Cycling: World Cup race returning to NZ

By SUZANNE McFADDEN

New Zealand has won back its place on cycling's World Cup calendar with the women's World Cup returning to Hamilton in March.

Promoter Stephen Cox has won the right to stage the race for a second time. He got the World Cup circuit to stop in New Zealand two years ago, but this year did not have the funds to stage the event.

But the former New Zealand champion cyclist has now found enough money to secure the race, although he still needs more to meet the expected $200,000 cost of staging it.

If he can't find that, the shortfall will come out of his own pocket.

"I'm really pleased and excited that we've got it back," he said.

"But we've got the same old troubles trying to find all the money."

The New Zealand stop is the second on the world calendar for 2001. The circuit will kick off in Australia the weekend before.

In 1999, Cox attracted a field of 118 of the world's best female cyclists.

He has no idea who will line up in next year's race, but he has already sent invitations to the top teams.

Most of the cyclists will go from New Zealand to Italy for the third leg of the series the following weekend.

Today Cox, who has the support of Cycling New Zealand, will go to the Waikato City Council to see if it can help out financially.

He has secured a "decent grant" from the WEL Energy Trust, which has ensured the race will go ahead.

The 1999 race cost Cox $219,000 to run, but that included a three-day tour beforehand. This time, he will run a couple of one-day races in the week leading up to the big event.

The cup race will be held on an almost identical course to the last event, around Hamilton Lake.