The BDO Tour of Northland is a personal favourite and provides some of the most affordable yet challenging riding at the tail end of the New Zealand summer. For 2015, Nick, Cam and I represented the team with a mutual goal of attaining a high general classification finish. Nick spent all four days in the yellow last year but came out second best to team mate, Scott Mullaly.
I hope you like my synopsis of the tour. It’ll save you the entry fee and sore legs at the end. Enjoy…
Stage one takes the riders from Whangarei to Dargaville via the Tangowahine Valley with predominantly flat terrain all the way. Conditions weren’t great and we soon experienced the cold hand of passing showers which intensified beyond Titoki. A break formed a few kms out from the left hand turn onto Tangowahine Valley Road with four riders prepared to make a good go of it. Glen Carabine and Ben Johnstone were two of the strongest and pushed the margin out beyond 1 minute 40. With most of the main contenders still in the bunch, we banked on bringing the race together for a mass sprint in the final 10kms. Nick and Cam pressed the issue while I opted for the Koru Club membership around 15 wheels back.
Further up the road, the four man break swung out onto the state highway having conceded around 40 seconds of their lead through the valley. To cut a long story short, Johnstone attacked his breakaway companions with 3kms remaining taking the ever resilient Stephen Lewthwaite in tow. Unable to stay in touch over the last 800m, Lewthwaite capitulated leaving Johnstone to take the stage and the first yellow jersey of the tour. Only a few seconds in arrears, we fought hard to bring it home but couldn’t quite muster the effort needed to reel in the duo.
Stage two is always a terrible affair, characterised by a myriad of climbs all crammed into a relatively short 84km ride. That said, our plan for the day was to establish Nick as a firm contender for overall victory and preserve his position in the hills. Given my taste for the climbs I was keen to get into it launching a punchy attack just before Baylys beach with an eye to taking the pressure off the boys in the bunch. Blindz Direct’s Mel Titter bridged and we worked well together to wrest an advantage heading into the first major challenge some 29kms in. Having tried the same trick last year, I figured we would need at least 1 minute 30 in order to make it over the top. To my delight, a favourable tail cross wind helped us gain 2 minutes 40 at the bottom, relinquishing just over a minute of that by the top. After exchanging a few words, we got back into it, staying out front for the first 48kms.
Once caught, Nick and Cam were in a strong place to stay at the head of proceedings into the infamous Opononi wall. To those unfamiliar with the ‘wall’, it’s a short but punishing ascent that climbs over the headland into the picturesque bays below. It pops up a mere 3kms from the end of the stage with stunning views of the sand dunes on the opposite side of the harbour. Legend goes someone won a stage here by drawing attention to this marvellous wonder of the north! Although the boys were unable to contend with stage winner Sam Gaze, they minimised their losses; finishing sixth and seventh respectively only a handful of seconds down.
Stage three headed due east towards the tourist towns of Paiha and Russell via Kaikohe. It’s the sort of stage that looks easy on paper but throws in a few curve balls along the way. In a strong head wind, a sprint finish could well be expected, whereas a tail or cross wind has historically split the field. I’d finished second here in the past two years and was quietly hoping for a mass kick but
was realistic about the need to ensure both Nick and Cam made any serious splits in order to mitigate potential losses.
It was a fast start with a number of riders keen to escape the grasp of the bunch having lost time on the previous stage. The first few attacks proved fruitless as the majority watched and waited for signs of aggression on the part of Avanti Racing’s Taylor Gunman. Gunman suffered an untimely puncture on stage 2.
On the second climb of the day, Gunman along with the main GC contenders drove a split that had ample firepower to remain away. Both Nick and Cam were initially included however, wet roads and gravel soon deflated the latter’s ambitions. He wasn’t the only one to fall victim to the Northland roads; the Yellow jersey, still on the shoulders of Johnstone was forced out of contention, unable to rejoin at the head of affairs. Punctures aside, a flurry of late attacks out of the breakaway only prolonged the inevitability of an uphill dash to the line. In the last 500 meters, Gaze unleashed an early sprint but faded, creating an opportunity for Tokoroa’s Josh Kuysten to take the penultimate stage. Back in the bunch, I led the group up the finishing climb ready for the final leg to Whangarei.
Coming into Stage four the immediate plan was to orchestrate a robust assault on the overall. Bain was looking strong just 19 seconds adrift of Gaze who assumed the race lead following Johnstone’s demise. The coast road to Whangarei is ordinarily a scenic ride, albeit hilly, but should not be taken lightly under race conditions. Hugging countless bays, the tarmac undulates like a roller coaster for the first 50kms until a 4km climb out of Helena Bay. In the wet it’s a truly horrible experience and very high risk! Thankfully there was no sign of rain and the platform was set for one final chance to put yellow under pressure.
Having recovered significantly on stage 3, I set about escaping the bunch rather early. After a couple of stabs a large group of around 10 riders broke clear. Although a little dysfunctional, most of us gave it a punt staying ahead until yellow bridged across solo. At this point I was a touch concerned, peering around in search of Nick and Cam. Just how far behind were they? Had something happened? With questions swirling, it was a fair assumption that the bunch behind would be determined to reunite Gaze with the other GC contenders so I thought it best just to take a free ride until the boys managed to bridge across. Sure enough, the race compacted offering the chance for me to make another bid for fame and riches off the front.
While fame and riches were in short supply, I managed to find a few more climbs alongside my three breakaway companions; Glen Carabine, Stephen Lewthwaite and Lynton Chitty. We rolled effectively making solid headway, gaining at least a couple of hard earned minutes at the base of the Helena Bay climb. Lewthwaite in particular is worth a special mention. This guy descends like an absolute madman, railing corners and banking the bike beyond the ability of anyone else I’ve seen. Like a grasshopper on speed but nonetheless impressive! Over the top we latched on to a reduced yellow jersey group with 11 of us still in contention for the stage. Nick pushed the envelope with around 20kms to go, striking off alone. His efforts were a credible threat to Gaze’s lead but were eventually undone by a coordinated chase behind. Just outside the final km, Johnstone snuck away with Cam hot on his heels. Shortly after Lewthwaite followed suit. The trio contested the stage finish with Johnstone coming out on top ahead of Cam. For me, it was another frustrating fourth place as I led home the group containing yellow 25 seconds down.
After four days Sam Gaze emerged victorious bettering Josh Aldridge, Josh Kuysten and our own Nick Bain. Thanks a plenty to our generous sponsors at Nature Valley and Avanti Bikes in addition to those who gave up their time to support the team. I’m looking forward to next year already!
MM
