KEY POINTS:
New Zealand's premier cyclists Julian Dean and Sarah Ulmer have been confirmed as starters to contest the national road championships in Upper Hutt next month.
Europe-based Dean, who has not completed in the road championships for several years years, will line up against 2006 national champion Hayden Roulston in a potent-looking men's team on January 13.
Also lining up are Tim Gudsell, who signed with French pro team FDJ in October, Oceania champion Gordon McCauley and the rest of the New Zealand team competing in the Tour Downunder starting on January 16 in South Australia.
Ulmer will be in a women's field including Christchurch rider Jo Kiesanowski, whose team won the women's world cup team competition this year, as well as top women cyclists Meshy Holt and Toni Bradshaw.
BikeNZ event manager Ted Jones said the championships had been moved from their traditional timing of October to January to attract New Zealand's elite cyclists and allow the winners the honour of wearing the champions jersey all year round.
It also followed the lead of Australian cycling, which has a similar calendar policy.
"The road races will be pretty much the strongest fields possible with nearly all the country's best riders competing," Jones said.
'This is ideally what the fields should always look like and will provide a rare opportunity to see our top riders race against each other at home."
The road race is being held in and around Upper Hutt and is 156km long for the men and 101km long for the women.
The time trial is being held on January 11 at Mangaroa Valley just out of Upper Hutt.
The women's distance is 25km, the men's 40km.
- NZPA
