A 29-strong squad, largely comprising World Tour riders and European-based professionals, has been selected by Cycling New Zealand to contest road races at the UCI World Championships in Glasgow.
This forms the central part of the UCI’s historic venture to host the world championships for 13 cycling disciplines over 11 days, incorporating road and track for able-bodied and Para-cyclists, mountain bike downhill, marathon, and cross-country, BMX racing, freestyle and flatland, trials, indoor and a Gran Fondo.
The men’s road team is headed by World Tour riders George Bennett, Patrick Bevin, Laurence Pithie and Corbin Strong along with UCI Pro team riders James Oram and Ryan Christensen from Bolton Equities Black Spoke.
Nelson’s Finn Fisher-Black (UAE Team Emirates) and Oceania champion Tom Sexton (Black Spoke) will race the individual time trial.
There is an exciting young team to contest the elite and under-23 combined women’s race. The six riders, with an average age of 22 years, are led by current under-23 road world champion Niamh Fisher-Black (SD Worx). She is joined by fellow WorldTour riders Kim Cadzow (Jumbo-Visma) and Mikayla Harvey (UAE Team ADQ). The team includes UCI Continental team riders Ella Haris and Ella Wyllie (Lifeplus Wahoo) and Ally Wollaston (AG Insurance-Soudal Quick-Step), who doubles up in the track competition earlier in the week.
There is plenty of experience and talent for a power-designed time trial leaded by Commonwealth Games medallist Georgia Williams (EF Education-TIBCO-SVB), the exciting Wyllie who was sixth in the under-23 time trial last year, and Oceania champion Georgia Perry.
Black Spoke’s Logan Currie heads the under-23 team, after finishing fourth in the time trial at Wollongong last year, joined by Jack Drage (Christchurch), Lewis Bower (Auckland), both based in professional teams in Europe.
There are full squads in both junior line-ups with some exciting young talent including a trio from the Black Magic Women’s Team who have been competing in Europe.
The road cycling team will contest time trials from 9 to 11 August in the medieval town of Stirling, 43kms from Glasgow, which was the historic site of the famous battle in the 13th century when William Wallace defeated the English.
The road courses all conclude with a 14km city circuit like the course used for the 2014 Commonwealth Games, when Jack Bauer won the silver medal.
The junior women and men will race solely on the Glasgow circuit over five laps and nine laps respectively on 5 August with the elite men’s race the following day over 271km starting in Edinburgh with 10 laps once they reach Glasgow including the major climb at Crows Head.
The men’s under-23 road race on 12 August is over 168km from Loch Lomond with seven laps of the Glasgow circuit, with the elite and under-23 women on 13 August over the same route with six loops of the city course.
The teams are:
Elite Men (Road): George Bennett (UAE Team Emirates, Nelson), Patrick Bevin (Team DMS, Taupo), Ryan Christensen (Bolton Equities Black Spoke, Hamilton), James Oram (Bolton Equities Black Spoke, Auckland) Laurence Pithie (Groupama-FDJ, Christchurch), Corbin Strong (Israel Premier-Tech, Invercargill).
Time Trial: Finn Fisher-Black (Groupama-FDJ, Nelson), Tom Sexton (Bolton Equities Black Spoke, Invercargill).
Elite & U23 Women (Road): Kim Cadzow (Jumbo-Visma, Wanaka), Niamh Fisher-Black (Team SD Worx, Nelson), Ella Harris (Wahoo-LifePlus, Dunedin), Mikayla Harvey (UAE-Team Emirates, Wanaka), Ally Wollaston (AG Insurance-Soudal Quick-Step, Cambridge), Ella Wyllie (Wahoo-Lifeplus, Auckland).
Time Trial: Georgia Perry (Waikato), Georgia Williams (EF Education-TIBCO-SVB, Auckland), Wyllie.
U23 Men (Road): Lewis Bower (Equipe Groupama-FDJ, Auckland), Logan Currie (Bolton Equities Black Spoke, Ashburton), Jack Drage (Hagens Berman Axeon, Christchurch).
Time Trial: Currie
Junior Men (Road): Carter Guichard (AG2R Citroen, Wanaka), Eli Tregidga (Gepla-Watersley, Queenstown), Finn Wilson (Auckland).
Time Trial: Noah Hollamby (Oxford Edge, Timaru), Elliot Robertson (New Zealand Cycling Project, Wellington)
Junior Women (Road): Maia Barclay (Black Magic Women’s Cycling, Auckland), Bonnie Rattray (Black Magic Women’s Cycling, Auckland), Georgia Simpson (Feilding), Ruby Spring (Black Magic Women’s Cycling, Auckland).
Time Trial: Maia Barclay, Muireann Green (Black Magic Women’s Cycling, Wanaka).