Cycling: Young guns join Shore cycle challenge

Teen cyclists (from left), Harry Waine, Oscar Elworthy and Jacob Kench. Photo / Chris Gorman

A trio of talented Takapuna teenagers will be among an expected 3000 cyclists making the most of a rare chance to pedal across Auckland Harbour Bridge tomorrow.

Takapuna Grammar students Oscar Elworthy, Jacob Kench and Harry Waine make up three-fifths of the five-man Bike NZ national U17 road cycling team.

The school that developed the sporting talents of Bert Sutcliffe, Sir Peter Blake, Gary Cunningham, Juliette Haigh and more recently Jacko Gill is now enjoying considerable cycling success under the guidance of former pro rider Scott Guyton.

The school's 46-member team claimed three national records, 17 medals, and 48 top 10 results at the recent NZ Secondary Schools Championships.

The U17 trio are set for their next challenge: tackling a 105km course that starts in the city and heads out to the roads around Albany before finishing at QBE Stadium. After making his debut last year, 15-year-old Oscar is looking forward to another crack at the main race.

"It's on my home patch and it's sort of the only proper big one-day race in Auckland City," Oscar said. "One of the reasons I really enjoy it is because it's an open race. Anyone can enter and win. There aren't hundreds of big races like that around New Zealand, so it is quite a big cool one to do."

The event is now in its third year following the inaugural Telstraclear Challenge in 2011 (it wasn't held in 2012). Last year's MS Bike the Bridge helped increase the total raised for Multiple Sclerosis to over $170,000.

This year's race tomorrow morning has courses of 105km, 50km and 20km that all involve riding across the bridge and the full length of the Northern Busway.

Primary school children can ride on the closed ring road over 600m or 2km and toddlers have a dedicated track inside the safety of QBE Stadium.

For Oscar and his young gun team mates it's a chance to show they can keep up with the big boys.

"I was in the leading bunch at the beginning [last year] but at one of the climbs I got dropped from the front bunch," Oscar said." Some of my TGS team-mates stuck in there and got to the top of the climb and rode with the lead bunch to the end.

"I was a little bit bummed out about that," he said. "This year I want to stick with the leading bunch."

Bike the bridge

• 105km, 50km and 20km courses.

• Expected to attract 3000 riders.

• 105km ride across the Auckland Harbour Bridge and up the Northern Busway, continuing north through Albany, Coatesville and Dairy Flat.

• 50km ride follows the same route to Albany before going out and back on Ridge Rd again finishing at QBE Stadium.

• 20km event follows the same route to Albany Village before riders are directed from there into QBE Stadium.
For full details including road closures go to www.bikethebridge.co.nz