Cycling: Track star Bevin now road title favourite

Several riders, including Orica GreenEDGE professional Sam Bewley (second from front), are picking Bevin as the favourite.

Track convert Paddy Bevin is among the pre-race favourites to claim his first elite title at the national road cycling championships in Christchurch this weekend.

After a brief and successful flirtation on the track, where he won a World Cup title and selection to the Commonwealth Games, 23-year-old Bevin has returned to the road and is expected to make his mark in tomorrow's 183km men's race that includes 10 climbs up the arduous Dyers Pass.

Bevin has enjoyed a superb preparation for the nationals, winning the Tour de Vineyards with a victory on stage two and second in three other stages to pick up general classification, king of the mountain and points honours. Several riders, including Orica GreenEDGE professional Sam Bewley, are picking Bevin as the favourite.

"He's in good form and has a good team around him, so I will need to work off them and see what damage is done up the climb," said Bewley, who is looking for a fast start to his busy season after an injury-ridden 2014.

Bewley is one of three World Tour riders in the field, along with Nelson's George Bennett, who joins TeamLotto NL this year, and Jesse Sergent (Trek Factory Racing).

Bennett, 24, is a climbing specialist who was pipped by his then teammate Hayden Roulston on the line two years ago, while Sergent enjoyed another brilliant 2014 season with several outstanding time trial performances.

But the attention centres on the Avanti Racing team that boasts Bevin, Joe Cooper, who won three stages at the Tour de Vineyards, and the exciting Tom Davison, who raised eyebrows with his powerful performance to finish third behind Roulston and Jack Bauer last year. There's also interest in Commonwealth Games gold medallist Shane Archbold (Timaru), who will move to the powerful German Continental Pro team Bora-Argon 18 this year.

Today's 120.5km women's race looks likely to be decided from a select group that includes Commonwealth Games gold medallist Linda Villumsen, defending champion Jaime Nielsen and her fellow Cycling New Zealand endurance track teammates Georgia Williams and Lauren Ellis, and Wiggle Honda professional Emily Collins.

With the championships moving to Hawkes Bay next year, it is the final chance for Villumsen to win the title in her adopted home in Christchurch, although traditionally she has found her best form later in the year.

Nielsen, who won yesterday's 25km time trial over Villumsen by 11 seconds, will go in as the pre-race favourite after a storming win in the Tour de Vineyards last week, where she won all five stages. Young Christchurch rider Michael Vink, a three-time winner of the national under-23 honours, won his first elite men's time trial title over 40kms, while US-based professional James Oram won the under-23 crown.