Cycling round-up

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

A Gisborne cyclist has won age-group and outright line honours in the women’s division of an 82-kilometre mountain bike race at Taupo.

Rose Candy’s win in the women’s division of the Huka Challenge, the longest off-road race at the 2018 Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge, came alongside four other top-10 finishes by Gisborne cyclists.

Candy’s ride time was 5 hours 45 minutes. Her outright win was by 14 minutes, and her 35-44 age-group victory was by 71min. In the Motu Challenge last month she did a race-winning 160km of mountain bike and road cycling in the long-course duathlon.

Eighth overall in the women’s race and first in the 45-54 group was Gisborne’s Marlis Haertel, in 7:51.

Top Gisborne cyclist Callum Gordon finished fourth in the 17-strong elite men’s race over 82km in 3:53, just nine minutes behind the winner.

Gisborne’s Peter Hancock was 17th overall in the non-elite men’s race over the same distance in 4:33, finishing fourth in the men’s 35-44 age group. Bruce Humphris was 20th in the men’s 55-59 group and 150th overall in 7:51.

Gisborne riders in a 31km mountain bike race were Peter Jarratt, 39th in the men’s 45-54 group in 2:08; Tim Ronke, 34th in the 35-44 group in 2:10; Gregor Ross, 35th in the 35-44 group in 2:10; and Norm Graham, 22nd in the 60-69 group in 3:12.

Out on the highways, Gisborne’s ultra-endurance cyclist Ron Skelton made another appearance in the Maxi Enduro, a four-lapper of 640km that took him 36 hours and 25 minutes for 7th in the 55-59 group. Skelton is building up to a second campaign in the 5000km Race Across America next year.

In the one-lap 160km road event, Neville Parkinson was 109th in the men’s 55-59 group in 5:18; Ewan Atherton, 342nd in the 45-54 group in 5:26; James van den Broek, 365th in the 45-54 group in 5:31; Ian Wedderburn, 94th in the 60-69 group in 5:34; Chris Coppin, 204th in the 60-69 group in 6:40; and Chris Gilmore, 348th in the 35-44 group, also in 6:40.

Half-lake distance competitor Alan Paulson was 85th in the 45-54 group in 2:49; ?Madhui Achari, 64th in the women’s 19-34 group in 4:02; and Vimal Raju, 66th in the men’s 19-34 group, also in 4:02.

In a16km lakeside mountain bike event, Jimmy Holden was 6th in the 35-44 group in 58m; Jack Holden, 49th in the under-18s in the same time; Tama Wirepa, 61st in men’s u18s in 1:03; Aiden Armstrong, 64th in the u18s in the same time; Stuart Armstrong, 12th in the 35-44 group in 1:13; and Katie Holden, 31st in the 35-44 group, also in 1:13.

Taupo’s Challenge was originally one 160km road lap of the lake. Today it offers multiple circuits of the lake, portions of one, or relays, along with varying offroad distances for those who prefer mountain bikes. It now has events catering for e-bike riders.