SI Schools Cycling

While I wait for my bed to warm up so I can get a kip before watching tonight's TdF stage 2 thought I would report on the SI Schools Cycling Champs held at Ruapuna over the weekend.

Missed the racing on Saturday as was working. Lucky as it was snowing by midday. They still go the TTs run although the weather was varying form bad to blizzard that times meant little and even then it looks as if the time keepers made quite a few mistakes.

Brooke Williams took a Bronze in U15 girls and Will Bowman 5th in U17 boys. Sadly for Will and his Christ College teammates the teams event was cancelled. They would have been highly favored to win.Sunday was cold but the sun was out. Brooke put up a good show holding on to the well performed pair from Dunedin till the penultimate lap and easily held on for Bronze.

Will put up a good fight in the U17 boys but at the end ran out of legs in the sprint for a low top ten placing. On checking his gears he was locked into a 53X19 after changing out my deep section wheels. Good for U15 racing but two sprockets shy of U17 who can use a 53X17.

Also good to see young George Hubbard (whose big brother Tom is gained some top ten placings in Tour of Canberra) take out the U15 boys from the son of former NZ champion, 3 time Olympian and World Ice Skating Champion Chris Nicholson and Michael Phillips take the U19 Boys event. Got the thumbs up with three laps to go. Sadly no TAB on site!

Great to see Harriet Smithies out and about at the event after her horror crash in Taranaki. Can't wait to see her back racing. Sure she watched the U19 girls event thinking about how she could have torn them to pieces!

Money is on Big Thor Hushovd for stage 2 tonight!