In January, Mudgway was in the winning team and the top finisher in the Gravel and Tar UCI race in Palmerston North and a member of the winning team in the Waipa region-based New Zealand Classic. Last month he collected third and fourth stage placings during the Aussie Sun Tour.
A 2014 gold medallist in the Madison at the junior world championships in Korea with future Hawke's Bay Olympian Regan Gough, Mudgway, is one of four riders singled out by Hawke's Bay's defending champion William Green as the biggest threats to his title defence.
"The Gentle Annie is an amazing course, very different to any other event in New Zealand. I will be doing my best to repeat last year's winning performance. But I am sure it will be a very challenging day out among strong competitors like Luke, Logan Griffin of Cambridge, Hawke's Bay's Luke Shaw and Anthony Nalder of Wellington," Team Tank Guy's Green said.
GD Pringle Spoken Cycles rider Griffin has finished three times in the top five, all as an under-23 rider and like Mudgway has displayed some outstanding form this summer.
"The Gentle Annie is one of the must-do races on the calendar, it's a very challenging race but also an achievable distance for anyone who puts in a bit of work. This will be my fourth time at the race and I'm still yet to crack the podium but this year I'm hoping I'll be able to really give it a really good go, and if not ... I'll have to wait for entries to open for next year," Griffin said.
Two riders capable of upsetting the more fancied starters and earning a podium spot are Hawke's Bay's breakaway specialist and national club champion Josh Page and last month's Coast to Coast top 10 finisher Scott McDonald.
The course, which features more than 2500m of elevation, will favour the climbers in the field, but the nature of the ride, with its rough New Zealand roads, exposed sectors and propensity for any kind of winds, make it a race for the strong man as well, and it has often been a breakaway rider who has taken line honours.
In the women's event, Hawke's Bay's recent Oceania bronze medalist, Velo Project's Kirsty McCallum, has completed a fantastic 12 months and should see off the challenge from the rest of the field. The 2017 champion is an excellent climber.
For most of the competitors in the race it will be about testing themselves on one of the most scenic roads in the country. For those not quite up to the challenge of the full distance, the event also has the inaugural Little Annie Bike Ride, a 60km taster for those who still want to be part of the Ramblers Cycling Club event which finishes at the Roosters Brew House in Hastings.
