Last week Mike, Kane, James, Ross and myself loaded up the Falcon and headed for Stratford to ride from West to East across the center of NZ.

Day 1 was the short ride from Stratford to Whangamomona.  Since racing through some of these roads in the rain of the Tour of Taranaki I’ve wanted to come back and do a scenic ride through this amazing valley. I had some pre-conceived notions of a damp, hidden valley but the reality was quite different – rolling terrain, lots of sun, and some pretty amazing views.

Our first day of rural cycling was met with a flock of sheep being herded along the road – very fitting.

I drew the short-straw for the first day of driving the car but once we arrived in Whagamamoma I jumped on the bike and back-tracked over the saddle with Kane and Mike to get my legs turning over for an hour.

We stayed at the Whangamomona pub for our first night.  This is a remote town and the term ‘Forgotten World’ is certainly applicable!  Since the logging and mining boom the town has been in decline and it’s now only tourism which keeps it going.  The term “town” might be a little optimistic - there is a pub, a few residences, a dis-used post office, and a bridge over the river.

Burgers were eaten, black-and-white photos were taken and a few games of pool took our minds off the 140kms the following day would provide.

Two years ago the Rice Mountain Classic was my first Elite race.  At the time it was on the National Points Series circuit and attracted a quality field including the newly launched, highly motivated, and full of promise Pure Black Racing team.  I had a pretty good day in my first big race and made it to the bottom of the iconic Admiral Hill with the main group.

Last year I had better form and more experience but overconfidence lead to a tactical blunder which saw me dropped after only an hour of racing.

For 2012 the race course went through it’s first dramatic change since moving from the Haywards > Akatarawas loop in 2003 and saw the end of the hilltop finish up the half-hour Admiral Hill climb.

After such a poor performance last year I was keen to take the race by the scruff of the neck so as soon as the flag dropped I accelerated up the road hoping someone would follow.  Brent Backhouse followed and we spent the first 10km swapping turns before receiving news of a 1 min gap to the main group with two riders bridging the gap.  We decided to wait for the chasing riders and we were soon joined by Greg Taylor and Greg Marfait.

My goal for being in the breakaway was to take some pressure off myself for the climbs.  I knew the decisive move of the race would come on one of the 4 major climbs and I knew I wouldn’t be able to climb at the same pace as the hitters so I was hoping the steady pace of the breakaway would suit me better.  It did.  After fending off the main group the time gap was down to about 15 seconds when we hit Limeworks hill, one major climb before where I was hoping to get caught.  The 4 of us in the breakaway kept driving and somehow we were not caught and the time gap blew out to nearly two minutes again.  Whew!

Kourarau hill was next.  This is the steepest climb on the circuit and where I expected the climbers to attack.  Sure enough they did and at the top of the climb Backy and myself were joined by Dave Rowlands, Andy Hagan and Mike Naylor, with Greg and Greg 20 seconds up the road.  A quick flurry of attacks on the long, fast descent dropped a very tired looking Backy and left us 4 Wheelworks riders, Dave Rowlands and Greg M. at the head of the race.

The next 25km before the final climb were into a block headwind and the attacks were incessant.  I was paying for each of the 85 kilometers I’d spent in the small breakaway but I covered Dave’s repeated attacks and clung on by the skin of my teeth as my own teammate Mike tried to break free only to be brought back each time by Dave and Greg M.

As we turned onto the final climb of the day, a mere 20 km from the finish, Mike once again attacked and as I accelerated to hold his wheel my universe became very small and very painful.  The subtle taste of bile which had been in my mouth for the previous hour was replaced by the urge to vomit and my legs screamed ‘enough.’  I was done, and 30 seconds later I watched Greg Taylor suffer a similar fate.

Mike and Andy continued to one-two Dave and Greg M and with 5km left to climb Andy finally broke the elastic to managed to put 45 seconds into the chasing group by the top of the hill.  In a true display of strength and endurance he solo’d the final 16km to claim his first Rice Mountain victory.

The new course was a real talking point after the race.  Many people missed the iconic Admiral Hill finish but found this new course to be more challenging and more exciting than the old course.  It will be interesting to see what happens next year.

All photos thanks to Adrian Rumney
http://adrianrumney.zenfolio.com/2012ricemountainclassic

The four breakaway compatriots

Mike, Andy and Dave bridging to the breakaway on Kourarau hill

Andy Hagan winning his first Rice Mountain Classic

All smiles after the race

I’m back in the office after spending a couple of days in the Corromandel for the K2 cycle race.  This is one of my favourite races of the year and one of the best organized events on the calendar.  We always have a lot of fun travelling and racing but bringing home the win always makes for an even better weekend!

Thanks to Sportzhub for the write-up and Carolyn Quil for the photos.

Almost 1500 cyclists took to the Coromandel Peninsula today for the 11th Cranleigh K2 cycle classic, where Wellington’s Andy Hagan made it third year lucky with an impressive breakaway win.

In mountain climbing circles, K2 is renowned as the world’s toughest peak. But in New Zealand the Cranleigh K2 is the country’s toughest cycling event; a gruelling 200km around the Coromandel Peninsula that attracts some of New Zealand’s best riders.

Former winners have included Olympians, national reps and national champions such as Glen Mitchell, Jeremy Yates, Linda Villumsen, Roz Reekie-May, Meshy Holt, Serena Sheridan, Frazer MacMaster and Michael Torkler. But with 2011 winner, Torckler, still recovering from a hit-and-run incident in the USA and four-time winner Jeremy Yates having retired, racing this year was wide open.

Wellington Wheelworks teammates Andy Hagan, Stu Houltham and Tristan Thomas, however, came to the Coromandel with a plan. Hagan had twice fallen short of top honours around the mountainous circuit, finishing third in 2010 and sixth last year. So this year the trio controlled proceedings from the gun.

Starting this year in Tairua, the race got away with a sedate opening 8k before Thomas split the field on the very first climb of the day over the 240m high Pumpkin Hill.

Thomas was joined by Josh Aldridge (Akld), Brad Tilby and Matt Gorter (Akld), teenager Corby Price (Taupo), James Early (ChCh) and Logan Mort (Akld) and the group opened up 2min 30secs by the 45k mark at Whitianga. But on the very hilly roads past Kuaotunu and Matarangi the chasers went to work and as they started the 375m high Whangapoua Hill with 70k completed, the lead bunch was 15-strong.

The 4k long climb split the field again, with Logan Mort (Akld), Aaron Strong (Akld), Josh Page (Hast), Shelton Gorter (Akld), James Early (ChCh), Stu Houltham and Andy Hagan (Wgtn) riding clear. Early took a flyer on the technical descent into Coromandel township, but the leaders weren’t allowing him too much rope and 6k later 11 riders started the steep climbs over the Manaia and Kereta hills to the Firth of Thames.

As soon as they hit the coastline Stu Houltham went to work. He was joined by Aaron Strong and after at Thames the two held three minutes over a disorganised chase bunch. At the back of that bunch Andy Hagan was smiling on the inside because with teammate Houltham out front, it was up to others to do the chasing.

The bunch did start chasing and as they started K2′s signature climb, the 425m high Kopu-Hikuai Hill, the gap was down to 2min 40secs and Andy Hagan went to work.

Hagan caught and passed Houltham and then Strong half way up the 14k long climb and went over the top with 1min 30secs over James Early, Josh Aldridge and Josh Page. But with more than 30k still to ride, Hagan’s race was just beginning.

Two against one is almost always stronger in cycling, but the leader cast caution to the wind on the descent and with 20k to go his lead was out to 2min 40secs. Hagan was clearly starting to struggle and Early tried to chase, but Page bridged across and the duo started to watch each other rather than the leader.

At the Tairua finish line an exhausted but elated Andy Hagan had four minutes in hand as he stopped the clock after 5hrs 24min 54secs. Behind him Page got the drop on Early in the sprint for second place, then another five minutes ticked by before Taupo teenager Corby Price surprised older and more experienced riders Brad Tilby, Stu Houltham, Aaron Strong and Josh Aldridge in the sprint for fourth place.

Race reports form the boys and girls at Wheelworks Racing. Check out facebook.com/WheelworksRacing for more photos of a great weekend away.

The Wheelworks Women’s Elite team is ecstatic this evening after doubling team numbers (now at 2) in a stellar morning race in tough conditions. Kirsten Price debuted in the women’s elite race, with not even a puncture able to hold her back.

Janine went on the attack before the final climb, and hit the bottom with a 30s lead. Hatepe heartbreak saw the chasing pack catch her at the top.

Janine ticked off her race goals, and is happy with the way the race went. Kirst was fizzing after being comfortable in to the peloton.

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A tough head wind start saw about 20 dropped from the bunch in the first 5km. At 6km, WWR turned WWF. Two riders went down mid bunch, Tristan had nowhere to go except over his handlebars and with a bodyslam that Brett ‘the hitman’ Hart would be proud of, landed in the waiting chest of PBR’s Fraser Gough. We don’t think Gough got back up (hope he’s okay!).

The crash split the bunch, and about 10 riders continued around the lake with the first bunch of the rec riders, including Tristan.

At the pointy end, the pace was sustained while the downed riders dusted themselves off. The surging pace and relentless attacks for about 60km saw more riders shelled from the bunch. WWR were well represented in most of the attacks, and when the break of 12 finally stuck Andy was right in the mix.

Andy rode really well, and as the front group fragmented, managed to stay up the front. Torckler attacked the break at the bottom of Kuratau with 75 to go, and Cooper bridged across. Andy and Mike Northey attacked at Turangi, and caught Cooper on Hatepe. Torckler put 2 ½ minutes into the chasing three overthe final 20km. Northey sprinted in for second, Cooper third, and Andy in 4th. The rest of the boys came in in the chasing bunches. All in all, a successful day.

As with most Elite level cycling teams the contractractual obligations at Wheelworks Racing are steep; icecream can only be eaten on days ending in Y, coffee with milk is forbidden, and sock-height protocol must be obeyed at all times.

Racing for another team is also strictly forbidden, however the Wheelworks Racing board of directors has approved a sabbatical for rider Greg Taylor.

Greg will be heading to the Powernet Tour of Southland and racing with Team Ultimo / HGM.  Greg will be racing alongside Southland veteran Richard Rollinson, climber Dan Molyneux, US-professional Aaron Schneider and rookies Nick Jowsey, and Richard Lawson.

Daily updates of race progress will be published by Greg at www.facebook.com/WheelworksRacing

Mike Naylors race report from the Hub Tour in Hastings

Hub Tour 2011.

The Hub Tour in the Hawkes Bay is a well-run event which given its proximity to the other major races of the summer season, elites and Tour of Wellington tends to attract a formidable cast of riders all in fighting fit form. When Tristan and I watched Tim Gudsell of PBR disappear rapidly into the distance in-front of us during the Friday evening time trial all illusions that this would be an ‘easy weekend of sun, nice roads, vineyards and ice cream quickly dissipated.

The 6km prologue through up some pretty large time gaps, with Jeremy Vennell decked out in full TT kit putting an impressive 28sec into Andy who rode strongly for 7^th and over a minute into my-self and Tristan who occupied the lower part of the results. Never the less the ride back to the motel with the sun setting over the surrounding hills and the roads devoid of traffic put me in good spirits “I’ll make it back tomorrow”…

A scorcher of a day was building as we got ready the next morning for stage one of the tour, 3 laps of a 33km circuit which offered plenty of climbing. The bunch set off at a fairly sedate tempo and it stayed together over the first 10km which was effectively a series of short climbs strung together by false flat sections. After the K.O.M I felt confident enough to try my hand in a few moves none of which were of any real success. A strong group of 8 slipped away just before the second lap and looked certain to ride away with the race as their lead stretched to over a minute. But once we started climbing, the tempo rose and we pulled them back by the top of the K.O.M, shelling a dozen riders in the process.

All three of us Wheelworks riders were still accounted for in the group and things were looking good as we entered the last lap. I was feeling strong and was readying myself for fireworks on the K.O.M climb but they never eventuated soon after though every man and his dog was trying their hand and Andy and I were getting amongst it with vigour.

While I was on the front of the bunch Gudsell stormed by on my left shortly followed by Vennell on my right. Foolishly I burnt my matches trying to grab Vennell’s wheel and when failed got sent straight to the back of the bunch which was strung out in chase mode. The wheels in front of my lost contact with the bunch on the next climb and I gave it everything to bridge back up to them just in time for the next climb, which proved to be a bridge to far and I the gap opened again.

I looked behind me to see if help was on its way but given my state of extreme exhaustion couldn’t actually manage to co-ordinate this small task with that of steering. When I looked forwards again I was staring at a barbed wire fence and was soon crashing into the gravel verge in a cloud of dust and humiliation.

Thankfully Tristan stopped to pick me up, dust me off and provide company for the final 10kms to the finish. The scratches and bruises weren’t severe my front wheel and jersey were the real victims, both now retired from service. Up front Andy scored a solid 9^th place on the stage which was taken out by Bissell’s Patrick Bevan.

A few hours rest and we were back at it again with the afternoon criterium. The course looked easy enough with just four well-rounded corners. It started pretty easy to but after 10 minutes the pace started ramping up and never stopped. I was lazily sitting at the back and lacked both the power and will to move up and thus it was just a matter of time before a gap opened which I couldn’t close. I gave up the fight after the 20 min mark and joined the growing number of riders sheltering in the shade. Tristan followed soon after. Our melancholy was broken by the sight of Andy storming away from the bunch with one other inside five laps to go. Incredibly the two of them held off the bunch and Andy took a well fought 2^nd to Ben Olsen.

Stu did an outstanding job cooking us risotto and steak for tea and we all spent the evening enjoying the cooler temperatures outside.

Another morning another can of creamed rice and another stage, this time the last one of the tour. At 77km it wasn’t the longest but the two laps of the circuit provided a steep 2km climb each time followed by a rolling section exposed to the side wind which was just tailor made for attacking before turning off on the final lap for a short 1.5 km climb up the very steep Burma rd to the finish line.

The first lap provided almost no action and it was gruppo campacto at the bottom of the climb the second time around and just 20km to the finish. The pace was hard but not terrible as a headwind on the ascent hampered Andy’s efforts to blow things apart. I crested just metres off the back over the top and was back with what was left of the group by the next climb. Unfortunately I was maxed out and when the pace rose again and I went to get out of the saddle there was nothing left and my legs came to an almost complete stall. By the start of the Burma Rd climb those of us who’d dropped had formed into a small group, which included Tristan and the two of us engaged in a full on battle for line honours which involved head butts, elbows, swinging arms and more than one soiree into the gutter. I was proud to claim victory in the battle with a sprint in the last 150m.

Andy had been unlucky to make the front group when they split along the rolling section and finished 6^th on the stage for a final GC spot of 7^th which was highly commendable given the quality of the field. Thanks to his better criterium finish Tristan did one better than me to finish in 19^th. Jeremy Vennell won the stage but didn’t do enough to dislodge the yellow jersey from Shem Rodger’s shoulders as he took the overall win.

All that was left was to pack up the car buy an ice cream and head on home. A good weekend all round with great company, great weather and great racing. See you again next year Hawkes Bay!

Mike.