World Cup road race remains a possibility

The staging of a World Cup women's cycling road race in the Wairarapa next year remains a possibility.
That's the word from Jorge Sandoval, who organised the hugely successful NZCT Women's Tour of New Zealand and International Cup events here last week.
Sandoval revealed to the Times-Age yesterday that while the requirements for a World Cup race were different from the International Cup the Wairarapa was still very much a contender for hosting rights if his application to stage a World Cup women's event in 2009 was successful.
"Wairarapa is a superb road cycling venue and as such we would have to give it serious thought," Sandoval said.
But impressed as officials and riders were of the International Cup course around the streets of Masterton on Sunday Sandoval said there was little chance of it being utilised for a World Cup race too.
This was because the course for an event of that magnitude had to include a hill and Sunday's route was entirely flat.
"Obviously there are many other places in the Wairarapa where the hill situation wouldn't be a problem but they would need to be easily accessible to the general public and that's a possible hassle," Sandoval said.
"But that doesn't mean we have already ruled Wairarapa out & no way."
The odds of the International Cycling Union granting Sandoval permission to stage what would be his third World Cup women's event next year the others being in Wellington in 2005 and 2006 are seen by the man himself as about 50-50.
He knows his prospects would be considerably enhanced if Australia could be encouraged to hold something similar at about the same time, a situation which would entice the top European riders to join those from the likes of Australia, China, Japan and New Zealand.
"We will be talking to the Aussies over the next couple of weeks to see what their views are, if we can get them on our side then things could really start to happen," Sandoval said.
If the World Cup race is a no go Sandoval says the arrangements for the women's races next year will "almost certainly" stay the same as they were last week, with Wairarapa hosting the three-day tour and then after a day's rest the International Cup.
"Honestly, I can't see any reason why we would change anything, everything went so well this time," he said.
Sandoval was delighted by the number of spectators who lined the Masterton streets to watch the International Cup race evolve.
"It was great to see so many people sitting on seats on the footpaths taking everything in," he said. "And the kids especially seemed to love it, and that's where the future cyclists come from."
Sandoval had high praise too for the outstanding work of the Masterton police in ensuring that the safety of the riders was given absolute priority, something made even more important by the fact that roads used for the International Cup were kept open to the general public.
"The co-operation from the police was brilliant, we certainly couldn't have done what we did without them," he said.
Sandoval also paid a big tribute to those Wairarapa people who had billeted riders, saying many of the latter had expressed the desire to return to their billets if the International Cup event was to be held again in Masterton next year.
"There wasn't one complaint from riders over how they were treated by their billets, it was something new for them and they thoroughly enjoyed it," he said.