead of the group, giving her the advantage she needed to seal the title.
In the elite men’s category, former New Zealand road race champion Jason Christie picked up two silver medals from two races, while his wife Georgia, the current New Zealand road race champion, also picked up two medals for her weekend’s effort in the under 23 women’s category.
Other New Zealand medals went to the aforementioned Pithie, White and Lane in the junior men’s racing, Bartram and Henrietta Christie in the junior women’s racing, and Kirsty McCallum in the elite women’s road race.
CAPTION: Finn Fisher-Black on his way to gold in the junior men’s time trial at the Oceania Road Championships in Tasmania. (Photo credit: Caitlin Johnston).
Full results: https://timedresult.com/road-cycling/
Details: http://oceaniacycling.org/