Waikato BOP Retain Top Billing in Vantage Age Track Cycling Championships

Waikato Bay of Plenty retained the Points Shield after a successful final day of the Vantage Age Group Track National Championships in Invercargill.

The championships attracted around 170 riders from around the country competing for age group and Masters titles during the four-day event at the SIT Zero Fees Velodrome in Invercargill.

Waikato-Bay of Plenty teams took out the women’s under-17 Team Pursuit with Prudence Fowler, Summer Williams, Amy Gregan and Mya Anderson prevailing in 3:44.710, while Fowler and Anderson combined to take out the Madison.

That was enough to claim the overall shield on 149 points with hosts Southland and Canterbury sharing second place on 133 and Auckland 111.

In other final day action, under-17 sprint champion Jenna Borthwick combined with Canterbury teammate Erin Downie, a podium placegetter in the points race, to win the team sprint, while Auckland’s Bee Townsend outlasted local rider Jade Cameron by a single point to win the Points Race.

Points race winner Laurence Pithie linked with Sabastian Lipp and Ezra Williams-Gillies to win the men’s under-17 team sprint in 49.492s ahead of Waikato Bay of Plenty.

In the under-15 grade, Mid South Canterbury’s Jaxson Whyte completed a clean-sweet of all his events after taking out the points race by a single point from Southland’s Ronan Shearing, while in the girls Auckland’s Bee Townsend won the points race in a close battle with Southland’s Jade Cameron.

Canterbury’s Jeannie Blakemore won the Masters points race, with Andy Parker (Auckland) winning the men’s C3-4 race and Justin Stott (Otago) edging Tim Carswell (Waikato BOP) in the C1-2 points race.

The Masters team sprint titles for men and women were both won by the host Southland teams,

Results, Female:

Under-17, Team Sprint, Gold medal: Canterbury 1 (Erin Downie, Jenna Borthwick) 37.750, 1; Southland 2 37.760, 2. Bronze: Waikato BOP 37.870, 3; Southland 1 38.290, 4.

Under-17 3000m Team Pursuit, Gold medal: Waikato BOP (Prudence Fowler, Summer Williams, Amy Gregan, Mya Anderson) 3:44.710, 1; Composite 3:50.030, 2; Bronze: Canterbury 3:49.740, 3.

Under-17 Madison: Waikato BOP (Prudence Fowler, Mya Anderson) 40 points, 1; Southland (Rhylee Akeroyd, Jenny Brown) 29, 2; Southland 2 (Tyla Green, Natalie Green) 27, 3.

Under-15 Points: Bee Townsend (Auckland) 11 points, 1; Jade Cameron (Southland) 10, 2; Hayley Paterson (Southland) 4, 3.

Masters Team Sprint C1-4, Gold medal: Southland 1 (Erin Criglington, Geertien Venter) 37.864, 1 (NZ Record) Southland 2, 38.304, 2. Bronze: Waikato BOP 40.720, 3; Southland 3, 40.870, 4.

Masters Points C1-4: Jeannie Blakemore (Canterbury) 16 points, 1; Erin Criglington (Southland) 12, 2; Sandra Gatenby (Waikato BOP) 6, 0.

Male, Under-17 Team Sprint Gold medal: Canterbury 1 (Laurence Pithie, Sabastian Lipp, Ezra Williams-Gillies) 49.492, 1; Waikato BOP 50.656, 2. Bronze: Southland 1, 50.866, 3; Composite 51.215, 4.

Under-15 Points: Jaxson Whyte (Mid South Canterbury) 14 points, 1; Ronan Shearing (Southland) 13, 2; Jonathan Fish (Mid South Canterbury) 8, 3.

Masters Team Sprint, C1-4, Gold medal: Southland 1 (James Jubb, Brett Roulston, Roger Nicholas) 50.716, 1; Auckland 51.423, 2. Bronze: Otago 51.236, 3; Wellington 51.814, 4.

Masters Points Race C3-4: Andy Parker (Auckland) 18 points, 1; Steve Woods (Canterbury) 7, 2; Colin Claxton 7, 3.

Masters Points Race C1-2: Justin Stott (Otago) 42 points, 1; Tim Carswell (Waikato BOP) 39, 2; Russell Ownsworth (Canterbury) 31, 3.

Details: www.tracknationals.nz