Claiming the final gold medal of the Waikato/BOP Track Championships was the perfect farewell for Rotorua's Sam Bewley.
The talented double New Zealand cycling representative and 2005 junior world track gold and silver medallist won the 20km Madison event with mentor and friend Paul Bishop.
The Madison is a complicated, but
spectator-friendly race that sees teams periodically sprint and tag each other by performing a slingshot action with linked hands in order to obtain points.
Despite getting a puncture during the early stages of the race, the pair took gold at the Rotorua velodrome with 12pts while Morrinsville's Tim Bennett and Nathan Bunn claimed silver (8pts) and Cycling Rotorua's Neil Derbyshire and Paul Billings bronze (7pts).
"It was good, it was fun," said Bewley after the feature race of the two-day championships. "The puncture didn't affect our race and it was a good blowout, good training."
Bewley, who is part of the New Zealand track cycling team, leaves Rotorua on Sunday to spend three weeks in Valencia, Spain preparing for and competing in the Track World Championships.
Following this the 19-year-old will join his national road cycling teammates at BikeNZ's European training centre in Limoux, France until September competing in numerous European races.
"I'd be lying if I said this weekend's centre track champs were a focus of mine but it's awesome preparation.
"I am heading into the track worlds and the more time you get on the track the better," he said.
The pair's performance followed a successful weekend for local riders on the track.
Bewley also won the senior men's 4000m individual pursuit, while Simon Honour and Wade Mangham finished first and second respectively in the junior men's 3000m race and 8000m scratch.
Whakatane's Zane Winiata and Rotorua's Sam Osbourne took the double in the U17 boys 2000m individual pursuit and the 5000m scratch.
Competing in the open teams pursuit for the first time, Honour, Mangham and Osbourne claimed bronze while Paul Billings claimed claimed bronze in the senior men 15,000m scratch.
Event spokesperson Graeme Bell said the two-day event held in hot conditions attracted 75 entries and was the best entry field for almost ten years.
* Not all results were made available to the Daily Post before our printing deadline.
