CYCLING: Under-17 rider Rhaymi Hurtado-Stuart put one over the older riders when Wanganui cyclists had their last race for seven weeks on Saturday.
Hurtado-Stuart was part of the first group away from Talbot Street, seven minutes ahead of the seven-strong break bunch, with a further five-minute gap to the eight scratch riders.
At the halfway point at the foot of the Aberfeldy School, Hurtado?Stuart and Trevor Gudsell had gone clear of their co-markers and retained three and a half minutes of their original advantage over the pursing break riders.
In turn, the scratch riders had made up about half the leeway to the break group. Hurtado-Stuart and Gudsell maintained an even tempo in the lead as the second group swept up Zeb Walker, Jake Manson and Mike Shingles all of who were able to tack on.
Ben McKinnon was a willing workhorse in the break group, aided mainly by Bruce Middleton, Kerry Evans and Dan Richards.
Further back the scratch riders continued to make ground steadily, with good contributions from Dayle Cheatley, Pat Johnstone, Mark Armstrong and Brei Gudsell.
The scratch bunch, as they had two weeks previously, finally made contact with the break group at the Sparrow cliffs with about three kilometres to race.
Meantime up front, Hurtado-Stuart and Gudsell were hanging on desperately to their lead as the field bore down on them. In the end, they had just enough in reserve to stay clear, with Gudsell sitting up in the finishing straight to allow Hurtado-Stuart to take the win as reward for doing the lion's share of the pace-making.
Disaster struck as the remainder of the field entered the last kilometre when Ben McKinnon crashed heavily, popped an AC joint in a shoulder and was in hospital. He will need several weeks off the bike.
Pat Johnstone wound up strongly heading in the main bunch, for third overall and clocking the day's fastest time. He was followed across by Dan Richards in fourth, from Bruce Middleton fifth and Brei Gudsell sixth.
The novices raced out and back over 20km from a massed start under sealed handicap conditions.
Although Jono Anderson continued his consistently good form to finish first and fastest, Natalie Kerwin, (second home) won on handicap from Anderson, with Duncan Appleton crossing in third place, in third fastest time. Mathew Collingwood and Josh Pederson rode well to finish fourth and fifth.
Results:
Combined senior/u17 group handicap 36km ? Talbot Street, out and back: Rhaymi Hurtado-Stuart 1, Trevor Gudsell 2, Pat Johnstone (fastest time 53:10) 3.
Novices ? massed start, sealed handicap 20km ? Talbot Street, out and back: Natalie Kerwin 1, Jono Anderson (fastest time 36:27) 2, Duncan Appleton 3.
Youngster shows the old hands how
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