There’s no denying we’re in the icy grips of yet another
Kiwi winter with temperatures dropping and fewer taking to the roads on those
especially nippy mornings. The club racing scene here in Auckland is ticking
over but takes a break for the ritual viewing of Le Tour throughout July.
Although the call of the couch might be tempting, it’s worth thinking of the
opportunities just beyond the horizon and holding on to the promise of warmer
weather! For myself, currently enduring a forced break, I’ve decided to hit the
keyboard and recap on the last few months with the Rolling Revolution (TRR).
In cycling’s ancestral homeland, TRR stalwart Nick Bain has
been busy accruing success with a number of early season results. Riding for
the Belgium registered Pro Race Cycling
Team, Nick secured his first European win in the Ardooie Kermesse riding
clear of a breakaway group and remaining in front with time to spare at the
line. Having raced alongside Nick, this result comes as no surprise given his
propensity to turn 10 seconds into 2 minutes! Other highlights include a second
place in the GP Dussessoye Andre as well as selection for the NZ
National Team. For more on the above you can follow Nick on his blog. Link below
Back in NZ, the month of April witnessed the annual running
of the Club National Championships which returned to the picturesque Hawke’s
Bay after a two year hiatus. TRR came away with a number of top ten results
across road and time trial disciplines. Alex and Callum led the charge with 5th
and 6th respectively in the U23 road race, remaining comfortably in
the bunch despite the challenging terrain. Though we were unable
to nab a few medals, valuable experience was gained.
Across the final days of April, John represented the team at
the Rotorua to Taupo Flyer; a race TRR has won the previous two years. With
myself battling a cold and Sam unable to attend, he fought the inclement
conditions by himself but was unable to finish as a result of a nasty spill. By
the sounds of things it was trying day had by all and one likely to remain
etched in collectively memory. We will be back next year for sure! Only a few
days later, Auckland rider Connor Brown rounded off the month taking home the
Connell Shield on our national day of remembrance.
Over Queen’s Birthday weekend at the end of May the team headed
to the Powerco Tour of Taranaki having gone full circle since my first
contribution to the blog. Powerco is an intriguing tour for several reasons
which make it unique on the race calendar. The famous line ‘there is no need to go to Southland to
experience all weather conditions’ espoused in the handbook generally
rings true; last year being a notable exception to the norm. All weather aside,
the timing also makes for an interesting field. Some riders target the event while others are found questioning why they entered in the first place. I’ve
been on both sides of this equation and genuinely believe that like Southland,
it demands that little bit more and should be treated accordingly.
Having walked away in the previous edition with two
classification jerseys we were eager to better our performance. This time
around the 30th anniversary tour replicated the route of 2014
barring the final stage which reverted to the same course used in 2013. My personal favourite is the first road stage which is a large rectangle, starting and finishing in the
small town of Kaponga. I was hoping to make the break in order to defend the
sprint jersey from last year and make up for the disappointment of falling one
point short at the HUB Tour. Beyond those ambitions, a high GC placing for the
team was of utmost importance.
After three days of racing with an absolute stunner on day
one, the squad finished up with Callum third on GC, a stage win, myself in
sprint and three riders in the top ten. We couldn’t be happier with our
performance and the strong bonds formed out on the road. The 30th edition was another well
run race with a positive atmosphere generated by the competitors. I’d like to
take the chance to thank Alex, Callum, Mitchell and Joel who rode selflessly
throughout the tour to achieve our mutual objectives.
You’ll be hearing more about the new additions to the team
in the near future.
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| TRR Powerco Squad 2015 |
That’s a wrap for today, thanks again to our partners in
Nature Valley and Avanti Bikes. Bring on training camp in mid July! Until next
time stay warm and upright.
MM
