Cycling: Kenyan on hunt in NZ

Sulieman Kangangi will be the first ever Kenyan racer to ride in the NZCC.

The Kenyan Riders Downunder team will make their first visit to Aotearoa in January when they line up to race in the New Zealand Cycle Classic, an elite men's road cycling race held entirely in the Wairarapa.

Consisting of Australian, New Zealand and Kenyan riders this team confirmed their attendance last week to take part in the only UCI Sanctioned international event to be held in New Zealand in 2016.

There they will race against England's JLT Condor and the already announced ONE Pro Cycling team, the first ever professional Continental road cycling team to come out of Britain, in the five-stage tour to be contested over Wairarapa roads from January 20 to 24. More international teams will confirm their attendance over the next two weeks.

NZ Cycle Classic race director Jorge Sandoval welcomed the international teams and said KRD would bring variety to the traditionally Australian-dominated event.

KRD is the amalgamation of Kenyan Riders and Pro Team Downunder and is being driven by team manager Stewart Crowley. It is led by former New Zealand time trial champion and winner of the 2015 Tour of Okinawa Jason Christie; Nick Miller, Morgan Smith, Nathan Elliot and Kenyan Suliemen Kangangi. Sandoval said Kangangi would be the first ever Kenyan rider to race in the NCC.

"Kenya is blessed with an incredible pool of amazing world class athletes and in a few years' time they could be a force in international cycling. I don't know much about all their riders but for this guy Kangangi taking the mountains jersey in this year's Tour of Rwanda shows he must be a pretty good hill climber."

Crowley said the aim of KRD was to provide Kenyan cyclists with the opportunity to race on the world stage, with the ultimate goal of having a competitive team racing in the Tour de France.

"We believe that as talented endurance athletes, riders from Kenya, combined with the structure and experience of both the riders and management of Pro Team Downunder, will be a formidable force in cycling."

Meanwhile it will be the second visit to the NZ Cycle Classic for the JLT Condor UCI registered team, who last competed here in 2014. Rapha Condor team manager John Herety is excited about the tour.

"We're looking forward to coming back to New Zealand for the NZCC. We enjoyed some success the last time we came and thoroughly enjoyed our time on the race. It's the start of our season for European-based teams, the event gives a perfect opportunity for our riders to kick start their seasons," he said.

"Coming over to the Southern Hemisphere allows these young guys to cut their teeth in senior racing at a high level without the usual pressures they would experience racing at home. New Zealand has a reputation for aggressive and very tough racing, and I think it will be ideal for our guys at this time of the year."

JLT Condor is made up of seasoned British road riders. Steven Lampier is a four-time Tour of Britain rider and has joined the team for the 2016 season from the British Raleigh Cycling team. The oldest in the team and the most experienced, he will be looking for a stage win or setting up a teammate at the stage finishes. He will be joined by George Atkins who has experience in stage races in Italy, France England and Germany and has won multiple British titles on the track over the last seven years. Stephen Williams and Cristopher Lawles, both British internationals, round out the team , along with Kiwi Alex Frame who is team pursuit world champion and an Olympic hopeful.