Bailey Saville (17), Phoebe Swale (16), Ruby Knight (16) and Ella Harris (16) ''shocked everyone'' when they finished the 16km team race 17sec ahead of Auckland's St Kentigern College.
Coach Chris Henderson said it was the first time a school from Otago had won a medal since 1990, when the Otago Boys' High School team for which he and brother Greg were racing, secured silver.
Greg, who races professionally for Belgium team Lotto-Belisol, has gone on to succeed on the world stage, including winning one gold and three bronze medals on the track at the 1998 and 2002 Commonwealth Games, and gold in the 15km scratch race at the 2004 world championships.
With Anna Macdonald (16) ruled out with a broken ankle, Columba was a rider short and did not have the luxury of one of its cyclists dropping off.
A year after finishing 10th, Columba led by 6sec at the turn and pushed the lead out another 11sec on the home leg.
''These girls are exceptional,'' Henderson said.
''We started building up for this in January when we went on a training camp around Central [Otago]. We did 400km in the week ... then they continued doing 300 to 350km a week.
''It [distance] obviously dropped in winter when we ran out of daylight. We did sessions in the gym on stationary trainers at night. They [the girls] have been really committed; they really deserved it.''
While poor weather cancelled the road race and robbed the Columba riders of a chance for more medals, Saville won silver in the senior individual points race.
''Bailey's a really strong rider, so we gave her a tactic to keep on attacking until she got away. She got away on lap three of eight with another girl and they just rode off into the sunset,'' Henderson said.
Columba was the only Otago school to compete in the championships which attracted more than 800 riders from around the country.
Saville, who finished second in the South Island secondary schools road race in July, is aiming for a podium finish in the individual pursuit at the track nationals next year, while Swale, Knight and Harris will join her in the team pursuit.
They will represent Cycling Otago in the championship, the organisation they have breathed fresh air into, Henderson said.
''They are pretty special girls ... they all get along together. Their parents are all fully supportive of them. They don't see their girls much because they are always on bikes.''
- Robert Van Royen
