UCI World Road Cycling Championships – NZ Wrap Day 5

The challenging climbs on the road course, rated one of the most demanding ever, put paid to Kiwi chances on the first day of road races at the UCI World Road Cycling Championships in Italy today.
National champion James Oram held on until the final of seven gruelling laps before he succumbed to the hilly course, finishing in 52nd place in the men’s under-23 battle in Tuscany.

The 173km race, comprising seven circuits with nearly one-third spent on the climbs, had earlier taken the toll of fellow New Zealander riders Dion Smith and Alex Frame.

Earlier teenagers Devon Hiley and Madison Campbell faced the same fate as the gruelling hills proved too much in the junior women’s race.

Oram, who is racing with the Bontrager development team based in USA this year, had sat in the bunch as the big peloton rode down an early break that had pushed to a 3min 30sec advantage.

Slovenia rider Matej Mohoric, last year’s junior world champion, caught the sole leader and pushed clear, using fortitude uphill and daring on the descent to hold a slim margin throughout the final lap to win in 4:20.18. He finished three seconds clear of South Africa’s Louis Meintjes with the select group in the peloton a further 10 seconds back.

Oram remained in the peloton until the final climb when the bunch split asunder under the pressure to catch the solo leader, eventually finishing four minutes behind the winner, with Smith a further 11 minutes back after Frame had dropped out early.

“I really enjoyed the long climb, it was quite comfortable. But it is that steep kicker that took it out of me and a lot of other guys,” said Oram.

“It meant when you come over the top you still struggled to find a wheel. That short steep hill was the one that got me with two laps to go. I chased and made it back on before the last long climb but I was cooked.

“I was feeling good to attack before the long climb but that steep one was a bit too powerful for me.”

Earlier Hiley and Campbell had a tough introduction to a brutal world championship course, with both failing to finish the junior women’s race.

"The pace was on right from the start, “said Aucklander Hiley. “The long climb was okay but the short step climb was so hard and I wondered if I could make it up for last lap. It was a wall.

“I have focused on the time trial so that short climb was tough. I am really disappointed to be pulled with one lap to go but I really hurt the legs today so have to be happy with the effort.”

The day also proved a hill too hard to climb for Pat McQuaid who lost the controversial race for the presidency of the UCI to Britain’s cycling leader Brian Cookson 24 votes to 18.

Tomorrow’s racing focuses on the elite women’s road race which is 140kms with an initial 57kms mostly flat from the spa town of Montecatini Terme with five laps of the Fiesole circuit in Florence.

Time trial silver medallist Linda Villumsen leads a talented BikeNZ team comprising his young Wiggle Honda teammate Emily Collins, London Olympian Jo Kiesanowski and talented Otago rider Reta Trotman.
The championships conclude with the elite men’s race on Monday (NZ time).

Results, junior women road race, 83km: Amalie Dideriksen (DEN) 22.23, 1; Anastasiia Iakovenko (RUS) same time, 2; Olena Demydova (UKR) at 3 secs, 3. Also NZers: Madison Campbell, Devon Hiley dnf.
Under-23 men, 173km: Matej Mohoric (SLO) 4:20.18, 1; Louis Meintjes (RSA) at 3 sec, 2; Sondre Enger (NOR) at 13 sec, 3. Also NZers: James Oram at 4m14s, 52; Dion Smith at 15m24s, 77; Alex Frame dnf.