Potatoes New Zealand is saddened to learn of the postponement of the 69th edition of the Tour of Southland cycling event, following the recent severe weather that has impacted the region.

As a proud sponsor of the Potatoes Powering Performance team: Onya Bike 1.5, that had entered this national event, Potatoes New Zealand had been looking forward to supporting the riders, including growers from within the potato industry who were set to compete.

Chief Executive Kate Trufitt says the decision to postpone is understandable, given the widespread weather damage and the priority of ensuring community safety and recovery.

“Our thoughts are with everyone across Southland who has been affected by the weather. The organisers have made a responsible decision in the interests of safety and practicality,” says Trufitt.

“We were excited to support the Tour of Southland and to see our growers involved in such a significant event for New Zealand. We remain committed to backing the Team when a new date is confirmed and look forward to celebrating the resilience and spirit that define both our growers and the Southland community.”

Potatoes New Zealand acknowledges the huge effort that goes into staging a national event and commends the organisers, volunteers, and sponsors for their dedication amid challenging circumstances.

The organisation says the Tour of Southland reflects the values shared by New Zealand’s potato industry — teamwork, endurance, and community connection — all essential qualities in both farming and sport.

E-bikes are no longer a niche in New Zealand—they’re everywhere. From Auckland commuters swapping traffic jams for cycleways, to retirees cruising around Napier’s waterfront, to mountain bikers taking on Rotorua’s trails with a little extra pedal-assist power, electric bikes are changing the way Kiwis ride.

But with the rise of e-bikes comes a practical challenge: how do you safely and easily transport them? Standard bike racks were never designed with the extra weight of e-bikes in mind. A typical e-bike weighs anywhere from 23 to 30 kilograms, sometimes more according to Cycling New Zealand. Add a couple of them to your car, and suddenly your old rack may not cut it.

Choosing the right bike rack is just as important as choosing the right e-bike. If you’ve recently invested in a set of e-bikes—or you’re planning to—here are some key things to look for when choosing a rack that can handle the load.

Weight Capacity Matters Most

The first and most obvious requirement is weight capacity. A rack that’s fine for lightweight road bikes may buckle or sway under the heft of an e-bike. Always check the manufacturer’s specifications. Look for racks with at least 25–30 kg per-bike capacity.

It’s not just about holding the weight while driving; the rack must withstand bumps, sharp turns, and New Zealand’s rugged backroads. A rack that isn’t rated for heavier loads can damage your car, your bikes, or worse—create a safety hazard on the motorway.

For families with both regular bikes and e-bikes, a higher weight rating provides peace of mind and flexibility.

Easy Loading and Unloading

Let’s be honest: lifting an e-bike is not like lifting a standard mountain bike. Anyone who’s tried to hoist one onto a roof rack knows the struggle. Ease of loading is a game-changer.

Consider racks that allow you to roll the bike into position rather than lift it fully. This is especially helpful for older riders, kids, or anyone recovering from injury. A rack that minimises heavy lifting means you’ll actually use it more often.

Hydraulic or assisted-lowering features are becoming popular, and for good reason—they make loading safer and reduce the chance of accidentally scratching your bike or vehicle.

Stability on the Road

Transporting an e-bike isn’t just about getting it onto the rack; it’s about keeping it secure at 100 km/h. A rack with wobble, rattle, or weak tie-down points is not acceptable for heavier loads.

Look for designs that hold the bike firmly at multiple points—typically the wheels and frame. Anti-rattle mechanisms built into the hitch are another good sign of a stable, well-engineered system. The last thing you want is your bike shifting every time you hit a pothole on State Highway 1.

Versatility for Kiwi Lifestyles

New Zealanders are diverse riders. Some are urban commuters, some are weekend warriors heading to Taupō, and others are families with a mix of kids’ bikes and e-bikes. A good rack should adapt to all of these needs.

Features like adjustable spacing between bikes, compatibility with a range of wheel sizes, and garage storage conversion options all add value. Think about where and how you ride, and whether the rack can grow with your family’s cycling habits.

Built for the Long Haul

A final consideration is durability. E-bikes are a big investment, and so is the rack you use to carry them. Powder-coated steel, rust-resistant hardware, and proven design all matter when you’re dealing with New Zealand’s coastal climate and varied terrain.

It’s worth spending more upfront on a rack that will last years, rather than replacing a cheaper option that fails under pressure.

A Solution Designed for Heavier Loads

Fortunately, bike rack technology has kept pace with the e-bike boom. New Zealand e-bike sales have surged year after year, and new rack designs are following suit—offering higher weight ratings, better stability, and smarter loading systems than ever before. One example is the vertical hitch bike rack, which allows riders to roll bikes into position, securely holds heavier frames, and even doubles as a storage solution when mounted in the garage.

For e-bike owners, racks like this solve the three biggest headaches: lifting, stability, and safety. They also work just as well for traditional bikes, meaning you don’t need separate systems for different family members.

The Bottom Line

E-bikes have taken off in New Zealand, and the trend shows no sign of slowing down. With more riders hitting the road and trail, the importance of safe, reliable transport has never been higher.

If you’re an e-bike owner—or you’re about to become one—investing in the right rack is not optional. Look for a solution that offers high weight capacity, ease of loading, and long-term durability. Doing so will not only protect your bikes and vehicle but also give you the freedom to explore New Zealand’s roads and trails with confidence.

In the end, a good rack is more than just a piece of hardware—it’s the gateway to bigger adventures. With the right setup, there’s no limit to where your e-bike can take you.

Attributable to Acting Detective Sergeant Steve Leonard:

A man has been arrested in relation to an assault in Hawke’s Bay last month in which cyclists competing in a race were pelted with glass bottles.

On the afternoon of Saturday 19 April, the occupants of a black ute were seen on Mutiny Road, Poukawa throwing bottles from their vehicle towards participants of a Council-sanctioned cycle race.

A young person was hit by a bottle and fell from their bike – fortunately they were not seriously injured.

Hastings Police would like to thank the public for their response to our appeal for information at the time, as this has helped bring this matter to a resolution.

An 18-year-old man has been charged with two counts of assault with a weapon, and is due to appear in Hastings District Court on Friday 23 May.

He was a passenger in the black ute at the time.

This vehicle has been seized by Police, and Police are following lines of inquiry to speak with the driver.

We would like to take this opportunity to remind road users that cyclists are legal road users under the Land Transport Act, who will on occasion ride two abreast, particularly in organised ride or race situations.

Please be patient and overtake when safe to do so for all parties, ensuring everyone arrives at their destination safely – preserving Hawke’s Bay’s reputation as a proud cycling region.

Cycling New Zealand’s decision to restore fairness for females in cycling is a positive move that has been welcomed by Save Women’s Sports Australasia spokeswoman Ro Edge.

 “It is great that Cycling New Zealand has changed its rules, as they were enabling male born cyclists to unfairly win female competitions, prize money and accolades in events throughout our country,” Ms Edge says.

“The situation was demoralising and disheartening for our best female competitors, so I’m really excited for them that this change has occurred and their opportunities for fair competition have been restored.”

Cycling New Zealand (CNZ) is updating its Transgender Policy to align with the UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale), which in July banned male transgender athletes, who transitioned after male puberty, from participating in women’s events. If CNZ follow the UCI’s lead, they will rename the Men’s category as Men/Open to enable any athlete who does not meet the conditions for participation in women’s events to be admitted without restriction.

“The decision reflects that cycling now acknowledges male born cyclists have athletic performance advantages, even with testosterone reduction, over females.” The decision only applies to elite cycling events, with rules for other events to be determined by the relevant organisers.

“My hope is that CNZ gives strong guidelines to local clubs running other events and categories to take the pressure off them and event organisers when male born cyclists wish to compete in the female category.”

SWSA is hopeful that both the UCI and Cycling NZ will eventually move to protecting the female category from birth, but still applauds them for their updated policies, which are a move in the right direction. 

“Other New Zealand sporting bodies now need to step up and update their policies so females in their sports can be assured of fair competition.”

A lack of cycle access and security at public transportation hubs is hampering the growth of sustainable micromobility in urban areas - according to industry experts.

New insurance data shows nationwide theft of e-bikes has surged more than 115% in the first quarter of this year - causing some insurance providers to review whether bike owners can continue to be automatically covered under their home contents policy.

Maurice Wells managing director of the Electric Bike Team says while millions of dollars are being spent building new roads for cars through subdivisions, new public transport stations are still being designed with no adjacent cycle access or dedicated secure bike storage facilities.

He says, as a result, their retail data shows most new e-bikes sold are being used for recreational purposes - rather than to commute to work.

The use of small, lightweight personal transportation devices such as electric bikes, known as ‘micromobility’, provides an environmentally sustainable alternative to vehicles with internal combustion engines when commuting over short distances.

A surge in the popularity of e-bikes has seen almost 50,000 battery-powered cycles worth $62.3m imported in the past year[1]. The growth in imports is up around 67%, despite global supply constraints as a result of the pandemic[2]. In comparison, there were 87,374 new cars sold during the same period - a figure set to be dwarfed by e-bike sales based on its rate of growth[3].

Wells says prices for some new e-bikes can be on par with entry-level cars however they are significantly easier to steal and onsell.

“Unlike cars, cycles carry no registration plates, don't usually have an alarm and at just over 20kg are light enough to be carried away if needed.

“Currently, one of the primary barriers to purchasing e-bikes for commuting is the lack of secure bike storage facilities at public transport stations.

“When you are spending $5,000-$15,000 or more on a cycle, you want to know that when you step off the train at the end of the day it is going to be where you left it.

“International best practice for supporting micromobility includes a range of secure cycle storage options as well as charging stations for e-bikes, however on a local level transport planners have not kept up with a trend towards the purchase of high-value cycles and are failing to help commuters adequately secure their asset,” he says.

According to latest statistics from NZ Police, a bike is reported stolen in New Zealand every three hours, however, less than 100 offenders are charged with theft of a bicycle annually[4].

Adam Smith, director of Velo Consulting, an insurance assessor specialising in bicycles and e-bikes says a spike in the number of cycles stolen over the past year may see insurance companies prevent high-value bikes from being covered under a standard house and contents policy.

He says the average value of claims for e-bikes is $4,800 - around $2,000 more than the standard claim for a non-battery powered cycle, and closer to the cost of a low value car.

“With the rise in e-bike thefts, the sheer number of these claims over the past year is now causing insurance companies to sit up and notice - to the point where they are looking at doing things differently now.

“What this could mean for owners is they may need to get specialised e-bike insurance - which may also have policy conditions which require it to be adequately secured when not in use.

“We’re advising e-bike owners who are leaving their bikes in public places to invest in a decent lock - it is concerning to see people spending $7,000 on a new bike and then just $30 on a cheap lock,” he says.

Wells who has a postgraduate degree in engineering specialising in e-bikes and has owned cycle retail outlets across both sides of the Tasman for over 10 years says there is a significant disparity between the investment made in developing urban roadways and the provision of security infrastructure to protect the bikes at public train and bus stations.

He says while the number of electric bike imports is increasing rapidly, a disproportionately high number of these are sold for recreational purposes - not for urban commuting.

“Our retail customer data shows around 75 out of every 100 electric bikes sold through our store is primarily for recreational use.

“Most of the customers coming through are purchasing an e-bike which they might put on the back of their car and use on the new rail-trail network around NZ or on some of the recreational cycle trails in the city.

“While this is positive for the industry, what is conspicuously absent is a larger market for urban commuters who might use a bike to reach a train station which they then take into work.

“If we are to get more cars off our roads, we need to close all the gaps in this model and make it easier for cyclists to get safely into a public transport hub and protect their investment.

“This could be achieved through the creation of new standards which make the design of cycleways around public transport infrastructure mandatory,” he says.

Auckland Council figures suggest secure cycle lockers or a cycle cage could cost $1,350-$4,000 per cycle while the cost to provide parking for a single vehicle could range from $3,600-$112,000 per car[5].

Wells says international technology which allows remote tracking of a bike’s location is not usually enabled for the New Zealand market.

“We know that there is a significant gap in the local market at the moment as GPS tracking of bikes.

“We are currently working with a local company to develop cycle tracking technology that can be installed on bikes in this market and we expect to be able to have this ready in the coming weeks,” he says.

Wells says the current health pandemic has impacted the global supply of electric bikes and parts, there is evidence of a partial recovery in stock levels in this market.

“While our wholesale supplier warehouses are no longer full with stock as they were before COVID, we are starting signs of a supply recovery in New Zealand - even to the point where we are able to resume promotional sales at a retail level, “ he says.

ENDS

[1] Statistics NZ data for year ended Sept 2020. 

[2] Statistics NZ data for 2018. 

[3] MIA industry data. 

[4] NZ Police data. 

[5] Auckland City Council. 

Wanaka cyclist Paul Wright won the battle while Canterbury University student Ollie Jones won the war as a final double header weekend of intense cycling action in Canterbury saw the Calder Stewart Series come to an exciting end.

There was aggressive racing as riders took on the Kiwi Style Bike Tours Kermesse on a 5.66 kilometre circuit in Ladbrooks on the outskirts of Christchurch yesterday followed by todays iconic Kiwi Style Bikes Tours Hell of the South that featured gravel in Canterbury’s Selwyn District near Leeston, south of Christchurch.

Riding for MitoQ-SBS NZ Wright won todays gruelling 140 kilometre elite men’s race in three hours and sixteen minutes just holding off the chasing bunch after slipping away with one kilometre left.

Ewart Bower (Christchurch Dorman Elite Cycling) won the bunch sprint to claim second, five seconds behind Wright with individual Jake Marryatt third and Jones (Ridge Homes) finished fourth.

After Wright’s MitoQ-SBS NZ team mate Theo Gilbertson was caught by 11 riders on the final lap of the 20 kilometre circuit after going away solo through the middle stages of the race Wright took full advantage of some hesitation from the leaders in the closing stages to claim his first Calder Stewart Cycling series win.

“I am stoked to win,” Wright said. “It was a brutal race and was just so difficult. I’ve wanted to win this race ever since I rode it for the first time four years ago. I just love the gravel as it’s so different and more euro as its like the cobbles and pave overseas.”

Riding for elite series winner Jones said that after such a “strange year” it was pretty special to be able to cap of the series with a weekend of racing.

“I was happy to still hold some from after (the Tour of) Southland and after yesterday’s race didn’t go too well I was pretty motivated to put in a race I knew I was capable of today.”

Yesterday’s Kermesse elite race was won by double gold medallist at last year’s Junior World Track Championships Laurence Pithie who outsprinted his breakaway companions Hamish Keast (Transport Engineering Southland), Gilbertson, Marryatt, his older brother Campbell (ChCh Doorman Elite Cycling) and Max Beckert (Blackmax Nutrition). 

Campbell Pithie’s efforts saw him take the leaders and under 23 leader’s jersey into today’s racing.

With a tough challenge ahead today to reclaim the leader’s jersey Jones paid tribute to his Ridge Homes team mates, in particular former series and Tour of Southland winner Michael Vink.

“As a team we were put under pressure early on today as a few of the boys punctured but Michael just stepped up and pulled his weight and more to put me in the best possible position to win the series.”

“There was a lot of work to establish a gap and then keep it. We all worked full gas and once I got in the break and knew my main rivals weren’t there I knew that so long as I finished I’d win the series and I’d got seven bonus points as well, so I just drilled it.”

Jones said the Calder Stewart Series had played a massive part in his development as a rider that has seen the former New Zealand representative in line skater ride at a professional level overseas.

“It’s such a good series, the best in New Zealand, and there’s no doubt it’s played a big part in many riders development over the years, including mine.”

Campbell Pithie won the series Under 23 classification while his brother Laurence took the under 19 leader’s jersey off Logan Currie (Transport Engineering Southland) over the weekend.

Jones also won the SBA most combative jersey for the series and the ChCh Doorman Elite Cycling team just pipped Team Skoda Fruzio on a countback for leading team of the series after the two teams were locked on the same points, the difference being ChCh Doorman Elite Cycling had a better teams result today.

Andy Hilton (Cycle World Emersons) claimed the overall master’s honours in today’s Hell of the South raced in three age group categories over 100 kilometres, winning in two hours and 25 minutes.

He beat Christchurch Mitsubishi team mates Steven Hands, who was second, David Rowlands, Brett Grieve (Cycle Lab Joyride), Mike Rutlidge (GJ Gardner Homes Tasman Wheelers) and the first over 50’s cyclist home, Geoff Keogh (Cycle Lab Joyride).

The six riders had got away from the main field as the masters race splintered on the gravel, and worked well to build and hold on to their lead.

“A strong break on the third lap saw the main selection made,” Hilton said. “We then worked really well. The gravel sorted the bunch out and I just put in a long sprint at the end as I felt strong.”

Hilton thanked his partner who is expecting the couple first child in April for “letting me come and race” before also thanking his team mates.

In a battle of the brothers Brett Grieve just edged ahead of his brother and Cycle Lab Joyride team mate Jacob over the weekend to take the masters 35 to 44 leader’s jersey off his shoulders. 

Rowlands who won yesterday’s kermese, beating Rutlidge and Keogh, won the 45 to 49 series classification for another year and picked up the masters SBA most combative jersey while a solid weekend saw Keeogh secure the over 50s jersey for the season.

The master’s team classification for 2020 was won by Cycle Lab Joyride.

Richard Scott from Revolution Events said he was pleased to end the year with such a high calibre of racing after what has been a frustrating and challenging year due to covid.

After six years of running the series Scott is stepping away from ownership, hopeful that a new operator may still come forward to pick up the reins for 2021.

“I really do hope someone will come forward keen to continue the vision Greg Hume started back in 2005,” Scott said.

“It’s always been about the development of young riders, and for me a real highlight has been seeing so many come through the series and experience teams racing for the first time and then go onto bigger things in cycling, which has included some getting pro contracts on World Tour teams.”

Organisers and riders are looking forward to a final double header weekend of cycling action in Canterbury after the Covid pandemic saw rounds two and three of the Calder Stewart Series cancelled after a successful start in Southland in March.

“After such a challenging and frustrating year, not only for us trying to run a cycling series, but for everyone, it’s so good to get to the finish line this weekend and have some racing to wrap this year’s Calder Stewart Cycling Series,” Richard Scott from Revolution Events said.

“We had such a great start running the opening round in Southland in March before Covid hit that saw us having to first move, then cancel, the two rounds on the West Coast, so to be able to run this weekend’s racing is fantastic.”

Scott said he was expecting aggressive racing as riders tackle the Kiwi Style Bike Tours Kermesse on a 5.66 kilometre circuit in Ladbrooks, on the outskirts of Christchurch on Saturday followed on Sunday by the iconic Kiwi Style Bikes Tours Hell of the South that features gravel in Canterbury’s Selwyn District near Leeston, south of Christchurch.

“What the cancelled racing has done has resulted in the series being wide open this weekend where practically anyone could win,” Scott said.

“Every point will count on Saturday and the series is up for grabs with a number of riders across the elite and masters categories all capable of taking away the 2020 series leader’s titles and adding their name to an impressive list of previous winners.”  

Sunday’s Hell of the South is on a modified course with racing on a 20 kilometre loop with one section of gravel just under two kilometres in length.

The master’s riders will aim to complete five laps to cover 100 kilometres while the elite men will do an extra two laps to race 140 kilometres. 

One local rider who has tasted success three times on the gravel in the Hell of the South is two time Calder Stewart Series elite men’s winner who just narrowly lost his bid to win the SBS Tour of Southland for a third time earlier this month Michael Vink.

Vink, who has his Ridge Homes team mate Ollie Jones in the elite men’s leader’s jersey this weekend after winning in Southland says he’s looking forward to the gravel as it’s a surface that is rarely raced on in a cycling road series.

“New challenges and course changes are always good because it keeps thing fresh for both the riders and spectators,” Vink said.

“The race around Ladbrooks on Saturday is a fantastic idea. Such is the quality of the racing, many riders travel from all over the South Island to participate and giving everyone a couple of opportunities over the weekend is great. The two races are quite different so that's also good in that it gives different riders a chance each day.”

Vink, who did not start in the first round of the series, said his focus at the weekend was looking after his team mate Jones to give him the best opportunity to win the series for 2020.

“I had an easy couple of weeks after (The Tour of) Southland and I'm planning to ride the national championships in February, so this is a bit of an in between race for me but in saying that, good races are few and far between at the moment so I'm certainly going to try and make the most of the day.”

“I've won the hell of the South at least three times so I know it's a good course for me and being a past winner is always good for the confidence.”

Leading contenders in the elite men’s race are Team Skoda Fruzio team mates World Junior track champion Bailey O'Donnell and double gold medallist at last year’s Junior World Track Championships Laurence Pithie, former national champion James Williamson (MitoQ-SBS NZ) who won the Hell of the South in 2010, experienced local coach Paul Odlin (Ridge Homes) and another previous series winner Jake Marryatt who is riding as an individual.

Campbell Pithie (ChCh Doorman Elite Cycling) is leading the under 23 points table, Luke Price (Oxford Edge Cycling Team) will wear the under 19 leader’s jersey while Logan Currie (Transport Engineering Southland) gets to wear the SBA most combative jersey as leader Jones will wear the series leaders jersey. 

Another rider who should make his presence felt is professional long distance triathlete Mike Phillips who is making his first appearance in the series riding for the strong Ridge Homes team.

Vink said he had not spoken to his team mate for the weekend Phillips, but thought like so many of the riders, he will be missing racing and competing so is looking for a competitive weekend out on the bike.

“The gravel will be his biggest test,” Vink said. “As triathletes and ironmen often struggle to stay on their bikes at the best of times,” he quipped. “But we’ll try to keep him out of trouble and I think he’ll surprise a few as he’s a top athlete.”

The masters racing will see Dunedin dentist Jacob Grieve (Cycle Lab Joyride) take the series 34 to 44 age group leaders jersey into the weekend while Wellington doctor David Rowlands (Christchurch Mitsubishi) leads the 45 to 49 age group and Dunedin’s Geoff Keogh (Cyclelab Joyride) will defend his over 50’s lead.

The masters SBA most combative jersey will be worn by Carl Smith (Spark Kiwistyle Bike Tours) as leader Stu Crooks (Cycle World Emersons) is not starting.

Racing gets underway at Ladbrooks at 12.30 on Saturday with the elite men starting the day on Sunday at 10am.

Canterbury University student Ollie Jones backed up pre-race favouritism and Dunedin dentist Jacob Grieve won his first Calder Stewart Cycling Series race in today’s opening round of the series, the Wensleys Cycles Southland Classic.  

Held in Southland for the first time in near perfect conditions, racing in Wyndham, eastern Southland across elite men’s, masters and women’s events saw Jones (Ridge Homes) win the elite men’s 141 kilometre race in three hours and 19 minutes, edging out Campbell Pithie (ChCh Doorman Elite Cycling) and Luke Price (Oxford Edge Cycling Team) in a tight sprint finish.

In the masters race Grieve (Cycle Lab Joyride) got away from his breakaway companions Cycleworld Emersons teammates Andy Hilton and Stu Crook with nine kilometres of the 101 kilometre masters race left and held off the chasing peloton to win in two hours and thirty two minutes.

Jones had shown good form in last month’s Vantage Elite & U23 Road National Championship in Cambridge where he finished fifth just over a minute behind the winner Shane Archbold and his fellow World Tour professional George Bennett who was second.

Riding today with only one team mate Jones made sure he was in the day’s key break of 14 riders that escaped after 10 kilometres that included Pithie, Price, Team Skoda Fruzio team mates Andrew Bidwell, Bailey O’Donnell and Keegan Hornblow, John Wasink (BlackMax Nutrition), Logan Currie (Transport Engineering Southland) and his sole team mate Hamish Sadler.

The group worked well to establish and hold its lead until Jones put the pressure on up a climb with 55 kilometres left, and the group of 14 became eight. The breakaway got back to work until Jones, Pithie and Currie all threw in attacks only to be reeled back in.

The closing kilometres saw a jostling for position with the group’s best sprinter O’Donnell having to do a quick bike change with teammate Bidwell with five kilometres left, leaving him to chase back through the vehicle convoy just failing to regain contact with the leaders.

“Bailey has got the better of me a few times in recent races and is usually faster than me so I knew I was probably the second favourite in the group but once he had to do the bike change I backed myself so I’m pretty happy with the win,” Jones said.

“It worked out perfectly with my team mate Hamish. I said going into the race we just had to stick together as there was only two of us and he attacked at the finish with 600 metres to go which forced everyone to go early and gave me the perfect run at other wheels setting me up well to go for the win.”

“I love racing in Southland and their riders always make the effort to support the series further north so it was great to support the first Calder Stewart race in Southland, made even better with the win.”

Jones claimed the elite men’s leaders’ jersey while Pithie and Price won the Under 23 and Under 19 jerseys.

The masters race saw a series of attacks in the first half of racing not come to much until the halfway point that saw Hilton ride off the front of the peloton with Grieve attached to his wheel, the pair successfully bridging across to Crooks who was 10 seconds up the road.

“Once we were all together off the front we just rode and worked hard,” Grieve, who is in his second year of riding in the series as a master after a number of years racing in the elite ranks, said.

“With about nine kilometres to go I just went full gas up a short power climb and got a gap and then although I was dying and cramping at times, just rode and held it to the line. We rode well as a team which meant I could conserve energy early on so it was just a great day on the bike.”

Wellington cyclist David Rowlands (Christchurch Mitsubishi) won the bunch sprint to claim second 18 seconds behind Grieve with Justin Stott (Cycleworld Emersons) third.

Grieve won the series 34 to 44 age group leaders jersey while Rowlands claimed to 45 to 49 leaders jersey and Dunedin’s Geoff Keogh (Cyclelab Joyride) fourth place finish saw him take home the over 50’s leaders jersey.

Former professional rider and Tour de France stage winner in the team’s time trial Chris Jenner was a nonstarter after suffering injuries in yesterday’s Gore to Invercargill race.

The only woman in today’s race Emily Paterson rode well in the master’s race until finding herself alone, finishing in a time in two hours and 50 minutes.  

Southland’s rich cycling history gets a further boast with New Zealand’s leading team based cycling series being held in the region for the first time. 

The opening round of the Calder Stewart Cycling Series, the Wensleys Cycles Southland Classic, is being held in Wyndham, eastern Southland, this Sunday featuring the country’s best domestic based cyclists across elite, masters and women’s events. 

“Southland had made it clear for a while they wanted a round of series so it’s great we are finally heading south,” Richard Scott from Revolution Events said.

“There is so much cycling history in Southland so I’m looking forward to the Calder Stewart Cycling Series adding to the mix. We have worked hard with the locals to make it happen and they are very passionate and enthusiastic about being part of the series and holding this year’s opening round.”

Southland masters cyclist Steve Keast said that it will be a “special moment” when racing kicked off on Sunday after being in discussions with the series owners Revolutions Events for three years.

“We really wanted to bring the series to Southland to show it off to riders and to further boast our local cycling scene,” he said.

“It’s the flagship one day teams racing series in New Zealand and it’s a real stepping stone for young riders wanting to take the next step up to events like the Tour of Southland. There’s been no shortage of volunteers willing to help as we’ve got such a strong cycling community. ”

Keast said the route provided “a bit of something for everybody” and with it heading close to the coast should also provide some of the infamous Southland cross winds to add another challenge.

“The route includes parts of a classic, historic old Southland course with false flats and power climbs and riders will be exposed to the elements so positioning will be critical, but regrettably the weather’s looking quite settled for Sunday,” he said.

Last year’s elite men’s series winner Dunedin based university student Kees Duyvesteyn has not raced or trained since crashing in Australia’s Herald Sun Tour in February riding for leading Australian Continental pro cycling team BridgeLane, but remained hopeful of starting on Sunday.

“I think it’s great having the series finally head south to one of New Zealand’s strongest cycling regions,” he said.

“I’m still deciding whether or not to race due to the injury I have been fighting since the Sun Tour in early February. My role this year in the NZ Cycling Project team will be to help the younger riders chase a result in the series so it will be good to help out where I can.”

Leading riders in the elite men’s field includes junior world track champion Bailey O’Donnell (Team Skoda Fruzio), Matt Zenovich (Transport Engineering Southland) who rides for rides for Australian St George Continental Cycling Team and Ollie Jones (Ridge Homes), who all have won rounds of the series in the past.

Jones, who was a New Zealand inline skating representative before turning his attentions to road cycling, rode with the Dimension Data professional development team in 2018 after winning the worldwide Zwift Academy online competition.

The 23 year Canterbury University student, who had a strong elite national’s road race last month in Cambridge finishing fifth just over a minute behind the winner Shane Archbold and his fellow World Tour professional George Bennett who was second, will have the added challenge of only having one team mate Hamish Sadler as support on Sunday.

The masters racing with three age group classifications includes the first Kiwi rider to win a stage in the Tour de France, Chris Jenner, who was part of his Credit Agricole win in the team time trial at the Tour in 2001.

Jenner, who retired from pro cycling in 2004 and moved from France to New Caledonia with his wife and young family, still pops up at the odd cycle race and has been involved with New Caledonia's cycling development squad.

Jenner will have strong support from Christchurch Mitsubishi team mates Stuart Lowe, a former Tour of Southland winner, and multiple Calder Stewart Cycling Series master’s winner Wellington cyclist David Rowlands.

Individual woman Emily Paterson will join the masters race.

The elite men race 141 kilometres while the masters will cover 101 kilometres. There are SBA Combative Points up for grabs during laps of the circuit near Wyndham.

The series has introduced a new tighter format this year with the five South Island events being held between this Sunday and the iconic Hell of the South near Christchurch on the 10th of May.

Cycling is a fantastic mode of transport, because it helps you to get active while also encouraging environmentally friendly practices. Having a bike to get around on is a part of living in New Zealand; after all, what’s the point of living in a beautiful country if you can’t enjoy the great outdoors? One of the companies encouraging people to start biking is New Zealand’s Bike Barn, which is partnering with a number of organisations to get Kiwis in the saddle.

The “Bike it Forward” campaign was created by Bike Barn to help kids and adults alike get access to a reliable bicycle. People around New Zealand are encouraged to give their old bicycles into Bike Barn, which are then restored and donated to organisations that need them.

One such organisation is Whakarewarewa School in Rotorua. Bike Barn donated seven bicycles to the kids in this school, fully re-modelled and ready-to-use, to help the kids develop their motor skills and discipline. They plan to continue this plan going forward, stating, “We’re delighted to be able to provide support for the children at Whakarewarewa School and welcome further donations from the Rotorua community.”

Their community efforts are not exclusive to Rotorua. Bike Barn has also joined Bike Auckland’s bike shop partnership program to make owning a bike easier for Auckland residents. Anyone with a valid Bike Auckland membership card need only present it in-store for discounts up to 25% on bikes, accessories and bike services. They cite their reasoning thus: “we want to help get the message out and encourage more people to ride.”

Lastly, they have partnered with AA to give AA Members a number of discounts on their products. Presenting your AA Membership card in store will fetch you a ten percent discount on all bike purchases, and a twenty percent discount on services and accessory purchases. Kiwis can also enjoy a free Bronze-level bike service every year, so they can be sure their bikes are in perfect working order.

Read the full story here: https://www.pr.com/press-release/797152

Talented young cyclists Kees Duyvesteyn and Henrietta Christie won their first Calder Stewart Cycling series titles in the final double header weekend in Canterbury. 

Dunedin based university student Duyvesteyn (SBS Ricoh NZ) went into the weekend as the man to watch in the elite men’s racing after a dominating win in round four of the series in Nelson late last month and riding through the entire field to comfortably win and record the day’s fastest time in Cycling Otago’s Kelvin Hastie Memorial Handicap race last Saturday.

He raced well picking up valuable points and finishing fourth behind winner Ben Oliver (Central Benchmakers Willbike) in yesterday’s fast and furious Calder Stewart Ladbrooks Kermesse and then survived a crash in today’s iconic Cycle Surgery St Martins Hell of the South to take the series’ elite and Under 23 jerseys home.

“The key moment for me was securing fourth in the kermesse and getting combative points over the weekend,” Duyvesteyn said.

“I’m really stoked to take out the series. I didn’t think I would ever manage it when I did my first series race four years ago.”

Duyvesteyn thinks his form is looking good for the SBS Tour of Southland that starts early next month, so long as he recovers ok from a crash in today’s race that saw Sam Guest (Black Max Nutrition) bag the biggest result of his career storming home to beat Paul Wright (Central Benchmakers Willbike) a sprint to win in three hours and twenty nine minutes.

“The crash wasn’t too bad,” he said. “It looked worse than it was and happened about halfway round the third lap. Luckily I had a team mate who gave me his bike to finish on.”

Lying third going into today’s Cycle Surgery St Martins Hell of the South 108 kilometre women’s race Christie (Velo Project) needed to finish in the top five to have a chance of overall series victory.

Women’s series leader Kate McIlroy was absent due to work commitments and her Lightworkx Development teammate Amy Hollamby who was lying second was ill, resulted in her not racing today and losing her chance to ride for the series title.

Hollamby, who had been in Bali last week for a work related conference, felt “like death” in yesterday’s race won by Hannah Bayard (Lightworkx Development) with a heart rate that that was very high even when she wasn’t exerting herself, so opted not to race today to get her health checked out.

With a serious chance of overall series success Velo Project women’s team Manager Andrew Williams was very pleased with the way Christie and the team rode. “It’s a great result for the team and Henritta,” he said.

“As a team we’ve worked really hard together through the series to help put Henritta in the position she was in, so it was great to see her and the team deliver today.”

The women’s Cycle Surgery St Martins Hell of the South was won by Christie’s Velo Project teammate Eylse Fraser with an impressive solo ride, going alone early on and finishing almost five minutes ahead of second placed Jojo Bauer (Cycle Surgery Bartrams) in the time of three hours and three minutes.

Christie won the bunch sprint to claim third and claim the overall series to add to her Under 19 series jersey, coming home five minutes after Bauer.

McIlroy held onto her the Small Business Accounting Most Combative series jersey while Velo project was the women’s series winning team.

The first two laps of racing today in the men’s elite race were intense as teams and riders battled for position entering each gravel section and it took 80 kilometres for a break to finally get away.

As riders fought to complete four laps of the gruelling 36 kilometre circuit the key moment came on the last lap when the peloton was strung out in the gutter as the wind started to become more of a factor.

“The main bunch split apart with groups all over the road like a real classics special, the unpredictability is what makes this race so great,” the day’s elite men’s winner Guest said.

A group of 10 riders worked well together to chase down the break so the front group was all back together heading into the first gravel section on the last lap. Attacks kept coming and Guest found himself off the front in the decisive move with Wright and Ari Scott (Team Skoda Fruzio) with five kilometres to the last gravel section.

“Coming into the last gravel section we heard the gap back to the group of other favourites was about one minute and began to realise we were racing for the win,” he said. “We put in a big effort on the gravel which saw Ari just off the back and then it ended up in a two up sprint at the line.”

Guest said he feels he’s been finding some good form recently but this is his first big win serving as a good confidence booster heading into the Tour of Southland. “This race serves as a great tune up for all the guys racing down south and today proved no exception.”

The series Under 19 jersey was won by Scott while the Small Business Accounting Most Combative series winner was Duyvesteyn. The overall series winner elite men’s team was Transport Engineering Velo South.

Tony Fowler (Kiwistyle Bike Tours) showed he could foot it with the best of the master’s sprinters to win yesterday’s Calder Stewart Ladbrooks Kermesse finishing ahead of fast finishing Christchurch Mitsubishi teammates Darrell Kircher and Nathan Hood.

As racing resumed today in the masters across three age groups the closest battle was in the over 50s classification with only 14 points separating the top three riders, leader Stuart Lowe (Christchurch Mitsubishi),  Chris Harvey (Cycle Lab Joyride) and Paul Gough (Cycle World Emersons).

Lowe did enough to hold onto his lead as did 35 to 44 leader Brett Grieve (Cycle Lab Joyride) while Justin Sims (Armitage Williams Racing) picked up enough points over the two days to move ahead of David Rowlands (Christchurch Mitsubishi) who wasn’t racing in the masters men’s 45 to 49 age group classification.

The masters 108 kilometre Hell of the South was won overall by Hood in a time of two hours and 43 minutes, beating his breakaway companions Grieve and Michael Crawford (Armitage Williams Racing).

Craig Domigan focused on the sprint points to claim back the masters Small Business Accounting Most Combative Rider jersey he wore earlier in the year while Christchurch Mitsubishi won the master’s men’s team classification.

Scott going solo as series owner

Not wanting to see the Calder Stewart Cycling series disappear from the South Island will see current co-owner Richard Scott look to continue to run it without his Revolution Events business partner Jake Rowse.

“It would be a great loss for all riders, but especially our young riders who are our future if it didn’t continue,” Scott said.

He is considering an option of a five or six race series from March to May next year that could include two double header weekends with the final round being the epic Hell of the South on a modified course.

The main change he is considering will see one event per round that will see the elite men, master’s men and women all ride together in one race, as it was until 2014. Leader jerseys for masters and women would be contested along with the elite jerseys.

Scott hopes to confirm the 2020 series and dates at the end of November.

Dunedin cyclist Kees Duyvesteyn is poised to claim his first Calder Stewart Cycling elite men’s series title while Amy Hollamby from Timaru could potentially take the women’s series leader’s jersey off her teammate Kate McIlroy in the final double header weekend in Canterbury.  

After four rounds throughout the South Island the series final weekend features the Calder Stewart Ladbrooks Kermesse on Saturday followed by the iconic Cycle Surgery St Martins Hell of the South on Sunday.

The Calder Stewart Ladbrooks Kermesse is being held on a 5.66 kilometre circuit in Ladbrooks, on the outskirts of Christchurch, with the elite men and masters doing seven laps to cover what will be fast a furious 39 kilometres while the women will complete six laps, racing 33 kilometres, with riders battling it out for sprint points on each lap.   

Sunday’s Cycle Surgery St Martins Hell of the South features two notorious race defining gravel sections in Canterbury’s Selwyn District near Leeston, south of Christchurch, that riders will tackle a number of times that always has a major impact on the racing.

The elite men will aim to complete four laps of the gruelling 36 kilometre circuit to cover 144 kilometres while the women and masters men do one less lap to tackle 108 kilometres.  

After returning from racing overseas Duyvesteyn (SBS Ricoh NZ) had an impressive elite men’s win in round four of the series in Nelson late last month to take the series lead off Jake Marryatt (Moore Stephens Markhams) while McIlroy and her Lightworkx Development teammate Hollamby rode away from the women’s field that saw McIlroy extend her lead in the series and Hollamby move up to second.

Former Sportswoman of the Year McIlroy, who has represented New Zealand internationally in four different sports, cycling, triathlon, steeplechase and mountain running is not racing this weekend due to work commitments. This may see her lose the series lead to Hollamby if the South Canterbury cyclist was to win or come second on Sunday and pick up points on Saturday.

Duyvesteyn, who carried his good form after Nelson into Cycling Otago’s Kelvin Hastie Memorial Handicap race last Saturday, overcoming a 65 minute handicap and challenging conditions to ride through the entire field to comfortably win and record the day’s fastest time, goes into the weekend as the man to watch.  

“I had great form for the last round of Calder Stewart but that course suited me a lot better than the upcoming Canterbury rounds with it being  longer and hiller,” Duyvesteyn said.  “The kermesse will likely end up in a bunch sprint which is not my strength but we will look for opportunities for a break or try to form some sort of lead out.”

The Dunedin University student said he liked the introduction of a short kermesse in the series, saying it adds variety to the racing and gives the pure sprinters a good opportunity on Saturday to shine.

“The Hell of the South can always shake things up in the points the risk of puncturing being so high and how selective the gravel sectors are the series can be won or lost there,” he said.

Although well positioned to take the series title Duyvesteyn is conscious things are still close at the top of the points table pointing out Andrew Bidwell (BlackMax Nutrition) and Campbell Pithie (Contract Consultants Cycle Surgery) are both riding well and knows Christchurch cycling coach Paul Odlin (Ridge Homes) is always strong on the flat and in a sprint.

The elite men’s standings are dominated by Under 23 riders with Duyvesteyn on top followed by second placed Bidwell 16 points behind and l Pithie who is four points behind Bidwell. The leading elite men’s rider is Odlin who is fourth followed by Marryatt.

Another rider expected to make his presence felt on the gravel on Sunday is Michael Vink (Ridge Homes), who has won the Cycle Surgery St Martins Hell of the South four times.

The Christchurch based rider, who will look to defend his SBS Bank Tour of Southland title early next month, has had a solid year racing in Asia and has just completed the seven-day UCI-ranked Tour of Taihu Lake in China, where his St George Continental team mate Dylan Kennett won the overall title while he finished fifth.

Transport Engineering Velo South leads the elite men’s team’s classification followed by Ridge Homes while three riders are locked at the top of the Small Business Accounting Most Combative Rider competition, Laurence Pithie (Team Skoda Fruzio), Duyvesteyn and Richard Lawson (Moore Stephens Markhams).

In the women’s standings Hollamby lies 23 points adrift of her teammate McIlroy with the Under 19 women’s series leader Henrietta Christie (Velo Project) only four points behind her, ensuring some aggressive racing on both days in the fight to pick up valuable points.  

McIlroy has a seven point lead in the Small Business Accounting Most Combative Rider competition and Velo Project is the leading women’s team.

The masters men’s over 50 classification is set for some exciting racing with only 12 pints separating the top three riders, leader Stuart Lowe (Christchurch Mitsubishi) on 84 points, followed by Chris Harvey (Cycle Lab Joyride) on 77 points and Paul Gough Cycle World Emersons on 72.

In his first year of masters racing after moving out of the elite ranks Brett Grieve (Cycle Lab Joyride) has a dominating 42 point lead in the 35 to 44 age group over Andy Hilton (Cycle World Emersons) while Chris Karton (Willbike Cycling Team) and Michael Crawford (Armitage Williams Racing) are locked in a battle for third, both on 47 points heading into the weekend.

David Rowlands from Wellington (Christchurch Mitsubishi) is another series leader not racing, having built up an unassailable lead in the masters men’s 45 to 49 age group classification ahead of Justin Sims (Armitage Williams Racing) and Neil Cleghorn (H R Building).

Rowlands looks set to lose his masters Small Business Accounting Most Combative Rider lead with early jersey wearer in the competition Craig Domigan (Cycle Surgery Anzco Craft Embassy) lying second, just two points off the lead with Greive biting at his heels just one point further back.  

Christchurch Mitsubishi leads the master’s men’s team classification from Cycle Lab Joyride.  

Racing gets underway on Saturday at the Ladbrooks Community Hall with the masters men at 12.30 while the elite men roll out first from the Crate & Barrel in Leeston at 10am on Sunday morning.

Weekend last hurrah for series owners

This weekend will see the end of the series being owned by Jake Rowse and Richard Scott of Revolution Events, who say watching young riders come through the series and go onto professional careers overseas has been an “absolute highlight.”

“There have been so many riders come through the series that have gone on to perform on the world stage,” Scott said. “We have the most recent crop with riders like junior track world champ Finn Fisher-Black who has signed a two-year contract with the academy of World Pro Tour team Jumbo-Visma through to riders like Sharlotte Lucas who gained all her early racing experience in the series and now races in the women’s pro tour.”

Scott said watching the development of the Mike Greer Homes Women's Cycling team was another highlight. “They brought another level of professionalism and a real euro team attitude to the series,” he said.

“The success of the team could be attributed to the team manager Patrick Harvey who provided the same level of commitment and attitude to management level. The success of this team pushed other teams up another level and we got to witness some fantastic and aggressive women's racing over the years. At its height we saw almost 50 starters on the line in the women's event.’

Other riders who have raced in the series included double Olympic medallist Hayden Roulston, world champion on the track in the omnium Hayden Godfrey and George Bennett, who was first Kiwi to win a World Tour cycling event at the Tour of California.

Rowse and Scott said they would like to think they grew Greg Hume's vision and intent from when he first started the series in 2005 that focused on providing young Kiwi riders an opportunity to experience European style racing in New Zealand.

“The series is so important for our young riders as it provides real team based cycle racing experience that helps them learn and develop so hopefully they can go on to bigger races and teams overseas, so it provides a real stepping stone.”