Cycling: What tootle? Veteran's in it to win

Zane Alexander, 40, of Havelock North, celebrates with fellow Ramblers after winning the annual Wardy's Christmas Tootle on Boxing Day. PHOTO/SUPPLIED

IT'S called a "tootle", which denotes travelling in a leisurely sort of way, but try telling that to the Hawke's Bay Ramblers Cycling Club members every Boxing Day.

Perhaps the best reaction to the annual Wardy's Christmas Tootle comes from Zane Alexander who upstaged the likes of Olympian Regan Gough and world-class track cyclist Luke Mudgway to clinch his maiden crown in the 100km ride from the Havelock North Domain to Waipawa Domain, where they stopped briefly for a piece of Christmas cake before retracing their route via Middle Rd.

It is billed as a social race where more than 120 riders, including those from Wellington, traditionally burn off extra calories picked up from sumptuous Christmas Day meals and drinks but Alexander's response summed up that theory.

"Steve Watson, mate, he's the one who takes the Christmas cake, eh," said the 40-year-old of Watson who has been organising the race which began in the late 1990s.

Traditionally, the members covered the 40km from the village to Camp David, a race credited to former member Dave Kale who moved to Auckland at the turn of the century to support his son, Duane, a paraplegic swimmer and four-time Paralympian gold medallist.

Ward built on the event, extending it to Waipawa and adding the cake-eating ritual.

In 2006 Ward had his last ride in the event after retiring as a graphics/technology teacher at Hastings Girls' High School in a career that spanned almost 26 years, including a stint at Havelock North High. He settled in Kapiti Coast to start a new career.

While the tootle has a social flavour, it has a tendency to become competitive at the Racecourse Rd and level crossing mark where cyclists pick up pace while heading back to the village domain.

Dannevirke-born Alexander, a property valuer from Havelock North, left for Auckland in 1998 to build his career but returned to the Bay in 2007.

He has been a Rambler since and this was his fifth Tootle ride, after finishing third behind Mudgway and Gough, of Waipukurau, last year.

With pedigree blokes in the peloton in their early 20s pushing pedal to metal, what makes a 40-year-old come through?

Alexander selflessly salutes the likes of former professional rider Brendon Vesty, Mudgway and his father, John Mudgway.

"Regan spent the last 20 to 30km by himself. He broke away and Jack Sowry, a prominent up-and-coming rider, broke away with him but Regan's so tough he broke him," he said of the Masterton rider.

They didn't catch up with Gough until they got to the dairy along Middle Rd.

"I was hanging for dear life because I was almost dropped at Camp David so I was almost gone, mate."

Sprinting, Alexander said, was his speciality provided he could keep up with the leading bunch.

"If I can be there I can spring anyone so that I was there at the end I was bloody lucky today."

He took to social media after the race, sort of tongue-in-cheek, to give the elite boys a bit of a ribbing.

"They're a good bunch because without them helping me we wouldn't have caught Regan because they were doing all the hard work and I just sprinted at the end."

With the gulf in age with perennial top place-getters such as Gough and Mudgway it was imperative for the older riders to use the space between their ears to employ tactics to stay in the hunt.

"You've got to look after yourself a little bit more during the race because you can't afford to blow out."

Gary Hall, of Napier, who is involved with cyclocross, kept everyone honest with a sprint arrival for first place to Waipawa Domain at the halfway mark.

"He's pretty strong so that's quite a feat in itself."

While not oozing with confidence, Alexander backed himself on the way back to stay in contention.

"I finished in the top three last year so I knew I was going to be up for it."

The Hub mechanic Andrew Townsend thought he had the race until Alexander came zipping past him with 15m to go.

"He was quite pissed off but he's a good guy."

Alexander, a velodrome enthusiast, said youngster William Green and Stuart Kilmister, of
Australia, also had their moments.