Cycling: Rotorua man wins Flyer

Ben McHale fought self-doubt and heavy rain to take line honours in the 100km Taupo to Rotorua race on Saturday.

Ben McHale battled some second thoughts and awful conditions to claim his first title at the Active Post Taupo to Rotorua 100km Flyer.

McHale admitted heavy rain on Saturday morning had him questioning whether he should even take part in the 100km cycle race.

But the local doctor - and hundreds of other keen cyclists - endured the wet conditions to take part in the popular event, which started in Taupo and finished in Rotorua.

McHale was the first rider to reach Rotorua on Saturday and said he made his winning move about 30km from the finish line.

"It was a surprise to win," McHale said. "I tried to make a couple of breaks early on which failed, then decided to give it one last push near Tumunui Rd, about 30km from the finish. There is a few hills, one after the other, where I tried to get out of sight and hold on."

His final breakaway attempt was successful and he went on to win by almost a minute, stopping the clock at 2h 37m 33s. He finished ahead of David Venter (Auckland) and Nicolas Monroy (Havelock North) to claim a rare win for a local competitor.

Last year the course went from Rotorua to Taupo but was reversed this year. McHale said the course really suited him at the weekend, finishing in Rotorua.

"The other direction is designed for a sprinter, it is flat and fast. But this one there is a couple of hills to work with which suits the climbers."

McHale said he had been doing a lot of cross training ahead of the event but had not spent a lot of time on his road bike.

"I have been training for triathlons quite a bit and raced Xterra a week ago. I had done a lot of mountain biking for that event which is obviously a good form of cross training."

McHale said he managed to stay on his bike the entire race on Saturday, but there were a couple of crashes behind him.

He said while it was quite slippery it was not windy, which made the conditions much better.

The race on Saturday lacked an elite field this year as the dates conflicted with the Club Road National Championships in Hawke's Bay.

McHale said his next big event was the Rarotonga International Triathlon in May. He also thanked his main sponsor Nzo Ride Central for their support.

In the women's race, Taupo Olympian Sam Warriner finished in third behind eventual winner Hayley Giddens (Wanganui) and Laura Newman-Watt (Auckland).

The women's race was much closer, coming down to a tight finish with only four seconds separating the podium winners.-Results:

Men: 1 Ben McHale (Rotorua) 2:37:33, 2 David Venter (Auckland) 2:38:26, 3 Nicolas Monroy (Havelock North) 2:38:27, 4 Frank Simons (Waitakere) 2:38:28, 5 Mark Parry (Henderson Valley) 2:38:28.

Women: 1 Hayley Giddens (Wanganui) 2:43:05, 2 Laura Newman-Watt (Auckland) 2:43:09, 3 Sam Warriner (Taupo) 2:43:09, 4 Jessica Dean (Te Puke) 2:43:11, 5 Taryn Ryan (Lower Hutt) 2:47:33.