This weekend's Summer Cycling Carnival will be missing a familiar face - one of Hawke's Bay's strongest local competitors and this year's Central Hawke's Bay Sportsperson of the Year, due to injury.
Despite this, Regan Gough has high praise for the carnival, which is in its third year in Hawke's Bay.
"It's the biggest race in New Zealand and it's on home soil so it definitely is big. I've ridden that circuit for years and years, so I know a fair bit of it and there's obviously a lot of people I know who come out and support, so it is massive for sure.
"It's near the top and any opportunity to get a New Zealand national jersey that you can wear for the year is pretty special," Mr Gough said.
He is hoping for no "hiccups" between now and next year's race and will be "raringto go" all things going according to plan.