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Cycling Southland played host to a big weekend of bicycles racing with three big events taking place, featuring some top local and regional talent on road and track.
The weekend kicked off with the ILT New Year Track Carnival at the SIT ZeroFees Velodrome, which was contested over two evenings. Racing kicked off with Invitational races, where local rider Geertien Venter and Otago’s Patrick Jones claimed the women’s and men’s invitational Keirin races respectively, and Ronan Shearing the invitational motor-paced scratch race.
The big prize of the weekend went to local lad Marshall Erwood, who took the win in the open wheel race, earning his place on the Cycling Southland Wheelrace Trophy where he joins some illustrious company. The OJ Henderson Trophy for the junior wheel race went to South Canterbury’s Olivia Ewing.
Saturday morning saw the return of New Zealand’s longest running club classic, the Stonewood Homes Gore to Invercargill. The starting list included the likes of three time SBS Bank Tour of Southland champion Michael Vink, alongside Euro pro Reuben Thompson, and Tour of Southland stage winner Josh Burnett. However, the scratch bunch fell just shy of catching up to the leading groups, who came to the line together for a massive bunch sprint.
The win went to Otago’s James Gardner, who took out the $500 prize for first across the line, ahead of Patrick Jones and Blake Tait-Jones. The other big $500 prizes went to Josh Haggerty for the fastest time, and Florence McNabb for first woman. Olivia Ewing took out the junior handicap race, while Jamie Russell took the U13 race.
The weekend wrapped up with the Ascot Park Hotel Criteriums, which saw fast and furious racing through the beautifully landscaped grounds of the Ascot Park Hotel.
In the Open A grade race, a stellar field took to the line, and the likes of Michael Vink, Reuben Thompson, and Mitchel Fitzsimons immediately made their presence known. After numerous attacks, it was Vink who managed to slip clear of the field, with local rider Hunter Gough for company. The two built a substantial lead over the chasing back, before Thompson decided to try and bridge over to them in the closing laps.
He came agonisingly close to succeeding, but in the end it was Gough who managed to out sprint Vink for the win, with Thompson having to settle for third after an epic chase.