Sunday, October 26, 2008
Day 3 Afternoon at the Road Nationals
Bridget Robertshaw finished 13th in the Senior Womans Road Race over the same 124km distance as the Vet 1 and under 19 Men. The race was won by Serena Sheridan (riding for Star and Garters) after Southlands Dale Tye who was minutes ahead after 3 laps ended up blowing and pulling out.
The under 19 mens also in difficult conditions was won by New Plymouth's Tom Findlay outsprinting Star and Garters George Bennet and Tinwald Jason Christie close behind. Sean Joyce finished a creditable 7th coming 2nd in the main chasing pack sprint nearly two minutes back. Rory MacKenzie and Jeremy Stephens both in their first year at this level did not finish along with 26 others of the 46 starters reflecting how poor the condtions became. The spectators had an exiting few moments hanging on to the tents after one concertina aluminium shelter took off and damaged several cars and a bus
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Day three at Nationals brings early Success
Darryl Winning Vet 3
In the vet 3's Ben Rowell (Club Captain) devised a plan to get Bret up the road early and then Darryl to try and jump across. This worked a treat with Steve Watson attacking up the first small climb and Bret rolling through while the pack sat and watched. A milk tanker gave a small lift for Darryl to easily get across and the game was on. With both Bret and Darryl relatively unknown at this level and Ken Mac Kenzie winning the TT the pack was happy to sit and watch Ken who along with David Youngquest amused themselves making sure the pack couldn't get organised to put in a decent chase. Bret working hard with Darryl managed to get out to 3 minutes at one point with the last 31km lap to go. Great excitement on the finish line for a happy team of supporters and helpers with Kerry's sprint in the Vet 2's and Vet 3's Darryl finishing about 20 minutes later. Bret rolled in 2nd about a hundred meters behind with the pack another 30 Seconds and third taken by PNP.
Bret takes the Silver
First Day of road races brings more medals home for Ramblers
First day of the road races at the Club Nationals we reaped two more medals to add to our allready impressive tally.
After missing the decisive break from John Dean and Ray Robinson, our Masters 6 Alan Black was left to fight for bronze, and he did this with ferve. Alan sprinted to his podium place, leaving his name sake John Black to ponder what if. Roy van Panhuys ended up checking out the Wanganui drainage system, finishing at the tail end of the field.
Sue Tunnicliff went one better than last year, this time taking the gold in the Masters 5 Women race. Sue started in a combined 3/4/5/6 Masters Women field, were she only had to concede to Masters 3 winner Liz Williamson.
First prize for work effort in the Masters Men 5 should go to Ian Frazer, he constantly tried to break the pack with stinging attacks on the gentle slopes of the Montgomery circuit. To no avail, as the pack regrouped every time, leaving the lesser gods to pick the fruits from Ian's Labour. The final bunch kick was won by a rider who has been sitting at the back the whole day, no work and all the glory.
Team tactics from a combined Auckland-Waikato Under 17 Girls pack nullified all Ashleigh Neave's attacks and attempts. Their Jaffa/Mulloo plan backfired big time, as in the end none of them ended up on the podium. Giving the "sit in the pack" sprinters a dream ride to the finish were they just had to contest the last 200mtr and collect the medals.
Our Under 15 Boys raced their hearts out trying to stay with the pack, but they were out-gunned by some very mature looking 14 year olds. With a few more years left in this grade our boys will definetly have another chance to crack the big one. Well done William Green, Logan Bean, Tim Lutter, James Fulford and Regan Gough.
In the end we had a day of elation and frustration, but at least the weather was fine, light winds and warm sunny conditions. With camp cook Peter "Pirate" Gough again brewing up a great meal of pasta and salads, accompanied by a fine cheeky Hawkes Bay red, everything ended up on a high.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Great Day at the Time Trials for Ramblers at Nationals in Wanganui
Commentary from Ivar ---
We had some good results today at The Lion Foundation National Club Road Race Champs in Wanganui.
Sacred Heart College student Ashleigh Neave blitz the Under 17 Girls field, taking the gold medal in the 10km time trial by 10 seconds from Courtney Grenfell.
Dartmoor farmer Ken MacKenzie repeated his last year feat, winning the Masters Men 3 grade 20km time trial by 1min18.
Richard Brough had close shave, winning a silver medal in the Masters Men 1 grade 25km time trial by point four seconds from Manu Robson.
In the Masters Men 2 grade the Hub Cycle Centre mechanic, Andrew Townsend won a bronze medal, only 7 seconds behind Lester Settle in second place.
The hard luck story has to go Fraser Gough, finishing fifth in the Under 17 Boys time trial only six meazily seconds from a medal, showing the depth of talent at the top of his grade. With one more year in this junior grade Fraser will have enough time to showcase his talent.
In Friday's road race we again have some medal prospect with Ashleigh Neave, Sarah and Megan Watson in the Under 17 Girls, Alan Black and Roy van Panhuys in the Masters Men 6, Sue & Ken Tunnicliff and Ian Fraser in the Masters Women/Men 5, Ian Wright in Masters Men 4 and last but not least our young guns in Under 15 Boys, William Green, Tim Lutter, Logan Bean and Regan Gough. Watch This Space
Ivar Hopman
Monday, October 6, 2008
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Susy Pryde is coming to town
ENZA has been so kind to sponsor a talk by ex-CHB elite woman cyclist Susy Pryde. Suzie has many National and International titles on her CV, in different cycling disciplines. Come and hear this inspirational athlete talk about her career highlights.
For all of our juniors; its school holidays so come and listen to this remarkable lady and have a chance to talk to her about your dreams and aspirations.
When: 1pm, 8 October
Where: Cheval Room, Hastings Racecourse
New Zealand Secondary School Champs Feilding
The Ramblers were well represented at this event. This annual event attracts more than 500 young secondary school kids from all over New Zealand. On the Sunday the Road Race took place on a rolling course to the west of Fielding. William Green pulled a stunner out of the hat by finishing 5th in the Year7/8 road race and a 5th in the Mansfield Points Race the next day. Regan Gough showed his talent, scoring a third place in the fast and furious points race.
Year 7/8 | Road | Points/Place |
William Green | 5 | 5 |
Regan Gough | 12 | 3 |
James Fulford | 13 | 10 |
Tobias Robertshawe | 23 | 19 |
Under 15 Boys | ||
Tim Lutter | 9 | 17 |
Logan Bean | 30 | crashed |
Under 16 Boys | ||
Fraser Gough | DNS | 5 |
Sven Hopman | 30 | 69 |
Under 16 Girls | ||
Megan Watson | 12 | 22 |
Under 17 Girls | ||
Sarah Watson | 25 | DNS |
Under 17 Boys | ||
Shaun Simpson | 26 | 10 |
Under 20 Boys | ||
Jeremy Stephens | DNF | 53 |
Chris Symons | 52 | 51 |
All of our riders were beaming after this great weekend; speed, spills and glory. Well done all of you guys, you left it all on the track.
Under 17 2008 Novice Tour
There were only 2 Ramblers riders competing at this event, but they held the Ramblers name high. Fraser Gough scored a sixth place overall in the boys event. Ashleigh Neave came home with a second overall and a second in Queen of the Mountain. Both these riders worked really hard for their outstanding results in this four stage 106km race.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Thanks to the Fresh Futures Support Riders
"Thank you so much to the team of about 25 cyclists who supported the Fresh Futures fundraiser on Sunday 21st September .
Most braved very cold conditions at 7 am to bike down to Ypuk and back. Some cheated and got dropped off just before Waipawa and the other honest ones were dropped at the start line.
One potentially major glitch was the FF team left Ypuk without us, but thankfully with a bit of detective work we tracked them down and sent our support driver off to stop them in their tracks - thanks Ray Brown!! The FF team were so used to no-one turning up to ride with them that they left straight from their motel so they were really appreciative of our company and help. Monday was going to be a really tough leg (Napier -Taupo) so they really wanted to rest their legs on our leg.
Other than that, it was a great ride, no mechanicals, just a few "physical" breakdowns - but with a bit of motorpacing I got back on to the pack. Only problem with that idea was Ray got carried away and motorpaced the whole group so I got dropped again!
Keep cycling and keep safe out there.
Shona Brown"
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Napier City Council Public Consultation Meetings
Long Term Council Community Plan (LTCCP) 2009/10 to 2018/19
Napier City Council Public Consultation Meetings
Council is underway with the OUR TEN YEAR PLANNING process for 2009. The first step of the public consultation is a series of public meetings to discuss:
- What we do now
- What capital projects we are committed to
- What do you think of these issues
The meetings are to be held on:
- Thursday 18 September 2008, 5.30pm, Nelson Park School, Kennedy Road, Napier
- Monday 22 September 2008, 5.30pm, Council Chamber, 2nd Floor Napier City Council Civic Building, Hastings Street, Napier
Ivan Aplin urges as many ramblers as possible to attend meetings and support the regional park - Napiers buy in is critical. Please voice your positive support!!
Glen Chadwick in Yellow at Vuelta Mexico
Guadalajara, Mexico — Glen Chadwick's remarkable season for Team Type 1 continues this week in Mexico.
The New Zealand Olympian is the race leader through the first three stages of the Vuelta Mexico, an eight-stage, 749-mile (1,206 km) international stage race.
It is the latest accomplishment for the 31-year-old who was near death in February after doctors discovered he had the Epstein-Barr virus in his spine. The virus causes mononucleosis and Chadwick apparently had been showing effects of the disease since last December without knowing it.
"This more than makes up for everything that Chady and his family have had to go through this year," Team Type 1 Sport Director Ed Beamon said.
Chadwick scored a second place finish on the opening stage of the race on Saturday. After being part of a five-man breakaway for about 93 miles, Chadwick could not reel in Juan Manuel Sandoval (Team Mexico), who soloed off late in the 98-mile (159 km) race to take the victory.
But Chadwick moved into the overall lead following Sunday's 118-mile (190 km) race from San Luis Potos to Leon – a stage in which fellow Team Type 1 teammate Moises Aldape infiltrated a six-man breakaway that eventually gained more than six minutes' lead. The Mexican's group was caught before the race reached his hometown, but the chasing efforts to catch Aldape had devastated Sandoval's team and Chadwick pulled on the race leader's yellow jersey.
On Monday, Team Type 1 capably defended the lead on a rain-soaked, 149-mile (240 km) stage from Leon to Guadalajara.
"It was basically downhill into the city – 50 miles an hour (80 kmh) on really bad city roads," Beamon said. "I don't think I have ever seen so many frightening crashes in a week, never mind in 10 kilometers."
Unfortunately, Team Type 1's Chris Jones got caught up in one of them, but was not seriously hurt. It was the second crash of the race for the American who finished eighth at the Greenville Hospital System USA Cycling Professional Road Race Championship last month.
"In Chris's first crash on Sunday, Fabio (Calabria) was a stud bringing him back to the group with almost no caravan," Beamon said. "It was serious pro riding and he and the rest of the guys all finished in the main bunch."
Calabria, 21, is the only rider in the race with Type 1 diabetes.
Heading into Stage 4 on Tuesday, Chadwick leads Arquimedes Lam (Tecos) by two seconds. Diego Gallego (Burgos Monument) is third, six seconds behind.
Chadwick's impressive season includes the overall title at the Tour of Arkansas, a third-place finish at the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah in August (in addition to winning the King of the Mountains (KOM) classification in that race) and the KOM title at the Tour de Beauce in June.
For More Information, Contact:
Sean Weide
Media and Communications Director, Team Type 1
P: 785.304.1845 | F: 402.393.4603 | E: sweide@gmail.com
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Fresh Futures Fundraiser support ride
Helmet Auction for Fresh Futures Fundraiser

Small Giro carbon helmet is to be auctioned on 24th September at a dinner auction evening run by the District Health Board to support the Fresh Futures Cycle fundraiser.
The helmet has been generously donated by 'The Hub' and is valued at $400. All proceeds go to the fundraising effort and HB children will be the beneficiaries (see www.freshfutures.com).
Absentee bids are welcome.
Please send email with address "auction bid" as these will not be opened before the auction night. Email the browns Please include a contact phone number.