Wind adds to pain as riders put mettle to the pedal

FLYERS: Ramblers riders Ian Geary and Richard Farquhar finished first and second in the time trial.PHOTO/DUNCAN BROWN

When Napier cycling enthusiast Richard Farquhar crossed the finish line outside Church Road Winery he was too drained to grin - although he was certainly grinning inside as he was the first rider to set a time on the 23km rural track which the Elite Class men and women riders took on later.

"I'm pretty stoked," he said, and there were smiles when it was announced he had posted the second-fastest time for the Traffic Design Group Flying Lap event which was for local riders who wanted to taste the experience of what the professional riders would go through.

But it was not easy as strong northwesterly winds swept across the region - and directly into the faces of the riders as they travelled the starting straight along Church Rd.

"It's bloody windy out there and it was pretty tough up Prebensen Drive but once you got back over the top toward Puketapu it got faster," Mr Farquhar, who is a member of the local Ramblers Club, said.

"It really makes you work but oh God no, I couldn't do another lap."

His time of 42m 41s was only beaten by one of his clubmates, Ian Geary, who did the course in 41m 55s.

"I did it in about 42 minutes yesterday," he said.

"It's a great thing to be part of."

He's been riding "for fitness and fun" for about 10 years and only entered the event the day before.

"I like the idea of time trials and decided to give it a crack."

He described the wind as "everywhere" but that there was a "nice tail wind from Puketapu School".

Another club member, 70-year-old Bruce Strachan from Waimarama, was kitted out in all the right cycling gear but decided not to do the time trial.

"There isn't a class for the 70s," he said with a smile.

"I just wanted to see how it's supposed to be done."

As the 10 women, 13 U23 and 15 men riders prepared for their specialist time trial events, which kicked off the Big Save Elite Road National Championships, former top professional rider Julian Dean said the competitors faced "a real slog out there".

He said the chip-sealed roads created extra drag and the wind would have an effect on the handling as many were using full disc wheels.

"It would be a real battle with the winds."

However, for those who watched the first women competitor, Madison Campbell of Christchurch, get away there was little doubt the Elite riders were up for it.

She defied the headwind and quickly got up the sort of pace which could have overtaken a car.

"There is a strong wind but it's the same for everyone," was how Cycling New Zealand's media liaison man Ian Hepenstall simply put it.

Napier City Council chief executive officer and keen cyclist Wayne Jack looked wistfully at a couple of riders preparing for the time trial and nodded his head - "oh yes, I'd love to give it a shot".

But he is still in recovery mode from a cycling race crash near Havelock North in November where he broke an elbow, damaged an AC joint and suffered cuts and grazes.

"But it's so great to see this happening now - to see it under way because there has been a real vibe around town about it."

He said the national event, which would be staged here for two more years, would showcase Hawke's Bay as a cycling destination and would help get more people active.

"This is our first and we will continue to build on it - it's a good start."

-Editorial, p14

- More cycling, p24