Two of New Zealand's premier road cycling prospects are preparing for a big climb in competition as they race at the world road cycling championships in Norway.
Ben Hamilton and Oscar Elworthy will be participating in the men's junior road race and time trial at the world champs, following noteworthy performances on the New Zealand age-group road cycling circuit.
Hamilton is New Zealand's under 19 road race champion, and finished second in the time trial, while Elworthy is the time trial champion. Throw in similarly strong results riding for Team Skoda on the NZ road circuit, and the duo stamped their mark as the leading young riders in the country.
Those performances got the pair selected to race in Canada's Tour de l'Abitibi in July, where Hamilton finished sixth overall, and Elworthy 18th.
The pair agree that the experience in Canada has been a massive boost in their preparation for the world champs.