A broken leg suffered last year didn't stop Northlander Nicholas Lovegrove from placing eleventh in a national cycling race. Less than half the field finished the gruelling RaboPlus Elite National Road Championships in Christchurch on Sunday and Lovegrove was among them. It took the 28-year-old, originally from Waiotira, five hours and oneminute to complete the 186km race. There were only 14 finishers from the 40 starters. Finishing his first race with his new outfit the Subway-Avanti Pro Cycling Team and helping out his teammates was his main priority, he said. Lovegrove was named in the team last month, only six months after he fractured his leg while competing in Australia last year. The Auckland-based lawyer returned to racing in September after the injury. A modest Lovegrove said the cycling honour was unexpected but he was excited to be part of New Zealand's only professional cycling team. It was the next step up in racing, he said. "I will get the opportunity to ride with NZ's best and get experience at top-level racing, with overseas events on the program." The thought of further accidents and injuries did not faze him. "If you keep thinking like that you'll never got on the bike," he said. Sunday's race was an opportunity for Lovegrove to size up his teammates for the year. Only five members of the ten-strong team finished the race. Lovegrove will compete for selection for potential international races this year in South Korea, China and Malaysia. Relatively new to the sport, Lovegrove began cycling only two years ago after a stint in triathlons. The Auckland roads are familiar territory for Lovegrove who cycles around 600km weekly. Early morning starts and 200km weekend rides are motivated by his passion for racing. "I just love it. Turning up on the start line, looking at the guys on the grids and thinking there will be some hurt put on today and we will see who's there at the finish." The national race follows Lovegrove's fourth place in the Taupo Avanti Classic at the end of November.
