Trip to Korea for top cyclist

Waiotira-reared cyclist Nick Lovegrove has been included in the Subway Pro Cycling Team racing Tour de Korea, starting on Friday.
Lovegrove, 29, won Northland's Fred Ogle Race last November, was first in last year's National Team Time Trial Championships with his Counties Manukau club and also won the NPS Round of the Mountain Classic in New Plymouth.
His most recent performances were good enough to earn a spot in the team to ride in the 10-day, 1335km-long tour in Korea.
The Auckland-based lawyer was a pre-race favourite to win last month's BDO Tour of Northland but crashed during stage one of the event. He did well to recover and win stage two riding a replacement bike.
Competition to make the contingent bound for Korea was healthy, said team general manager Hayden Godfrey. A number of the team had shown good recent form, he said.
While the Tour de Korea was a step up from racing in New Zealand, the team had high hopes of a podium finish for a couple of riders.
Tour de Korea features national teams from Japan, Hong Kong, Korea, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Korea and Uzbekistan and various UCI Continental teams including last year's winning team, Jelly Belly, from the United States.
The Subway Pro Cycling Team of Lovegrove, Hamilton's Matt Gorter, Christchurch's Jason Allen, Paul Oldin and Sam Horgan along with Waipukurau's Westley Gough left for Korea yesterday. Racing starts in Gumi on Friday and concludes in Kwangwhamoon on April 24.