New Zealand Olympian Wesley Gough today won the national road cycling time trial in a record time today in Christchurch.
Gough (Subway) completed the 40km even in 48 minutes 50 seconds, 28 seconds clear of Radioshack's Jesse Sergent, with Greg Henderson (Team Sky) third a further 39 seconds back.
"I was very motivated to step up after last year," said Gough, who was third fastest in the event in 2010.
"It's a great early result for the year and it's very pleased for me and my new team."
The course was not as windy as last year, with cross winds having no huge impact on riders, and the faster times reflected better conditions.
Gough said he had a clear plan of how he wanted to ride the race, and keeping a close eye on his power meter played an important role. Although he was pleased with the result, the track at next year's Olympic Games remains a key focus.
"I knew what power I wanted to hold and I only checked on speed occasionally," Gough said.
"I haven't thought too much about time trials going forward, my first priority will still be the team pursuit on the track for the London Olympics. But I would like to continue with some good TT results during the year."
