Wairarapa contingent ready to roll

All wheels are rolling for the Wairarapa contingent of the 18th Trust House Cycle Classic, which gets under way in Wellington today.
About 60 riders are expected to compete in the race, which will cover more than 500km on roads from Lake Wairarapa to Pahiatua.
Solway Park team manager Sue Lyttle said the Wairarapa team had put "a hell of a lot of work" into training for the five-day tour and each of the cyclists was in as good a shape as they could be.
"The competition is really hot this year and there's about 20 Australians in it and they have a hugely different style of racing.
"They are very aggressive and a bit more feisty, so they'll be giving some of our guys a bit of a rarke up."
While a final decision had not been made about who would be team leader, it was expected English cyclist Matthew Illingworth would take up the position because of his wealth of international experience and "wise head".
"But in a five-day tour the whole team works together pulling each other through so things will depend a lot on how things are on the day," said Mrs Lyttle.
The Solway Park team has a mix of skills and experience to call upon with both the older Illingworth , 36, and Masterton constable Matt Harvey, 32, strong on the flat and into the head winds, while younger riders Scott Lyttle and Joshua Wilson (both 20) will more than pull their weight during the punishing hill stages.
The local riders will also have an advantage when the race heads over the hill to the Wairarapa for four of the seven stages of the race and have already been making use of extra training time on the familiar roads that will soon become race tracks.
For Masterton's Scott Lyttle it will also be his last race in New Zealand for some time as next week he leaves for France to race for prestigious amateur team US Montauban.
The talented rider will have a punishing schedule from the word go, with six races in eight days upon arriving at team headquarters.
The opportunity was too good to turn down for Lyttle even though he will arrive in France just days short of his 21st birthday.
"I'll be in a strange country, by myself, not knowing any French," he said.
However, Lyttle's father put it all into perspective for the rider.
"At least you'll have good wine to drink," he said.
Trust House Cycle Classic January 26 ? 30.