Anendra Singh sport
Napier Boys' High School seventh-former Andrew Pollock outsprinted his Wellington rival to clinch the Tour of the Bay 110km race in Hastings yesterday.
The under-19 national time-trial champion clocked 2hr 54min 16sec to defeat 18-year-old relative unknown rider Joseph Cooper by a bike length as he made his move from 75m out in the Caltex Stortford/Hyderbad-sponsored fun event.
Pollock, 17, Cooper, Craig Lawn and one other cyclist broke away from the main bunch about 15km into the race. But at Clarkson's Hill, Pollock and Cooper caused another division, this time tearing away to open up a five-minute break from the following bunch who swallowed up Lawn and the other rider.
"I'm happy with the result, considering I've had mostly seconds and thirds this year. The nationals win last year was my last victory," Pollock said.
In the 50km race, Westley Gough, 16, of Waipawa, sprinted home in similar fashion to Pollock in a time of 1hr 26min 23sec, with Sam Green, of Havelock North, three seconds behind and Napier's Robert Collins six seconds adrift of the leader.
Central Hawke's Bay College sixth-former Gough, a current New Zealand under-17 representative, was among the leading group of four riders about 20km from the Prospect Road, Hastings, start after the first climb into Raukawa Road. The group included Green, Collins and senior rider Brendon Vesty, of Havelock North.
"We worked together as a group with everyone carrying their share of the workload," Gough said last night.
"Vesty put a kick into it in the last U-turn but Green, Collins and I caught up with him before I put the jump on Green."
Vesty had to settle for fourth spot, finishing in a time of 1hr 26min 35 sec.
Gough, who won three nationals at the velodrome in the individual pursuit, scratch race and the 500m time-trials events, heads for Hokitika tomorrow for the national road race this Labour Day weekend.
Wellington's Susie Wood clinched the line honours in the women's showdown, clocking 3hr 25sec in the 110km race.
The 27-year-old senior rider, who competed in the Tour of Wellington race two years ago and completed the race in second spot behind Olympic gold medallist Sarah Ulmer, finished 14th overall yesterday.
Wood was delighted with her victory, considering she crashed in the Stortford Classic in Hastings early this year.
"I crashed out somewhere at back of the Tukituki circuit, so this time it was great. The conditions here were perfect for riding, so we decided to leave the terrible Wellington weather behind us this weekend," the Port Nicholson and Poneke Club member said last night.
Junior cyclist Karina Wilkinson, a late entry, showed more urgency in coming home second in a time of 3hr 16min 09 sec.
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