CYCLING - Evans geared up for top-10 Taupo finish

The thrills have outnumbered the spills since Ben Evans got serious about cycling, but this weekend's Wattyl Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge will present a much tougher test for the Whangarei rider.
Evans will be competing in the 160km Classic, the elite component of the race that is part of the inaugural national points series.
He has competed in three out of the four events in the series so far, with three top-10 finishes to his name.
This weekend's race could provide the top Northland rider with a sterner test.
"The field for Taupo will be a harder than it has been so far in the series, principally because a lot of Kiwi riders are back from overseas," Evans said.
The Taupo event will feature names such as Olympian Sam Bewley and double Olympian Pete Latham.
"... But I'm still going to be trying to finish in the top-10," Evans added.
He is hoping the experience of a recent series race will help him fire up for the challenge.
During the tough 192km K2 race at the end of October, Evans was part of a breakaway trio, with series leader Jeremy Yates and Karl Murray, that at one stage had built up a lead of eight minutes on the main bunch.
On a fast, tricky descent, a dip in the road caught Evans by surprise and he "nudged" into a barrier at speed. He damaged his hand and eventually the incident cost him a podium position, as he lost the other two riders after the crash, allowing a chase group to catch him before the finish.
The 36-year-old Whangarei osteopath put the costly error down a lapse in concentration and experience.
"Both those guys knew the road better than me, they raced on it more times than I had, but you can be sure that it won't happen again," he laughed.
It has been a steep learning curve for Evans after only starting competitive riding a couple of years ago.
He got serious about riding less than a year ago, taking on Auckland rider Murray as his coach.
Since then his results have undergone a radical transformation.
From 22nd last year in the Twin Coast tour of Northland to third this year and a bronze in the Labour weekend national club championships (in the masters' 35-39 class) - the results underline the improvement.
The Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge, commonly known as the "round Taupo race", began in 1977 and is now one of New Zealand's most popular sporting events, drawing thousands of competitors to the central North Island town.
It is a largely non-competitive 160km bike ride around New Zealand's largest lake. There are 11 different races, including relays, depending on the riders' individual ability.
"It's incredible that so people get together with cycling in common, especially when you get to prizegiving and they're all gathered together, it's pretty impressive," Evans said.