Pahiatua cycling team stands out in North Island series

Team Madison Cycle Clothing NZ, from left: Robert Jaques, Daniel Jaques, Barry Wilson, Erin Wolland, David Jackson, Kevin Laskey, Marcus Fellows and Jackson Fellows.

Kevin Laskey's cycle team entry in the Trust House North Island team series produced a number of wins over five races for Madison Cycle Clothing NZ, consisting of Pahiatua riders. The team was racing against 50 other riders.

Going into the last race on December 5, the competition had Madison Cycle Clothing NZ and Pedal Project from Wellington both on 42 points in the Category Three section.

"Over the five-race series, there were four road races, a criterium and a team time trial - where we ended up second, about seven seconds down," said Kevin Laskey.

"The team rode really well and rotated to a good rhythm. The first three races set the team up overall very well. It was a matter of controlling the riders, who was to get away and who wasn't and what pace - very much like playing chess.

"The last race played into our hands, where three riders broke away, at 40km in the race, from the peloton, with two riders from Madison Cycle Clothing NZ - Jackson Fellows and David Jackson - against a Wellington rider in the breakaway. That meant two teams could stop working; we controlled the race until Bideford Hill, with 8km to go," he said.

With 4km to the finish line, Jackson Fellows attacked over the top of a hill. "I saw the other riders were pretty weak, I attacked then. David Jackson went also with the Wellington rider," he said.

Jackson Fellows put in attack again with 2km to the finish line, then a final attack with 1km to go, managing to break free and go on to win the race and the individual points overall. It was a strong effort from the 15-year-old against senior riders. "It was a hot day, really humid, it was hard to get oxygen," he said.

Fellows wants to get his name out there next year and impressing race director George Sandoval means he already has good connections.

David Jackson came home in third place and second place overall on points over the series. "I won the second race of the series, in and around Alfredton and Masterton, timing it well in the last 500 metres to win," he said.

"I was ecstatic, it's the best result I've ever had in a race. Jackson and I were tied on points for first, going into the last race. It's been enjoyable, doing it with local people and going on group rides together around the district," he said.

David will be cycling from Pahiatua to Bluff in the New Year, planning to ride between 150 - 200km per day. He will be taking a tent and sleeping bag with him and will be joined later in the trip by his family in a car.

"Overall, it was about the team having fun," said Laskey. "We're a good team that rode well together, we knew each other and are all local riders from Pahiatua. I had no intentions of doing as well as we did.

"It's good for the town, living in a small community, having a community team, it's not an easy feat. We can't always have the time to ride together as a bunch of mates.

"George Sandoval split all the categories due to Covid, it was a hard thing to do, we're thankful he did run the series after a number of high profile events have been cancelled or postponed," he said.