Little wonder race director Jorge Sandoval is excited about the quality of the field contesting the NZCT Women's Cycle Tour of New Zealand in Wairarapa, Manawatu and Wellington next week.
It's a world class line-up by any standards, with no team attracting more interest than HTC Highroad, which has been the
most successful team globally in recent years.
German Judith Arndt, the 2007 winner here, promises to be Highroad's big gun in the battle for individual honours. She is a former world road race and pursuit champion who has had major stage wins in the tours of Italy and France.
Teaming up with Arndt will be fellow German Ina-Yoko Teutenberg, who has won renown for her sprinting abilities, Americans Amber Neben, a world time trial champion in 2008, Ally Stacher and Amanda Miller and a newcomer in Australian Chloe Hosking
Wanganui's Christine Cheatley is being promoted by no less an authority than Sandoval himself as a leading contender for the general classification prize. The 2011 New Zealand road race champion usually competes on the international circuit as a member of the American Colavita squad but this time she is the spearhead for the NZCT New Zealand national team, which also includes Linda Villumsen, Melanie Burke, Courteney Lowe, Melissa Holt and Kate Chilcott.
Australian national road race champion Ruth Corset, who will head Team Jayco-AIS, is one of 27 riders from across the Tasman taking part in this year's tour, a figure which, remarkably, beats the number of Kiwis by one and a situation which puzzles Sandoval.
The tour route is:
Wednesday, February 23: Martinborough to Masterton, 95km starting at 2.30pm.
Thursday, February 24: Masterton to Palmerston North via Pahiatua track (114km), starting at 10am.
Friday, February 25: Palmerston North circuit (87km), starting at 10am, and Palmerston North criterium (35km), starting at 5pm.
Saturday, February 26: Palmerston North to Masterton (112km), starting at 10am
Sunday, February 27: City of Wellington criterium (35km), starting at 2.30pm.
