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The first of Cycling Southland’s spring classics, the Geo W Wilson and Sons Limited Gore to Waikiwi Classic, took place on Saturday, with Mike White claiming a title which had long escaped him.
Having finished on the podium previously, White made the most of his opportunity this time around on a day that saw the best weather the event had experienced in many a year.Cyclists set off from Gore on a 64km route featuring a fair sprinkling of hills to add to the challenge, racing to the finish line on McIvor Road in Invercargill.The race was run in a handicap format, meaning that riders set off in reverse order, with the fastest riders setting off last and trying to make their way through the field before the finish.The last group to set off contained some strong competitors, including defending champion Hunter Gough, last year’s U17 champion Marshall Erwood, making his debut in the open classic, and very experienced local racer Matt Zenovich.This group worked together well to rip through the rest of the field, with only Mike White able to hang onto them as they came past.
There were some telling attacks by Gough and Zenovich along the way, but in the end the pace settled down somewhat as everyone prepared for the sprint to the finish, which ended up playing in to the hands of White.While the other riders in the front group were watching one another, White launched a powerful sprint for the line, and had time to celebrate as he crossed to claim not only the overall win, but also the Noel Eade Memorial trophy for the first masters cyclists. Gough crossed in second to take the fastest time for the day, with Erwood in third, claiming the trophy for fastest junior. Jaz McLeod crossed the line in the next group to claim the trophy for the fastest woman.
White was thrilled with his win, as he had managed to get his name on all the other major Cycling Southland trophies over the years other than this one. The win was made even sweeter by the fact that he had only recently returned from a broken collarbone.“I’ve come close in this race a couple of times, but I’ve never owned it outright. It’s always good to get this one,” he said.“I probably surprised myself a wee bit. When I saw the finish line I thought, well, I’ve got nothing to lose, so I just gave it a good old kick and didn’t look back.”The 29km junior handicap race from under 15 and under 17 riders was won by Floyd Keach-Lowe, with Liam O’Rourke setting the fastest time, while the 19km under 13 handicap race was won by Benjie Shayler, with Oliver Zwies recording the fastest time.