infonews.co.nz
INDEX
CYCLING

Jones makes age group cycling championships a family affair

Friday 4 March 2011, 7:45AM

By Cycling New Zealand

235 views

INVERCARGILL

Local rider Bruce Jones had to share his success with plenty of mates on the third night of finals at the RaboDirect Age Group Track Championships in Invercargill.

The 55 year old Southlander won the men’s 55 years plus individual pursuit national title in record time at the ILT Velodrome.

Jones had the loan of some racing handle bars and another friend had to provide him with a helmet. And he also raced with borrowed wheels.

“It’s fantastic to win. My ride was put together by a whole group of people helping out.”

Jones said the real secret was enticing his nephew and BikeNZ head track coach Tim Carswell to call his splits during the record setting rides.

BikeNZ National Track Coach Tim Carswell is Jones’ nephew and was on hand to call out splits for Jones during his record setting rides.

He lowered his own record in the morning qualifying and then beat that by by more than three seconds in the final.

“You absolutely want to win. It’s a feel good thing. But the record is a real bonus. It’s a family affair.”

The master’s records are hotly contested with this individual pursuit mark broken three times and equalled once in the last month. 

Former Aucklander Stephanie McKenzie, now based in Southland, was too fast for rival Paige Paterson (Auckland) in the under 19 women’s 500 metre time trial. In the scrap for the last of the sprint discipline titles, McKenzie flew home to record a new national record of 35.956 seconds. McKenzie had already secured the sprint title from Paterson on Tuesday, with Paterson retaliating with the keirin title last night.

Sophie Williamson was the fastest of the omnium riders in this event, taking her third win from three events to consolidate her lead.

Full results are available here: http://www.cyclingsouth.org.nz/index.php?pageLoad=251