2003 Cromwell - Queenstown Easter Cycling Tour

18^th – 21^st April 2003

by Gavin Povey

We (Jason, Brian, Roxanne Kelly and I) left Hawke’s Bay on the Tuesday before Easter for our trip to the South Island.  After a very calm and sunny ferry crossing, we arrived in Picton later that afternoon, before driving down to our overnight stop at Kaikoura.  Jason and I went for a quick training ride first thing next morning out the back of Kaikoura, when it was meant to be hosing down with rain, but fortunately it was bright and sunny – the weather man got it wrong again.  We visited the seal colony bright and early, where there were no seals, but I was attacked verbally by a female road shark in Kaikoura! We returned later on to find some seals and checked other sites around the area before heading to Christchurch later that morning.  Checked out the Antarctic Centre, Port Hills and Cathedral Square etc before eating out at an Indian restaurant in Riccarton where Brian’s taste for fine wine became apparent – we needed to teach the waiter a thing or two!

Thursday morning we headed off to Dunedin in the pouring rain along the boring flat Canterbury plains highway and checked out the boulders at Moeraki before arriving in Dunedin just after lunch – I was noticing the change in temperature down here so bought a beanie (it would come to a lot of use later on!) at Larnach’s Castle when we were there – fascinating place.  Also checked out the Cadbury Chocolate Factory (but couldn’t get in – they were fully booked!), and took a few photos of Baldwin Street – geez that’s steep - 38% at the steepest point – you couldn’t ride up there if you tried.  Jason and I became professional photographers when we got mobbed by hundreds of Japanese tourists there!

Good Friday – Day One

After waking bright and early, we headed our way even further south from Dunedin before taking the main road to Cromwell through some mountainous terrain.  It had snowed up on the tops a day or so before and there was still a bit of a chill in the air, and we were keen to start the race, which was the main purpose of our trip.  We arrived at the Golden Gate Lodge in Cromwell (where we were staying the night) around lunchtime before having a bite to eat in the main shopping area across the road – this is when the Kelly’s began to learn of my secret weapon for this race – mince pies.

Prologue 5.5km Cromwell - Bannockburn Hotel

The race finally got under way with the Women starting first followed by the C grade (which I was starting in thanks to my lack of preparation for this event which Jason conned me into doing). Jason had entered the B grade so he started a bit later than I did.  It was a flat course to start off with, followed by a short descent over the Kawarau River, before a steep one kilometre climb to the finish.  There were around 80 riders in total with only four North Islanders competing.  I managed to catch my minute man just before the climb and finished in a time of 8:45, which placed me third equal in the C grade peloton @ 13 seconds.  Jason, who was coming off a bit of a viral infection cum cold, finished in 9 minutes flat in 15^th place in the B grade field @ 29 seconds. Afterwards we checked out the gold sluicing sites and old Cromwell town, which has been partly reconstructed after the Clyde Dam drowned it.

Easter Saturday – Day Two

Stage 1 88km Cromwell – Cromwell around Lake Dunstan

Woke up to another brilliant Central Otago day with what felt like a five degree frost!  I had three layers of cycle clothing on and was still freezing.  The C grade peloton started at a sedate pace, but slowly picked it up a few k’s later.  Numerous individuals were making timid attacks off the front only to be hauled in a few hundred metres later.  The stage was essentially rolling but mostly flat and that snow up top looked closer than it really did.  Towards the end of the stage, I had a serious go off the front, only to be hauled in a couple of k’s later, thanks to the huge size of the bunch, so it was only going to be a bunch sprint.  I kept close near the front and finished comfortably in tenth place saving myself for later on.  A similar situation was happening in the B grade but a couple of guys got off the front and stayed away from the chasing pack by just over 20 seconds.  Jason finished in the bunch after doing a lot of work chasing those two down.

Stage 2 30 minute Criterium – Cromwell Town

The only objective for both Jason and I was to finish this stage in one piece with the bunch and to keep out of trouble.  The circuit was a 550m block in the middle of Cromwell, which made great viewing for the local folk and spectators, but not a lot of room to manoeuvre for the riders themselves.  We both finished comfortably with our respective groups and got bunch times, which we were both happy with.  Straight after the race we packed the car and headed for the hotel in Queenstown, and on the way checked out the Kawarau Bridge bungy site, which I was considering while I was in a mildly dehydrated state!

Easter Sunday – Day Three

Stage 3 65km Remarkables Skifield Entrance - Athol

Well we thought Saturday was cold, but today it felt like the South Pole was literally next door.  I could feel the icicles forming on my face!  After staying in our very upmarket hotel room (compared with any other hotel room I have stayed in) at the Aspen on Queenstown up the hill, we drove past the airport to the Remarkables skifield entrance where the stage was going to begin.  There was a major frost overnight and it was below zero at 9 o’clock when we started and the sun did not shine over the mountains until at least halfway through the stage, but we got there.  Again, this stage was rolling, and followed Lake Wakatipu south to the metropolis of Athol.  A very scenic road it was.  About five riders rode off the front of my grade in the first few hills just down the road a bit, and stayed a few hundred metres off the front, but we could still see them just up the road all the time, so that was a good sign.  Again, my tactic was to try and save myself for tomorrow, so finished around about 8^th place in yet another bunch finish.  In the B grade, another couple of riders got away, but only gained a few seconds on the peloton by the end with Jason finishing up near the front once again in the bunch.

Stage 4 12km Time Trial: Athol to Garston

This was always going to be a fast stage with a slight tail breeze and a bit of false flat mixed in and we knew that this stage was going to be important to maintain our places on GC.  By the end of the stage I was quite shocked looking at my speedo when it read an average of 41.3km/h.  That was certainly going to help the cause, or so I thought! But, once the results came out, I found that some of the women were over a minute faster than I was!  I finished 4^th in C grade in a time of 16:48, and after the last few stages, thanks to others getting time bonuses in the final sprints, dropped down to 4^th overall at 49 seconds.  Jason had a good time trial as well finishing in 16:20, 11^th in B grade, averaging just under 43km/h.  The winner of A grade averaged around 48km/h!  Visited Arrowtown after the stage and on the way saw the classic Kingston Flyer steam train.

Easter Monday – Day Four

Stage 5 44km Fernhill, Queenstown to Glenorchy

This is the stage I got up bright and early for thinking it was the C grader’s last stage of the tour when we weren’t meant to start until this afternoon!  So, packed everything in the car and followed Jason in the B grade.  On the way, checked out this afternoon’s stage finish and this afternoon’s route, which is on the same road, but in the opposite direction following the north side of the lake.  The weather was a little cloudy with a tropical temperature of around 5 degrees.  This road was the hilliest of the tour and I knew then I might have a possible shot at the overall.  The B grade race split into two groups during this stage with Jason finding himself in the front bunch around the halfway mark.  However, once the bunch got towards the flatter patches about 10km before Glenorchy, the two bunches yet again combined.  Jason did a lot of work during this stage, and finished again in the bunch, being a minute or so down on GC at this stage, still with a sniff of prize money.      

Stage 6 42km Glenorchy to the end of the seal Moke Lake Road, Queenstown  

I was feeling pretty nervous at the beginning of this stage knowing what lay ahead.  After forcing down another mince pie (one of the most important food groups!), we rolled out of Glenorchy at a leisurely pace, still all in one large group.  Finally we reached the hills and I decided to attack and got a decent gap on the chasing peloton.  One guy caught me up near the top of one of these climbs (who was from Christchurch, helping to protect the yellow jersey) and eased up immediately in front of me.  I overtook him and he fell back to the group and I held around about a 20 second lead on the peloton, whom at this time were beginning to split up into smaller groups.  There were KOM points available about 10km from the finish, but a group of about seven or eight, including the yellow jersey, caught me just before this climb.  I crossed the line here in fourth place and sat waiting in what was left of the bunch for the final ascent.  There was a sprint not too far along from here, but I chose to save myself.  Just before the final climb, there was quite a steep climb where I just sat in, keeping a close eye on everyone, including the yellow jersey, who appeared to be getting fatigued.  Finally we arrived at the Moke Lake Road intersection where the final climb began with four steep switchbacks at the bottom (almost of Burma Rd gradient), which eased out a bit across the top to the line about 1.5km away up the side of the mountain behind Queenstown.  I made a final attack on the first switchback that nobody could match in the group and rode away from the yellow jersey to take the stage with a healthy gap (not knowing at this stage if I had done enough).  The B grade stage was again similar with Jason riding off the front and holding a 1m20s lead at one stage. He lead to take the stages KOM points and was caught by a chasing bunch on the stage’s Sprint Ace but still took 3^rd place points in that. The yellow jersey also fatigued badly from the chase, as did Jason from his time out front, but Jason climbed reasonably well and finished 5^th in the stage in B grade, 50 seconds behind the stage winner, and enough to pick up some GC prize money.

Later on, after trying some gold panning and visiting Coronet Peak and the Crown Range, we arrived at the prize giving to see a copy of the final GC results.  Well, I was quite shocked to say the least.  I won by only 8 seconds thanks to the yellow jersey finishing 51 seconds behind, and it was thanks to him not gaining any time bonuses on the last stage that I managed to do it.  I also got 4^th in the KOM thanks to my last stage win.  Jason was also pleased with his results, after struggling to hold off a cold throughout the tour.  He finished in 7^th place on GC @ 2 min 9 seconds behind a 2003 Tour of Wellington rider who took out the B grade tour.

After the celebrations from the previous night and having only one more day in Queenstown before I had to fly out, we checked out the Skyline Gondola and took some photos from the top of that world famous view of Queenstown and the Remarkables.  Tried that precarious luge and checked out most of downtown itself before saying bye to the Kelly’s who were driving back. 

A big thank you, especially to Brian for the moral support - and encouragement to find that gold nugget in the river, and Roxanne for being the team manager who gladly looked after our gear while Jason and I were racing.  Thanks also to everyone at The Hub who got my dura-ace sorted (it must have been the bike!) 

 
It would be great to have more Ramblers support down at the tour next year. It is a good challenging tour with very good scenic stages to match – hey it may be cold down there, but at least it didn’t snow this year!

Rotorua Open 2003

The Rotorua Open was held on Sunday 13th April 2003 just south of Rotorua. Four Ramblers members rode in the event which was held in fine and mild conditions with little wind. Due to an organisational hiccup, the A, B and C grades rode 20km further than advertised which meant the A grade raced over approximately 130km, the B grade over approximately 110km and the C grade over approximately 90km.

In the A grade, Jeremy Vennell continued his good form to secure 3rd place while Andrew Bott finished 5th.

In the B grade, the additional distance saw the remaining peleton disintegrate at the 100km mark which saw three riders break clear. Jason Kelly managed to chase and pass two of the breakaway riders to finish a clear 2nd place, approximately a minute in front of the chasing peleton and a minute behind the winner.

Austen Thomson finished 4th in the 20km under 15 event.

Twin Peaks Tour

B grade

Sunday 16th June 2002

Jason Kelly

The Twin Peaks Tour is a one day, three stage event, which starts and finishes in Palmerston North. This year, A, B, Vets and womens grades were held over different courses from those used in previous years. While all grades climbed both the Saddle Road and the Pahiatua Track, the A grade had a 15km longer first stage and a 22.5km longer third stage than the other grades.

Driving down to Palmerston North on the Saturday evening, torrential rain and strong winds with the possibility of more to come on Sunday, combined with a head cold, made me wonder if I really wanted to race in this event. However, although Sunday morning dawned showery, this soon cleared to be fine, sunny and mild. A very light south westerly wind remained for the whole day.

Due to typical Manawatu organisation, my entry form said registration was at Memorial Park and the race started at 9am, which I foolishly forgot to translate into Manawatu language which actually translated to mean (obviously!) that registration was at a bike shop some two kilometres away from Memorial Park and the B grade race was scheduled to start at 8.50am. As such, I only just made it to the start line on time. I also had no idea of the course, its length, sprints and hill climbs (yes, there were some), finish line placement or other useful details. Looking around the starting bunch, Scott Betteridge was the only other Rambler in the B grade. There also seemed to be a few Vets present and it turned out that all the Vets (and women), whether A, B or C graders, all rode in the B grade and for B grade and Vet (and womens) prize money. This confused the organisers with their initial results and made the B grade race harder than would normally be expected.

The first stage started in Palmerston North with 33 riders and headed out towards Ashhurst. I realised the course had changed from previous years when we turned left off the main highway well before Ashhurst. The bunch rode at a moderate pace and all attacks were quickly rolled in. There was a sprint at 12.4km and a hill prime at 22.9km. Neither of these caused any real problems to the bunch who remained basically intact. Returning to Ashhurst, it became apparent that we had the Saddle Road to climb. The pace went on from the bottom of the climb, lead by the A grade vets, and I soon found myself at the tail of the leading bunch of six riders. After a while, I slowly drifted off the back and settled into a steady climbing mode. Scott Betteridge rode up and passed me and we then climbed together to almost the top. With a few hundred metres to go, Scott accelerated away and took 6th place for the stage, just 50s down on 1st, and I ambled to the finish line (as I still had no idea where it was) and was caught by another two chasing riders to be awarded 7th= place, a further 9s behind Scott. The leading rider had completed the 39.2km stage in 1hr 14m at an average speed of 31.8km/h. The weather was very cool at the top of the Saddle but at least I finally had a chance to study the course.

Stage 2 was a 13.6km individual time trial from the Woodville Railway Station to Pahiatua and started in reverse order from the results of Stage 1. I started off at a solid 40-42km/h but soon slowed and struggled on the slightly uphills parts of the course. It was still fine, sunny and warm with little wind. Two riders passed me and I managed a time of just 22m 40s while Scott Betteridge almost caught me, completing the course in 21m 25s. Again, the organisers let themselves down as there was no finish line and no indication of the end of the stage. By the middle of Pahiatua, most riders felt they must have finished the course and started to slow down. Later riders did have the luxury of a single road cone at the presumed finish line which was on the entry to town.

Lunch was probably the highlight of the day. Held at the Pahiatua Recreation Centre, hot macaroni or lasagne, fruit and drinks were available. This was included in the race entry fee and there was food left over. The initial results posted during this time showed that Scott was 2nd overall in B grade, just 7 seconds off first place. I was further back but still just in the prize money. After a brief discussion with Scott on tactics for the last stage, I re-checked the results to see they had been changed and all the Vets inserted into the general B grade results. This pushed Scott down the field and myself out of the prize money.

The third stage was a 44km road race from Pahiatua, over the Pahiatua Track, and finished outside the Pacific International College on Aokautere Drive, just out of Palmerston North. From the start, Scott and I took the front of the bunch but failed to break away so just settled into a gentle cruise. No one else was interested in anything but a very brief turn at the front until we started to get into the hills. The Vets again pushed the pace up the Pahiatua Track and the bunch soon splintered. Going across the top, a bunch of four were just out in front followed by a bunch of five including myself and Scott. We chased down the Pahiatua Track and were only just holding the front four. With a big effort, the gap would reduce slightly. After a few big efforts by various members of the chasing bunch, at speeds of around 75km/h, we caught the front four and formed a bunch of nine. I had to finish at least 9 seconds in front of the 11th rider to guarantee myself some prize money so I pulled the bunch along. Reaching a nasty hill in Aokautere Drive, the Vets initially pushed the pace but soon settled down and I reached the top with them. Scott unfortunately just drifted off the pace on this hill. We soon reached the finish line and I secured 4th place in the stage in a time of 1hr 16m at an average speed of 34.7km/h. Scott finished about 30s later.

Overall, the Vets took out the top places with Scott Betteridge 6th, 2m 20s down, and I finished 9th, a further 53s down and managed to gain just enough prize money to pay the entry fee. All but one of the B grade riders completed all the three stages.

Prize giving was stated to be held promptly at the conclusion of the third stage. Translating this into Manawatu language meant it actually started almost two hours after the last rider finished the course and  concluded around 5.30pm.

Almost in Yellow

B grade Queen’s Birthday Cycle Tour 2002

Saturday 1st June - Monday 3rd June

Jason Kelly

The Queens Birthday Cycle Tours is a three day, five stage event, and includes A, B, C, D and a womens grade (who ride in the C grade unless they choose to compete against the men in another grade.) Each grade is limited to 50 riders and this year the number of entries was such that the organiser put riders down a grade to accommodate them all. It was rumoured that there were 19 A graders riding B grade! While some riders supposedly complained at being put down a grade, the Taranaki organisers give the same prize money to all grades and as the organiser pointed out, they should be grateful that they were riding in a lower grade. The A, B and C grades had the full 50 entries and the D grade had around forty entries, giving a total field over all grades of just under 200 riders.

In the B grade, the Ramblers had three riders - myself, Scott Betteridge and Hayden LeCompte.

The event started in Hawera on a very cool and frosty Saturday morning with a 4km individual time trial over an out and return course. The course is mainly downhill on the way out with a resultant climb on the return journey. With little wind, conditions were not too bad but I still only managed a time of 6m 51s compared to the fastest B grade time of 5m 50s! Both Scott Betteridge and Hayden LeCompte were faster than me at 6m 39s.

The second stage was on the Saturday afternoon. A thin veil of high cloud ensured that the temperature had barely risen all day. A cool official maximum of just 10°C was reported. The stage was a 76.7km road race over gentle rolling country. Again, there was little wind. As such, the stage was uneventful with virtually all riders finishing together in a fast time of 1 hour 57 minutes at an average speed of just over 39km/h. There were no serious attacks and no changes in general classification.

Day 2, the Sunday, brought two more road race stages. The morning stage was 38.7km and started and finished in Inglewood. It took in the first half of last years National course, including the major hill climb, before branching off into generally more rolling country that is typical of the area. The weather was again cool, but, with a maximum reported of 14°C, was much warmer than the day before. A strong south-westerly wind with the occasional shower made the stage appear more interesting. However, any early attacks were rolled in at will by the bunch. The major climb was comfortable and the bunch stayed largely together. In the last few kilometres, one rider managed to slip off the front but the bunch appeared pre-occupied with thoughts of the race to come and made no serious effort to close the gap. The stage finished in another bunch sprint with the solo rider gaining 31 seconds on the peleton. Scott and I both finished in the bunch while Hayden lost 1m 17s in the last few kilometres after being snapped off the main bunch in the cross winds.

Between the end of the morning stage and the afternoon stage, torrential rain fell and the wind strengthened. However, by the time the imposing 38.7km stage from Inglewood to the top of Mount Egmont (well, to the end of the road anyway!) started, the weather had cleared to mostly fine and sunny with a strong south-westerly wind, a wet road and the odd shower. The stage again started off down last years Nationals course and was initially a gentle downhill, tail wind affair. The bunch was sitting on around 50km/h but one, and then two, riders rode off the front and started pulling away. Realising that this should be the decisive stage, I decided to chase them and did so unchallenged by the bunch. After a few kilometres, I caught the leading two riders and we decided to work together and see what happened. Shortly after I caught up to the front two riders, we turned the corner into the wind and started gentle but constant climbing. After a few more kilometres, the bunch was well out of sight behind us and as we reached yet another climb, one rider dropped off and were down to just two.

After battling into the wind and against the terrain for several more kilometres, I was somewhat disheartened to be told that there were still about 10km to go to the base of the mountain. The mountain climb itself is another approximate 6.5km ride. We “raced” on at speeds from around a mere 23km/h into the wind to over 40km/h when we turned to get some advantage from the wind and or the terrain. Still the bunch was nowhere in sight. We passed an A grader who just let us struggle by. With just a kilometre or two to go to the base of the mountain, we saw a chasing bunch catching us up. We were caught before the base of the mountain and the chasing bunch contained just three B graders but were lead by the A grader we had passed who had obviously gained a second wind and continued to drive the pace once we were caught.

Once on the mountain, the A grader continued to push the pace and rode away with one of the B graders he had towed up to us and took him right to the top of the mountain. Early on in the mountain climb, I was sitting in 4th place for the stage with one rider about 50 metres in front of me and Sarah Ulmer on my wheel asking me to take it steady. In the last two kilometres or so, Sarah Ulmer fell off my pace and with the wind funnelling down the mountain and a reported mountain top temperature of just 3°C, conditions were certainly harsh. Some brave spectators were on the road side and, after what seemed a long time, said there was just over one kilometre to go. Having been in first gear from very early on in the mountain climb, I had no gears left and started to push a little harder. I caught and passed the rider in front of me who then sat on my wheel so I pushed harder again. After a few more corners, a large expletive was uttered from behind me and I knew I had third place secured for the stage. I crossed the finish line in a time of 1hr 25m 14s, just over a minute down on first place, with a mountain climb time of around 24m 40s for the 6.5km distance. The main bunch had shattered in the cross winds and Scott Betteridge finished another 4m 44s down, followed by Hayden LeCompte a further 47s down.

Monday morning dawned mild with the threat of rain. I was somewhat stunned to read in the morning paper that I was supposedly now in 2nd place overall on general classification in the B grade - the result did not make sense to me. The paper also reported that the winner of the A grade, Aaron Strong, had said it took him 6 minutes to climb the last kilometre up Mt Egmont. I estimated it had taken me about 5 to 5 1/2 minutes. Perhaps my computer just froze??

The rain held off for the stage but a very strong and gusty south-westerly wind greeted us from the start line. Right from the start, two local riders attacked and rode off the front. After the previous days hard work, I had no inclination to attempt the advertised 77km stage as part of a three man break. The yellow jersey was in the main bunch but they, and everyone else, had no committed desire to chase down the break. The course was mainly undulating with one steep but short hill and plenty of false flats. With horrendous cross winds and tired legs, the bunch began to shatter from early on. By the end of the stage, just 65.5km covered in 1hr 56m at 33.9km/h, the front two riders had pulled 3m 35s on the bunch to take first and second place overall in the tour. I finished in the bunch for the stage and 5th overall while Scott Betteridge finished 10m 20s down for the stage and 37th overall and Hayden LeCompte did not finish the last stage.

It was only at the much delayed prize giving on the Monday afternoon that I realised how close I had been to wearing the yellow jersey. I found out that the rider I had lead the 4th stage with had lodged a protest against the actions of the A grader who had clearly towed the three chasing B graders up to us and then towed one of them up the mountain. The other rider had also protested about the service vehicle towing punctured riders back to the bunch as they had not done it for him but had for another B grade rider. If the A grader had not interfered, we would have almost certainly been first and second to the top of the mountain and due to the fact that the rider with me had punctured and lost time in the Sunday morning stage, I would have held the yellow jersey and tried my best to defend it on the Monday morning. Maybe next year .............................. 

Cycling Vocabulary

Anon Cyclist

For those new and old to cycling, you will hear cyclists say various things before, during and especially after races. As what they say can only rarely be taken literally, here are some examples of what they really mean:

What they say:

“I have not ridden my bike all week.”

What they mean:

“I have trained at least 600km (A grade) / 400km (B grade) / 300km (C grade) / 200km (D grade) / 100km (E grade) / 50km (F grade) this week.”

What they say:

“You rode well today.”

What they mean:

“I beat you today!”

What they say:

“You have been riding well lately.”

What they mean:

“I have beaten you in all the recent races!”

What they say:

“You look like a promising rider.”

What they mean:
“I am always going to beat you!”

or alternatively:

“Very soon you will be moving up a grade and we won’t need to race you any more.”

What they say:

“I’m feeling tired.”

What they mean:

“I’m about to launch an attack and drop you.”

What they say:

“Come through!”

What they mean:

“I want a rest and then when you’re tired, I’m going to attack.”

What they say:

“I’m not feeling well today.”

What they mean:

“I intend winning today.”

What they say:

“Let’s work together.”

What they mean:

“I feel tired and need a tow.”

or alternatively

“I want a free tow to close the gap so I can jump across by myself and leave you behind.”

What they say:

“I’ll just sit on the back and not race.”

What they mean:
“I intend just sitting in and waiting to win the sprint.”

You will undoubtedly have other examples which could be added to this list and the stories told are the same in all grades. Hopefully this new found knowledge will increase your enjoyment of cycling and ability to race.

Anon Cyclist

Cromwell-Queenstown Easter Cycling Tour 2002

Friday 29th March - Monday 01st April 2002

Jason Kelly

With a few kilometres under my belt and the late postponement of the Palmerston North Twin Peaks cycle tour, the Cromwell-Queenstown four day seven stage cycle tour appeared like a good excuse to take an extended Easter weekend and again visit the South Island. The event attracted 94 riders over three grades - A, B and C. From the race briefing on the Friday afternoon, by just looking at the riders in each grade, I could tell that the B grade, which I had entered, would be tough and that perhaps C grade may have suited me better.

 The prologue was on Friday afternoon and was simply listed in the race program as a 2km Time Trial (TT) at Fern Hill in Queenstown. What they fail to tell you is that this is all up hill and that parts of the hill are considerably steeper than Burma Rd and Seafield Rd! Starting off in race number order at 1 minute intervals on a cool but fine afternoon into a headwind, I thought I should do o.k. For the first few hundred metres, I felt like I was climbing well and maintained a good speed. Hitting the middle and steepest section, my speed fell to 8-9km/h and my legs went to jelly with my lungs screaming for more oxygen. After a few hundred metres, the gradient declined and it felt like a downhill (but this was, unfortunately, just an illusion [or is that delusion??!]) and I picked up my pace to finish the 1.44km on the road TT in 5m18s.

My suspicions from the race briefing were immediately confirmed and I found myself in 25th= place, out of 29 starters in the B grade, and already 48 seconds down. I would have also finished outside the top 5 in C grade! To illustrate the gradient of this short hill, the fastest A grade time was 4m02s, an average speed of just 21.4km/h! My lungs reminded me of the harshness of the climb for well over the next week.

The seriousness of the field was also illustrated by the number of home trainers used for warming up - I have never seen so many in my life at any open races or the Nationals. Perhaps it was just the cold?

Saturday morning brought Stage 1 - an individual TT of a non-specified distance from Cromwell to the Bannockburn Hotel. As the race had no sponsorship from this hotel, the TT ended up going out past the hotel and then turned around to come most of the way back to the starting point in Cromwell - a total distance on the road of about 13.9km. The weather was sunny but cool with the odd rain shower. There was a head wind out to Bannockburn and a tailwind on the return journey. Driving out on the course pre-race, a  relatively short but steep hill was just before the hotel and presumed turn around point.

The stage started on South Island time i.e. very late. I started off at a good pace on the outwards journey and felt I was doing o.k. until I hit the hill. As I struggled up the hill, I noticed I was in first gear and heard the chasing cyclist approaching. He passed me up the hill, having already gained a minute on my time. On reaching the top of the hill, the turn around was not in sight. Continuing on down the far side of the hill, a further short but steep hill appeared. The turn around was at the top of this second hill. After finally turning around, there was the return hill climb followed by a fast descent. I passed a car on the descent and found myself riding at 47-48km/h back along the false flats with a tail wind. Despite this finish, I again found myself totally outclassed to finish in a time of 23m 36s, at an average speed of 35.3km/h, and another 1m 58s down overall and sitting well in the tail of the B grade field overall.

Stage 2 was on Saturday afternoon and was a 45 minute criterium plus 2 laps around Cromwell. The course was approximately 530m in total length, none of which was flat, which resulted in continual sprints and cornering. There were no let ups! The trackies and locals (who had raced the course before) showed their abilities from the start. The first lap was a supposed “controlled” start which resulted in an about 40km/h+ average speed and I quickly found myself at the back of the pack and struggling. With the tight nature of the course, there were few passing opportunities. The pace continued to be frenetic and after about 10-15 minutes, the rider in front of me started to drop off the bunch and eventually left a gap of a couple of bike lengths which almost instantaneously expanded to about 10. The race organiser had been very vague about what happened if you were dropped. Accordingly, looking at the ever widening gap, the greasy road caused by sporadic rain and the three road stages to come, we just sat up and were very quickly lapped.

Once lapped, I moved in front of the other rider and stayed with the bunch fairly comfortably to the finish. I completed about 61 laps. As it turned out, I was given bunch time plus one lap of 46s (it was a short lap!) and four or five other riders also lost one or more laps. The average speed for the B grade bunch on this tight course was 41.2km/h.

Walking out of the hotel on Sunday morning into a fine and sunny morning, with virtually no wind,  we were greeted by fresh snow down to about 200 metres above ground level and freezing cold air. The first stage of the day was a road stage from the entrance to the Remarkables Ski Field to the Athol Store (for B & C grades) (Athol is on the main highway to Lumsden) while the A grade were to ride to Lumsden and then back to the Athol Store.

The course started off as mostly gentle rolling country with a couple of gentle climbs. For the first 5 or 6 minutes, we just rolled along up a slight gradient at about 25-26km/h. After that, there were a few attempted early attacks but the bunch just rolled them in at will and with ease. In the last 30km or so, the terrain was mostly flat and a couple of riders managed to get just up the road. Another two managed to join to them and it appeared that their team mates back in the bunch just let them go. As by this stage we were cruising at around 45km/h, this may have also stifled any serious chasing! The four leaders sat together out the front of, but in sight of, the bunch.  We reached the finish line after 65.8km in a time of 1hr38m, at an average speed of 40.3km/h, with the front four gaining 45s on the bunch. An A grader who had been dropped and caught by us then had the unfortunate experience of having to ride to Lumsden and back (about another 60km) by himself as none of the B graders took up his invitation to join him!

From the third stage on, somehow the official times for each stage were overstated by several minutes. I think they got themselves confused by not deducting the time that elapsed before we started (as the A grade always started first.) The errors make no difference to the overall rankings. I was now just over 3m30s down overall and needing some big results to move out of the bottom of the B grade.

By the time stage 4 started in the afternoon, the weather had closed in and it was literally freezing cold with heavy showers. I stood at the start line with 4 layers of clothes on and was still cold. The official maximum temperature was 7°C but I guess the windchill factor was about -10°C! We started off at a fast pace on the basically flat course back to Kingston just as heavy rain and hail fell. Freezing, with wet roads and hail bouncing all over the place, I saw a little hill and attacked to have a clear road in front of me and to try and get warm. As was typical of the road races, I didn’t get very far before being swallowed by the bunch. A few other attacks, even with the help of other riders, suffered the same quick fate. In driving rain, we rode into Kingston after just 43m, having completed the 30.3km stage at an average speed of 42.3km/h for a bunch finish. I guess all the riders were trying to warm up!

After the hills in the prologue and stage 1, stage 5 on Monday morning was somewhat ominously (and promisingly) labelled as a “HILLY SECTION” from Queenstown to Glenorchy. I thought that with some good hills, the bunch should be well split and allow some movement in overall placings. One of the locals predicted the bunch would splinter on the first hill climb.

The weather had improved although it was still cool with snow getting deeper on the mountains throughout the day. The wet road dried during the day in the sunshine and there was little wind. Again, it was supposed to be a controlled start from Queenstown to the base of the first hill (about 500m!) but, much to the chagrin of Sarah Ulmer, who was riding with the B grade men, the King of the Mountains attacked from the start line. The first hill was not too bad and the bunch stayed together. After about 4km, a longer hill was encountered and the bunch split. I found myself in the back half sitting behind Sarah Ulmer who was drifting off the pace. Feeling good, I jumped across the gap to the front bunch. A steep and fast descent followed and I recalled being told to watch out for a dangerous corner at about the 5km mark. I was wondering which corner this was as I saw one and then two riders slide off the road and into the bank. I guessed that was it! The bunch then regrouped at the bottom of this hill.

The course had plenty more ups and downs, but again, every attack was soundly defended by the bunch. Getting frustrated, and needing a decisive winning margin, I attacked over the top of a big hill and continued down the other side. Despite racing at well over 80km/h down the hill and back onto the relative flats, the bunch was still there. My 53:11 gear was just not big enough for the course. The last few kilometres were relatively flat and it was, like usual, a bunch sprint for the finish after taking a 90° left hand turn just a few hundred metres before the finish line. The bunch time was 1hr16m for the 45km, at 35.5km/h average speed, which reflected the hilly nature of the course. It turned out we had managed to drop just 7 riders from the bunch along the way.

The final stage on the Monday afternoon was scheduled to be another criterium. This course was much longer than the first criterium and basically flat. However, after looking at the road surface and the traffic conditions, the organisers cancelled the criterium and replaced it with a 16.4km road race. This was an out and return course from Glenorchy. The course had a modest hill early on and then several one way bridges before turning around for a final hill climb and descent.

A strong tail wind out resulted in a fast initial pace and a slower pace with a strong head wind on the return journey. More team work was evident in this stage. As it was an impromptu stage, service vehicles were not well organised and the B grade yellow jersey holder suffered the agony of puncturing in the last few kilometres and losing over 6 minutes in the process to finish well down the field overall. There were no serious attacks in the stage and it was once again a bunch finish. We completed the distance in 25m45s at an average speed of 38.2km/h.

Daily prize givings of spot prizes were held at the local sponsoring establishments to ensure they got value for their sponsorship dollars and would support the event again next year. The final prize giving was held at a local hotel on the Monday night with a full buffet dinner.

Overall, I finished in 17th place out of 29 starters and 3m36s down in the B grade. Basically all of this time was lost in the non-road stages. The cycling was certainly different with new terrain and competitors, coupled with genuine mid-winter weather and an effective almost track like criterium, making the event a most interesting experience.

Rotorua Open

Sunday 8th April 2001

Jason Kelly

The Rotorua Open is raced over 80km in a handicap format i.e. first across the line wins, the time is not relevant. This year the race was held the day after the Rotorua - Taupo 100km Flyer with a small field. The field was so small that just one race was held instead of the planned separate races for the Open, Vets and Women.

Handicapping was a rough and ready approach which is about all that can realistically be expected without detailed knowledge of each and every rider. I started in a group of 7 riders which consisted of 5 Ramblers - myself, Gavin Povey, Michael Head, Scott Betteridge and Mathew Wilson, along with two other riders. Our group started 19 minutes behind the vets, 4 minutes in front of the bunch behind us and 8 minutes in front of the scratch group (which included other Ramblers’ members.)

The weather was fine and sunny with a temperature around 20°C and a light to medium southerly wind.

From the start line, Michael Head pushed the pace to see how strong the other two riders were. One responded in kind and the entire group stated to work together at a fast pace. Up the long hill towards the main highway, Michael Head and Mathew Wilson came off the back of the bunch. Nearing the top, the pace eased and Michael jumped back on but our bunch was down to six riders. Once on the main highway, with the aid of a tailwind, we raced along at a fast clip.

Turning left and into the head wind (onto the same road as used for the first part of the Rotorua - Taupo Flyer), we sighted the first rider in front of us and soon caught him. Our pace slowed up the gradual incline and as the wind strengthened. Soon enough, one of the other riders said they could see the chasing bunch. After about 1hr 20m, the chasing bunches caught us. It was obvious why as they had substantially more riders. Mathew Wilson had ridden up with the chasing bunches to catch us.

Naturally enough, the pace picked up immediately and a few hill climbs certainly stretched the legs. With about 15km to and climbing a steady incline at a solid pace, the riders in front of me dropped off the bunch. By the time I realised what had happened, I just couldn’t bridge the gap. Riding by myself, a couple of other riders caught me, but, up the next short rise, one was left long behind. Reaching the last big hill, I pushed my pace and managed to catch a few stragglers from the main bunch and almost caught Michael Head who had managed to bridge the gap I couldn’t. I crossed the finish line after 918m of vertical climbing a few minutes behind the front bunch somewhere near the back of the field.