Cycling: International cyclists make pitstop in Whangarei

The Calder Stewart cycling team are being joined by Northlanders Jack Broome as team manager and Kevin McKenzie as team masseur for the Tour of Southland. Photo/John Stone

The hills of Whangarei Heads have provided an international cycling team with ideal preparation for the biggest road cycling tour in New Zealand.

The Calder Stewart team, made up of five Swiss and two Dutch cyclists, have been staying at the Reotahi Rock Retreat as they get ready for the Tour of Southland.

Jack Broome, a former New Zealand cyclist, is the team manager and had the team fly out early to get over any jet lag.

The seven cyclists are of considerable ability, performing well in Europe where the sport is a premier sport.

Frank Pasche, 23, was part of the Swiss team pursuit squad at the World Cup in Cambridge, finishing seventh. He is also a three-time European Under-23 champion on the track, picking up multiple medals along the way.

Thery Schir, also 23, raced the Tour of Southland in 2013. Schir is a multiple European track champion and finished third in the World Championships in Madison in 2014.

Twenty-six-year-old Jasper Hamelink is a three-time runner-up in the Dutch Under-23 national championship time trial. He has won two Union Cycliste Internationale category two races.

Maarten van Trijp, 23, finished third in the Under-19 Paris to Roubaix race and won the 170km Tour of South Holland. He is coming off the back of a serious injury from a crash.

Twenty-year-olds Lukas Ruegg and Niko Selenati are members of the Swiss national Under-23 team. Ruegg is a climber and a contender for the Tour of Southland Under-23 category, while Selenati is a sprinter.

The team is rounded out by Cyril Kunz. Ruegg (seventh), Selenati (17th) and Kunz (18th) raced in last week's Tour of New Caledonia.

Jayne Broome has been providing catering but has found the "food budget blown out" as the team have "massive appetites".

Meanwhile, Lizzie Wilson kindly sponsored the accommodation at Reotahi Rock Retreat.

Cycling hasn't been the only thing on the agenda for the Calder Stewart team. They went out with Earle Purdie for a successful tarakihi fishing expedition.

Travelling with the team is Northland Mountain Biking president and Bike Northland chairman Kevin McKenzie. He is travelling as the team masseur.

The Tour of Southland begins on Sunday.