Top cyclists ready to rumble - start list
Thursday 21 January 2010, 11:53AM
By Trust House Cycle Classic
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New Zealand riders will be pressing hard to break Australia’s recent dominance in next week’s Trust House Cycle Classic in the Wairarapa and Wellington.
Australians Travis Meyer and Peter McDonald have won the last two tours, and with seven strong professional teams entered from across the Tasman riders from that country will have a powerful presence. Within the New Zealand squads though there a number of riders with the credentials to be potential winners, none more so that new national road champion Jack Bauer of Nelson. His victory in Christchurch earlier this month on a demanding circuit could hardly have been more impressive when pitted against Tour de France riders, and former winners of the Trust House classic, Hayden Roulston and Julian Dean. However, for Bauer to be successful will require the support of his Trust House team-mates, three of them Australian and the other from Belgium, and for him to be able to climb as well as the better Australians with the tour likely to be decided on the hills. This will be Bauer’s first appearance in the event after finishing second in the Tour of Southland in November.
Other New Zealanders who will command respect include last year’s Tour of Southland winner, Heath Blackgrove, whose Team Solway colleagues are a former world junior road champion Jeremy Yates, and Olympic Games team pursuit bronze medallist in Beijing, Wesley Gough, plus the well-performed Logan Hutchings and Scott Lyttle. Team Bici Vida has national under-23 road champion Tom Findlay, who was in the four-man winning break of the senior event, alongside Bauer, Roulston and Dean, and Subway Avanti’s squad is headed by the wily Gordon McCauley, a multi-national champion on the road, and brilliant teenager Michael Vink, who caught the eye in staying away, largely on his own, for most of the 186km of the senior national race in Christchurch. Outstanding track rider Peter Latham is in the Benchmark Homes squad, and another who could feature is George Bennet (Cardno).
Last year’s winner, McDonald (Drapac Porsche), Jai Crawford (Fly V Australia), and Joel Pearson (Genesys Wealth Advisers), are three Australians among the 35 entered in a field of 110 from seven countries who might be of most bother to the New Zealanders. McDonald’s preparation is being completed by this week competing in the opening event on the Pro Tour circuit, the Tour Down Under in Australia, where his opposition included a seven-time winner of the Tour de France, Lance Armstrong. Crawford is a hill-climb specialist, ideally suited for this tour. He won the stage up Admiral Hill last year, but his chances of being overall tour victor were hampered in the stage one time trial when he lost valuable time after suffering mechanical failure. Pearson is an accomplished all-rounder, whose results include winning the Melbourne to Warrnambool classic last year.
Tour director Jorge Sandoval is delighted with the quality of the field with so many of the best riders from New Zealand and Australia involved.
“For the first time in the 23 years of the tour we have seven overseas pro teams, in addition to the 15 from within New Zealand” he said. “The tour is gathering increased recognition on the UCI calendar, and I’m keen for that to be further enhanced. This year’s event is a tough one with so much emphasis on the hill climbs, starting with the return of the stage from Upper Hutt to Masterton, which will promote excellent racing, and ideal opportunities for the spectators to observe the riders up close.”
On the tour’s first day, January 27, the Rimutaka road will be closed to all traffic from 9.30am to 11am, and it is the eighth time the class 2.2 UCI event has had major support from the Trust House Charitable Trust. After most of the first four days of the tour are in the Wairarapa, the final stage, a criterium, will be on a circuit on lower Lambton Quay, Wellington, on the afternoon of January 31.
START LIST TRUST HOUSE CYCLE CLASSIC 2010
All NZ unless stated
DRAPAC PORSCHE - AUSTRALIA
Team Manager; Agostino Giramondo
1 McDonald Peter
2 Lachlan Norris
3 Michael Phelan
4 Joseph Lewis
5 Tom Palmer
CARDNO TEAM
Team Manager: John Lee
6 Clinton Avery
7 Aaron Strong
8 Michael Torckler
9 George Bennet
10 Wade Mangham
FLY V AUSTRALIA
Team Manager: Henk Vogels
11 Jay Thompson - South Africa
12 Allessandro Bazzanna - Italy
13 Charles Dionne - Canada
14 Jai Crawford - Australia
15 Phil Zajicek - USA
TEAM McDONAGH BLAKE-WITNESS - AUSTRALIA
Team Manager; Trent Wilson
16 Dale Scarfe
17 Geoff Straub
18 Brendan Jones
19 Adam Phelan
20 Alistair Louttit
TRUST HOUSE TEAM
Team Manager: Graeme Stone
21 Jack Bauer
22 Jeroen van Schelven – Belgium
23 Daniel Furmston – Australia
24 Benjamin Fleming – Australia
25 Josh Chugg - Australia
SHORTIS CYCLE– AUSTRALIA
Manager: Brett Blundell
26 Brendan Brooks
27 Chris Jory
28 Mathew Werrell
29 Mark Frendo
30 Matthew Marshall
APOLLO CYCLES – AUSTRALIA
Team Manager: Murray Fenwick
31 Peter Braunstiens
32 James Henry
33 Trent Williams
34 John Grove
35 Chris Deamelio
GENESYS WEALTH ADVISERS – AUSTRALIA
Manager; Andrew Christie-Johnston
36 Joel Pearson
37 Clarke William
38 Nathan Haas
39 Nathan Earle
40 Dylan Newell
JAYCO SKINS Team - Australia
Team Manager; Brian Stephens
Soigneur; Greg Nunn,
Mechanic; Tony Kemp
41 Michael Matthews
42 Nick Aitken
43 Aaron Donnelly
44 Patrick Lane
45 Malcolm Rudolph
TEAM BP
Team Manager: Tristan Thomas
46 Chris Kendall
47 Andrew Hagan
48 Mike Naylor
49 Daniel Coombes
50 Jonathan Dunne
TEAM BICI VIDA
Team Manager; Carl Williams
51 Roman Van Uden (U23)
52 Mike Northey (U23)
53 Tom Findlay (U23)
54 Alex Ray (U23)
55 Taylor Gunman (U23)
BENCHMARK HOMES TEAM
Team Manager: Tony Laplanche
56 Hextall Leon
57 Daniel Barry
58 McCoy James
59 Peter Latham
60 Alexander Smyth -Australia
TEAM SOLWAY
Team Manager; Steve Lyttle
61 Jeremy Yates
62 Heat Blackgrove
63 Logan Hutchings
64 Scott Lyttle
65 Wesley Gough
MERCEDES BENZ
Team Manager: Denise Brown
66 Luke McCarthy
67 Josh Brown
68 Tobias Larsson - Sweden
69 Peter Aquilina - Australia
70 Matt Shallcrass
TAIT COMMUNICATIONS TEAM
Team Manager:
71 Brett Slater
72 Gregory Marfell
73 Matt Robinson
74 Richard Rollinson
75 Patrick Williamson
PENNY’S CYCLING TEAM
Team Manager:
76 Giuseppe Cirella - Italy
77 Kevin Strongman
78 Jeremy Stephens
79 Craig Hoskin
80 Ben Powell
LITESPEED TEAM
Team Manager: Ken Bewley
81 Fred Ouellec-lacroix – Canada
82 Ruaraid Mcleod
83 Oliver Harding-Sheath
84 Jullian Fillion – Canada
85 Michael Poole
SANZ TEAM
Team Manager:
86 Saul Webb
87 Trent Williams - Australia
88 Sam King Turner
89 Winston Briggs
90 Logan Edgar
BLACK PELOTON / PLACEMAKERS
Team Manager: Andrew Barlow
91 Scott Mullally
92 Fraser Bermingham
93 Sean Joyce
94 Matt Sillars
95 John Cornish - Australia
HANDY RENTALS
Team Manager: John Enton
Gayle West
96 Mike Henton
97 Louis Crosby
98 Sam Horn
99 Sam Lindsay
100 Brad Tilby
Subway Avanti Pro Team
Team Manager: Greg Hume
101 Gordon McCauley
102 James Williamson
103 Ryan Wills
104 Eric Drower
105 Michael Vink
R+R Team
Team manager: Stephen Elden
106 Langlands Mark
107Rodger Shem
108 Finucane Simon
109 Carter Brad
110 Christie Jason