Cycling: Strong Australian numbers for Oceania championships

A strong contingent of Australian women cyclists will make the trip across the Ditch to take part in the Oceania Road Cycling Championships in Queenstown, starting tomorrow.

Because the Olympic points qualification is still open for the women, Australia will have six riders competing in the elite women's race.

Australian professionals Shara Gillow, Myfanwy Galloway, Rachel Neylan and Commonwealth champion Nicole Cooke will all be taking part in an attempt to gain Olympic qualification.

Media liaison officer for BikeNZ Ian Hepenstall said because virtually all of New Zealand's leading riders are away overseas on professional duties, a smaller contingent of New Zealand riders will face some stiff competition from their Australian counterparts.

Despite Olympic qualification for the men already being closed, Australia will have 12 men competing in the road race.

"It is a relatively low-key event, and the quality of the field is not as good as it has been in the past, but it will still be competitive," Hepenstall said.

He said New Zealand riders Paul Odlin and Sam Horgan, who were first and second in the time trial at the national championships in January, were strong contenders in the elite men's race.

All up, there will be seven different catagories, the under-19 men and women, under-23 men, and elite men and women, as well as under-19 men's and womens' time trials.

The riders will race on a 25km circuit which starts and finishes at the Nugget Point Resort in Arthurs Point.

Hepenstall said the riders would have to navigate "some challenging climbs" during the circuit.

Otago riders competing are Joe Chapman in the elite men, Brad Evans and Patrick Jones in the men's under-23, Reta Trottman and Tess Molloy in the elite women, and Michael Podmore, Luke Weiblitz, Sam Friend and Max Beckert in the under-19 men.

All riders are racing in the road races.

The championships begin with the time trials tomorrow. The under-19 women and elite women race on Saturday and the under-19, under-23 and elite men on Sunday.

About 250 riders will be taking part.

The Oceania Road cycling Championships is a UCI sanctioned event, rotated each year between Australia and New Zealand.

 

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