Two former under-23 champions, Kim Cadzow and Logan Currie, stepped up to claim the elite time trial honours on the opening day of the Elite Road National Championships in Timaru today.
The 23-year-olds kept some petrol in the tank for the tough climb at the finish to snare their respective elite titles, with both taking the national jersey back to their new professional teams.
Cadzow, from Wanaka, moves to WorldTour team EF Education while Currie joins the powerful Belgium-based team of Lotto-Dstny.
Renowned for both her climbing and time trial abilities, Cadzow was the strongest over the 24km test today, winning in 34:17, to be just over two minutes clear of UAE Team ADQ professional Mikayla Harvey with Hamilton’s Kate McCarthy a further 1min18s behind in third.
“I was pretty happy with the ride today. I had a good plan with my coach to go really hard on the way out but keen something in the tank for that brutal finish,” said Cadzow. “I was happy with the way it was executed and it was a good day.
“The key was sticking to the strategy and keeping it calm. The climb is brutal with a three minute all-out effort. It is a wall you hit on the bike so you must push as hard as you can up it.”
Cadzow lines up for the road race tomorrow, and then heads to Europe next week to join her new team, ahead of her first race, a six-day tour starting on March 1.
Currie, brought up on the roads around the region, used that knowledge to good effect.
The two-time national under-23 time trial champion, and last year’s road race winner, used his knowledge to good effort to win the 37km test in 48:10, to be 15 seconds clear of 2021 time trial winner Aaron Gate with a further minute back to WorldTour rider Laurence Pithie (Christchurch), who was strong on the outward journey.
However Currie was at home on roads he knows well.
“I did a lot of training on the course. I’ve been down here four times to test the bike,” said Currie.
“It was awesome. I was stoked to perform down these home roads that are well known to me.
“It was good to put in a solid ride that I am happy with and managed to snag the national jersey with it, so I am absolutely stoked.”
After Saturday’s road race Currie will head to Europe before flying out to Rwanda for his first race with the new team, before returning for the European season.
The 21-year-old Counties Manukau rider, Elle Wyllie, who has been in sparking form for the Liv AlUla Jayco WorldTour team in Australia, dominated the women’s under-23 test, winning in 35:35 for the 24km, second fastest overall behind elite winner Cadzow.
Wyllie claimed the under-23 title by over two minutes from local Timaru rider Charlotte Clark, from the Black Magic team.
Fellow Black Magic rider Kirsty Watts took out the under-19 honours from Canterbury’s Sophie Maxwell.
Well-performed Canterbury rider Guy Yarrell, competing for the Oxford Edge team, won the men’s under-23 title in 50:58, just seven seconds ahead of Hamilton’s Lucas Murphy, with the under-19 title won by Oamaru’s Reef Roberts.
Results, Time Trial:
Female Elite (24km): Kim Cadzow (Wanaka, EF Education) 34:17, 1; Mikayla Harvey (Wanaka, UAE Team ADQ) 36:19, 2; Kate McCarthy (Hamilton) 37:37, 3.
Under-23 (24km): Ella Wyllie (Counties Manukau, Liv AlUla Jayco) 35:35, 1; Charlotte Clarke (Timaru, Black Magic) 37:54, 2; Maia Barclay (Auckland, Black Magic) 39:37, 3.
Under-19 (15km): Kirsty Watts (Christchurch, Black Magic) 23:37, 1; Sophie Maxwell (Canterbury Track) 25:22, 2; Ava Maddison (Auckland, Black Magic) 25:23, 3.
Male Elite (37km): Logan Currie (Ashburton, Lotto Dstny) 48:10, 1; Aaron Gate (Cambridge, Burgos-BH) 48:25, 2; Laurence Pithie (Christchurch, Groupama FDJ) 49:13, 3.
Under 23 (37km): Guy Yarrell (Christchurch, Oxford Edge) 50:58, 1; Lucas Murphy (Hamilton, Quality Foods) 51:05, 2; Lewis Bower (Auckland, Equipe Groupama FDJ) 52:10, 3.
Under-19 (24kms): Reef Roberts (Oamaru) 32:50, 1; Callum McGrail (Christchurch) 32:53, 2; Noah Hollamby (Timaru, Oxford Edge) 33:28, 3.
Caption: Elite Time Trial winners Kim Cadzow and Logan Currie in action on day one of the Cycling New Zealand Elite Road Nationals in Timaru. Credit: David Collins.
Full results: http://eliteroadnationals.nz/