RaboDirect New Zealand Club Road Cycling Championships – Day 4 Wrap

Counties Manukau rider Matt Sillars took out a frantic sprint to claim the elite men’s title at the RaboDirect Club Road National Championship in Wanganui yesterday.

Sillars, who rides for the Taiwan-based UCI Pro Continental Asia team Giant-Kenda, show the benefit of that experience with a well timed sprint at the end of the 154-km race today.

“I knew it would end in a small group. I sprint alright, but would have liked to have less than six riders in the final sprint,” said Sillars.

It proved an aggressive race with the lead changing many times. The peloton fractured into two groups with several riders shed over a challenging final 20kms until there was only six left to contest the sprint.

Sillars proved strongest in the sprint finish from Wellington’s Andrew Hagan (Port Nicholson Poneke) and Subway Pro Cycling rider Nick Lovegrove (Counties Manukau) with all three riders given the same time.

A break went from the gun to establish a two minute lead, eventually whittled down to two riders, Matt Wheatcroft (Counties Manukau) and Michael Naylor (Port Nicholson Poneke).

Under-23 rider Darcy Ellerm-Norton (Pegasus) and James Early (Papanui) bridged up to the leaders but were finally hauled in.

Another break went at the 100km mark which eventually grew to seven riders including Early, Hagan and Morrinsville’s Eliott Crowther who attacked on the climb to gain a 20 second lead while his breakaway companions were swallowed by the diminished peloton.

This group, including Sillars, Hagan and Lovegrove, reeled in Crowther to set up the final sprint.

Wheatcroft, who had been prominent throughout, ploughed home to take the under 23 honours from Ellerm-Norton, with the riders incorporated into the elite race.

Counties Manukau Cycling Club won the New Zealand ACA Road Cycling National  Points Shield.

Results, elite men: Matthew Sillars (Counties Manukau) 4:07:58, 1; Andrew Hagan (Port Nicholson Poneke) same time, 2; Nick Lovegrove (Counties Manukau) same time, 3; Eliot Crowther (Morrinsville Wheelers) at 2 seconds, 4; Paul Odlin (Pegasus) same time 5.

Under 23: Matt Wheatcroft (Counties Manukau) 4:11:42, 1; Darcy Ellerm-Norton (Pegasus) at 28 seconds, 2; Dillon Bennett (Southland) at 2:42, 3.

Full results available here: http://www.bikenz.org.nz/Article.aspx?ID=5451