There are nine new coronavirus cases in New Zealand and one additional death. The death brings the total toll to 12 and is of a man in Invercargill who died at home and who was linked to the Bluff wedding cluster.
Rotorua mountain biker Ruby Ryan is ready to take a big step towards her dream of becoming a professional cyclist - as soon as Covid-19 restrictions can be eased.
She received a Facebook message from someone claiming to be a cycling coach in America, the National MTB Performance Hub memberinitially assuming it was some sort of spam. It wasn't.
"He basically just said he'd done some research on me and asked if I'd consider going to school in the States. I didn't really think much of it but we looked into the school and they got second at the college nationals," Ryan said.
"We talked to another guy who did a year over there and he said if one school has contacted you, get your CV out to other places," Ryan said.
Ultimately, she received and accepted a scholarship offer from Colorado Mesa University, where she will join the national champion cycling team.
"They have the best girls' mountain bike team in the country - a couple of them are already professional riders, which is my goal. It looked like the best option for me.
"It's going to be some rough racing but I want to keep improving and it's definitely going to do that."
And if Covid-19 restrictions allow, Ryan will "be racing every weekend from August when I get there to November".
"I get a little bit of a break and then it's into road racing every weekend, all around America. It's pretty full-on but doing a lot of racing will be good."
To make sure she has life balance and something to fall back on, she'll also study exercise science in Colorado.
"It's an athletic and academic scholarship, I'm excited, it sounds really good and they have really good facilities - it's massive. It's going to be really good for my cycling but at the end of the day it is university and I do need to get a degree, that's pretty important to me."
The plan at present is to head to America in August for the start of the new semester. However, the ever-changing global Covid-19 pandemic makes it hard to set a date in stone. Ryan is confident she'll get there at some point, though.
"Some days I'm pretty confident I'll get there in August but other days I hear about events in July being cancelled and I get a little bit nervous.
"The cycling coach has said the university is taking its fourth semester in August as usual but he is expecting it can change pretty quickly. I assume I'd just start studying at home and just go over as soon as I can."
Ruby Ryan will fly to America in August, providing the Covid-19 restrictions allow it. Photo / File
For the last 18 months, Ryan has been coached by Rotorua's Mark Leishman, who believed she would succeed in America.
"She has the determination and stubbornness to do what she's put her mind to which will totally help her make the most of it. In the last few years, she's had a number of injuries where she might've just stopped what she's doing for a period of time but she's pretty determined to push through it."
He said the opportunity to race regularly on an international stage in America, with consistent competition, would have a big impact on her development.
"The reality is, whether you're a high school student or an early-20s adult, most people out of New Zealand have to juggle work or study - put it on hold for a period of time to race overseas. That's one of the problems with racing out of the southern hemisphere.
"This is a chance to go and study, have it partially funded but still be able to race and train among quality peers without the travel disruption all the time."
