Velodrome in Invercargill on Friday and Saturday Nights
The benefits of a development performance hub for track cyclists will be apparent at the
first major race event of 2018.
Fifteen riders from the Cycling NZ Regional Performance Hub will be taking part in the ILT New Year Track Carnival at the weekend.
More than 85 riders from around the South Island will take part in the annual two-day carnival at the SIT Zero Fees Velodrome, which starts on Friday night.
Cycling Southland general manager Mark Hotton said the quality of the fields was really impressive.
“There are some really strong riders taking part as they start their 2018 campaign towards the national championships, with some eyeing up the junior world championships too.
“The carnival is a great way to start the season, see how the riders are shaping up after the holidays and with nationals just weeks away, it’s a good chance to get some racing under their belts.”
The hub, which has been running for almost 12 months under the guidance of coach Sid Cumming, has helped nurture the U19 riders and prepare them for potential inclusion in a national team.
“Having that structure and environment for these riders has been crucial for their development and we’re expecting to see some really fast racing by these riders.”
Cumming said the event provided a timely gauge on how the riders were tracking and gave them time to tweak their training programmes accordingly.
“They’ve all kept training up over the Christmas so it will be great to see how quick they are going.”
The premiere races are the OJ Henderson Memorial Wheel Race for U17 riders, and the Open Wheel Race, with past winners including Eddie Dawkins, Tom Scully, Nick Kergozou, and Piet Bulling, all who have gone on to represent New Zealand in cycling.
It’s a busy year for Cycling Southland, with the Elite and U19 Track National Championships to be held in Invercargill from Feb 22-25, with the Age Group Track National Championships to be held a week later from March 8-11, along with a host of other events planned, Hotton said.
At a glance:
What: ILT New Year Track Carnival
Where: SIT Zero Fees Velodrome, Invercargill
When: Friday from 6.30pm
Saturday from 6.30pm
Entry: $5 for adults, free for children U16