Top field announced for New Zealand Premier Cycle Race
Monday 20 January 2014, 1:03PM
By Jorge Sandoval, New Zealand Cycle Classic
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Manawatu sports fans will be treated to top-level cycling when the New Zealand Community Trust Cycle Classic Tour of Manawatu is held in the region next week for the third year running. The international tour has once again cemented its position as New Zealand’s premier stage race as the twenty seven edition has attracted the strongest-ever field contesting the UCI 2.2-rated event.
Race Director Jorge Sandoval says the standard of the field is well beyond all of his expectations. He says he's had to turn down several overseas teams because he simply didn’t have the budget to fit them in the race.
Top national and professional riders from England, Singapore, Azerbaijan, Australia, the Netherlands, Ireland, Hong Kong and some of the best of New Zealand make up the field for the year’s biggest cycle tour in New Zealand. A field of 105 riders, a total of ten overseas teams plus ten New Zealand teams are taking part in New Zealand’s and Oceania’s only UCI 2.2 international cycle tour.
“I have been running international bike races for a long time, and we’ve had some fantastic fields over the previous 26 years with riders coming from Europe, America, Asia and Australia, but I believe the 2014 field to be the best ever,” Sandoval said. “Having ten overseas teams with riders from eight different countries plus several of the best from New Zealand is the best I can aim for.”
“The classic is recognised overseas as the road tour with the highest international standing in this country, and I expect it will be reflected in the quality of the New Zealand and overseas riders taking part in this year’s tour”.
“Each year the classic unearths new talent, and a number of those riders have gone on to win stages in the Tour de France, the Tour of Italy and world championships. We are also grateful for the continuous support from NZCT to the event and the sport of cycling. The NZCT support enables young up and coming New Zealand cyclists to get the experience of competing against top rider’s right here in our own country.” said Race Director Jorge Sandoval.
This month’s event is set for an epic finish, stage five on the last day of racing will be crucial to decide the overall winner. The stage will take the field from Palmerston North to the Wairarapa region via the Pahiatua hill and from there to the finish at the top of Saddle road.
To have the Pahiatua/Saddle Road stage is a coup for race director Jorge Sandoval. Both hills used to be one of the features of the old Tour of Manawatu years ago. Sandoval has been able to make it happen again thanks to the co-operation of Transit New Zealand and the Palmerston North City Council, and it will require the Saddle Road being closed to all traffic on February 2 from 9.30am to 11.00am.
“The final stage is basically new territory for an international bike race. We are going to places where no bike race has ever been before, even I got lost working on the race route a couple of times trying to find my way to the hill. Riders will climb the Pahiatua track before they complete a 130km circuit in the Wairarapa before heading for the tough climb to the top of Saddle Road by the Meridian wind farm.”
“Stage five will be a classic stage, finishing the tour with a top of the mountain finish will keep participants and cycling fans waiting to the last few kilometres of the event to find the 2014 winner” Sandoval said.
Sandoval’s tour made its reputation on the quality of its hill climbs over the last 27 years, and with the Pahiatua and Saddle road hills on stage five will make the last three days of the tour particularly arduous. Previously to the final stage, riders will complete stages to Apiti and also a tough circuit in the Ashhurst area.
“Cycling is gaining momentum in New Zealand, and we (tour directors) must design stages that are going to test the riders, and attract public interest. Tour racing is a test of strength, stamina, and endurance, and I’m really happy I’ve been able to lift the demands on the riders a further notch or two by including two tough hills on the final day” Sandoval said.
With so many accomplished overseas riders in the field it is hard to predict a winner. It will come down to the final stage where the hill climbers should come out and show their class. Wind has proven difficult to riders over the last couple of years and in the first two – three days anything can happen. The large field will also play a part as riders will struggle for positions in the bunch during stages.
The NZCT Cycle Classic with all the colour, drama and excitement of world class cycling, will provide a unique showcase for the whole region when it is screened on TV both nationally and internationally.
The NZCT Cycle Classic will also celebrate its 27th anniversary in 2014. The event is on from
29 January to 2 February 2014.
Start list – NZCT Cycle Classic 2014
NZCT New Zealand National Team
Team Manager: Fred Christensen
1 Fraser Gough New Zealand
2 James Oram New Zealand
3 Tom Scully New Zealand
4 Hayden McCormick New Zealand
5 Sam Friend New Zealand
Team Rapha Condor JLT England
Team Manager: John Herety
6 Graham Briggs England
7 Elliot Porter England
8 Edward Laverack England
9 Luke Grivell-Mellor England
10 Will Stephenson England
Synergy Baku Cycling Project Azerbaijan
Team Manager: Jeremy Hunt
11 William Walker Australia
12 Patrick Lane Australia
13 Daniel Klemme Germany
14 Christoph Schweizer Germany
15 Michael Schweizer Germany
OCBC Singapore Pro Cycling Team Singapore
Team Manager: Peter Shandon
16 Thomas Rabou Netherlands
17 Rico Rogers Australia
18 Eric Sheppard Australia
19 Cameron Bayly Australia
20 Yin Hon Yeung Hong Kong
Team Budgetforklifts Australia
Team Manager: Cameron Watt
21 Michael Vink New Zealand
22 Samuel Horgan New Zealand
23 Westley Gough New Zealand
24 Daniel Barry New Zealand
25 Brodie Talbot Australia
Satalyst Giant Racing Team Australia
Team Manager: Wayne Evans
26 Pat Shaw Australia
27 Kane Walker Australia
28 Theo Yates Australia
29 Michael Fitzgerald Australia
30 Alex McGregor Australia
Avanti Cycling Team Australia
Team Manager: Andrew Christie-Johnston
31 Benjamin Dyball Australia
32 Taylor Gunman New Zealand
33 Brenton Jones Australia
34 Aaron Donnelly Australia
35 Sam Davies Australia
Drapac Professional Cycling Australia
Team Manager: Agostino Giramondo
36 Adam Phelan Australia
37 Robbie Hucker Australia
38 Floris Goesinnen The Netherlands
39 Malcolm Rudolph Australia
40 Jai Crawford Australia
Team Subaru Albion Australia
Manager: Colin Iremonger
41 Dillion Bennett New Zealand
42 Josh Aldridge New Zealand
43 Darcy Ellen-Norton New Zealand
44 Anthony Murray Ireland
45 Keegan Aitchison Australia
Data#3 Symantec Racing Team Australia
Manager: Terence Bonner
46 Jacob Kauffmann Australia
47 David Melville Australia
48 Michael Cupitt Australia
49 Correy Edmed Australia
50 Kyle Bridgwood Australia
GPM Australia
Team Manager: Trent Wilson
51 Chris Jory Australia
52 Caleb Jones Australia
53 Daniel Bonello Australia
54 Jesse Ewart Australia
55 Edward White Australia
Signmakers Cycling Team
Manager: TBC
56 Matthew Payne Australia
57 Tim Cameron Australia
58 Saxon Irvine Australia
59 Logan Griffin New Zealand
60 Vaughn Pretorius New Zealand
MCS Mobile Communications Team
Manager: TBC
61 Dan Molyneux New Zealand
62 Niklas Ansorge New Zealand
63 Callum Gordon New Zealand
64 Alex Heaney New Zealand
65 Corby Price New Zealand
Total-Pos- SBA Accountants Team
Team Manager: Stuart Lowe
66 Reon Nolan New Zealand
67 Richard Lawson New Zealand
68 Scott Thomas New Zealand
69 Daniel Whitehouse New Zealand
70 Nick Ross New Zealand
Hydr8 ZERO Cycling Team
Team Manager: Rod Alexander
71 Stuart Holder New Zealand
72 Yuri Cowan New Zealand
73 Toby Atkins New Zealand
74 Chad Gordon Elliston New Zealand
75 Karl Postlewaight New Zealand
Armstrong Cycling Team
Manager: Tim Stephens
76 Scott Ambrose New Zealand
77 Paul Odlin New Zealand
78 Roman van Uden New Zealand
79 Tim Rush New Zealand
80 Ryan Wills New Zealand
Rocket Switch Cycling Team
Team Manager: TBC
81 Lee Evans New Zealand
82 Rhys Tait New Zealand
83 Jason Thomason New Zealand
84 Scott Mullaly New Zealand
85 Sam Phipps New Zealand
Corratec Bikes Cycling Team
Team Manager: Andrew Armstrong
86 Josh Page New Zealand
87 Ben Earnshaw New Zealand
88 Sam Lindsay New Zealand
89 Hamish Schreus New Zealand
90 Sean Joyce New Zealand
Team Meridian
Team Manager: Ruth Jarman
91 Grayson Napier New Zealand
92 Ben Wortelboer New Zealand
93 Mikey McCallum New Zealand
94 Roger Grierson New Zealand
95 James Mahuta-Coyle New Zealand
Capital Cycles Team
Manager: Ross Clark
96 Paddy Daly New Zealand
97 Boris Clark New Zealand
98 Matthew Markby New Zealand
99 Jonathan Hazelton New Zealand
100 Pete Smits New Zealand