Wānaka rider Kim Cadzow powered up the final climb to prevail, while Ashburton’s Logan Currie also had gas left in the tank for the final climb to win the men’s title.
Renowned for both her climbing and time trial abilities, Cadzow was the strongest over the 24km test, winning in 34min 17sec, just over two minutes clear of UAE Team ADQ professional Mikayla Harvey, also from Wānaka. Hamilton’s Kate McCarthy was a further 1min 18sec behind in third.
"I was pretty happy with the ride," Cadzow said.
"I had a good plan with my coach to go really hard on the way out but keen something in the tank for that brutal finish."
"The key was sticking to the strategy and keeping it calm. The climb is brutal with a three minute all-out effort. It is a wall you hit on the bike so you must push as hard as you can up it."
Cadzow lines up for the road race today, and then heads to Europe next week to join her new World Tour team EF Education. Her first race, a six-day tour, starts on March 1.
Currie, who was brought up on the roads around the region, used that knowledge to good effect to win the 37km test in 48min 10sec.
He was 15sec clear of 2021 time trial winner Aaron Gate, with a further minute back to World Tour rider Laurence Pithie.
Elle Wyllie dominated the women’s under-23 test, winning in 35min 35sec.
Black Magic rider Kirsty Watts took the under-19 honours.
Canterbury rider Guy Yarrell won the men’s under-23 title in 50min 58sec, while the under-19 title was won by Oamaru’s Reef Roberts.
