Cycling: Bay team eye silver jersey for Mudgway

IDEAL MIX: The Vennell Coaching BP Cycling HB team which will tackle next week's Tour of Southland. PHOTO/PAUL TAYLOR

SPOT the old timer in the Vennell Coaching BP Cycling HB team which will tackle next week's Tour of Southland.

Yes it's Central Hawke's Bay 47-year-old John Mudgway, the father of world champion Luke Mudgway who will be racing for Southland-based team Barry Stewart Builders, in the 60th edition of the 120-rider, 20-team tour, which begins tomorrow and finishes next Saturday.

He will be joined by Ben Earnshaw, 32, who will be competing in the tour for the third time, Nicolas Monroy, competing for the second time and three tour rookies - 18-year-olds Sam Thorpe-Loversuch and Jack Carruthers, and 19-year-old Shamus Christison.

"While developing our youngsters so they are ready for the next level is a priority we are really keen to give John a crack at winning the silver jersey in the 35 and over age group," Earnshaw said.

He believed the Coronet Peak stage could prove a key one in their quest.

"John is a small guy and that stage could be the one which enhances his chances if we can keep him safe."

As part of their build up the team tackled two tours in a Wairarapa-hosted team series. They finished 18th in the first and sixth in the second.

"That improvement has certainly given us encouragement. We will miss this weekend's round because we'll be in Southland but we will tackle the final round where we hope to display the benefits of having been together on the Southland tour," Earnshaw said.

An electrician for Cavalier Spinners at Awatoto, Earnshaw, was disqualified after getting lost during last year's tour.

'Obviously as an individual I want to improve on that effort and prove I can still compete with the top riders in my age group. But as a team it's all about John, and building something bigger for next year," Earnshaw said.

Although the three rookies have raced at elite level, next week's event will be a big step up. EIT student Christison is a son of former Hawke's Bay multisport king and 2004 Coast to Coast winner George Christison. He'll be happy if some of the success his old man has had in the Coast to Coast and other adventure races in the South Island rubs off on him.

Meanwhile two-time winner of the tour, Aucklander Gordon McCauley, who has raced in the Bay in the past, will chase a record 23 finishes next week. Should he tick this feat off he will inch clear of eight-time winner Brian Fowler.

McCauley didn't compete last year because he opened a new bike shop two weeks before the tour. He has only raced twice in the last two months and one of those was a Dynamo Series win. The 1996 and 2005 yellow jersey winner will race for the Business South team.