Southland's Cameron Karwowski was the best of the BikeNZ-Pure Black Racing team with a top-25 finish in the prestigious under-23 Tour of Flanders today.
The 21-year-old battled superbly in the peloton throughout the gruelling 173km test, involving a number of telling climbs and significant sections over the famed cobbles in Belgium, in a race that features the best under-23 cyclists in the world.
Karwowski, a 2009 junior world track champion, was close to the lead with 1km remaining but got swamped in a frantic sprint finish, recording the same time as the 50-strong peloton in 24th place.
It proved a challenging day for the team on the famed Tour of Flanders course, using most of the hills and cobblestone section used for the pro tour event last weekend.
"This is as tough as it gets for a road cyclist and is one of the great races in the world," BikeNZ high performance directors Mark Elliott said. "It is difficult to describe to non-cyclists the demands of racing over the cobbles, and there are around 15 short but very sharp hills, some on the cobbles, on each lap.
