KEY POINTS:
Cyclists ruled Auckland roads in races against cars and buses yesterday for national "Go By Bike Day", but a slow crossing of Waitemata Harbour denied them a clean sweep.
They won three legs of a "commuter challenge" contest from four directions to Aotea Square, where Auckland City Council and co-sponsors of a free breakfast ran out of vouchers after demand from 720 cyclists - about 180 more than last year. North Shore City Council hosted a record of almost 400 cyclists, including Mayor Andrew Williams, at a free breakfast in Takapuna.
Former ninth-ranked world downhill mountain biker Jenna Makgill had an easy 11-minute dash from Mt Roskill but with a car-driving colleague, Urgent Couriers sales manager Deane Tetley, tailing her along Dominion Rd.
He had some moments of glory after overtaking her up the hill to Eden Tce, but she flew past him to the head of a queue of traffic at Karangahape Rd. After having to park his car beneath Aotea Square, he reached the finish line two minutes behind Ms Makgill, although 10 minutes ahead of a "flyer" bus which left Mt Roskill seven minutes late.
Cyclists also followed the pattern of previous Bike Wise Week challenges by beating cars and buses, in that order, from Ellerslie and New Lynn.
The exception was cyclist Jo Pitts, who had to twiddle his thumbs waiting for a 15-minute ferry ride from Birkenhead while occupants of a car and a bus were able to use Auckland Harbour Bridge to beat him to Aotea Square by three and eight minutes respectively.
Mr Pitts, a regular cycling commuter to central Auckland, believed he would have had a good chance of winning the race had he been allowed to pedal over the bridge.
Yesterday's award for the largest and "best-dressed" team of cyclists was that of Newmarket-based civil engineering consultancy Maunsell, which commandeered a fleet of 17 tandem machines and about seven single-seat bikes for a flamboyant mass ride across Grafton Bridge.
