January 25th, 2012
BREAKING NEWS UPDATE: SUBWAY® Pro Cycling’s Odlin amongst leaders in New Zealand classic road cycling tour
SUBWAY® Pro Cycling’s Paul Odlin was one of six leading riders separated by just thousandths of a second after the opening prologue of the New Zealand Cycle Classic in Palmerston North today.
19-year-old Australian Campbell Flakemore (Genesys Wealth Advisors) won the opening seven kilometre individual time trial in nine minutes and 28 seconds to take the tour’s yellow jersey in his first international race.
The top six riders all clocked 9min 28sec, firming up pre race predications the tour will be closely fought.
Christchurch rider Michael Vink (Mico-Protrain) was the highest ranked New Zealander, placing second. He finished ahead of Damien Howson (Jayco-AIS, Australia), Nick Aitken (Jayco-AIS, Australia) SUBWAY® Pro Cycling’s Odlin, Joseph Cooper (Ricoh, Wellington) and Bike NZ’s Sam Bewley, with the top seven riders separated by less than a second.
Tomorrow’s second stage is a 143 kilometre loop starting and finishing in Palmerston North.
Provisional results, Stage 1, NZ Cycle Classic, Palmerston North, 7.1km time trial: Campbell Flakemore (Genesys Wealth Advisors, Australia) 9.28.180, 1; Michael Vink (Mico-Protrain) 9.29.233, 2; Damien Howson (Jayco-AIS) 9.29.280, 3.
January 23rd, 2012
SUBWAY® Pro Cycling feels confident about New Zealand classic road cycling tour
SUBWAY® Pro Cycling feels confident the New Zealand classic road cycling tour’s move to Manawatu will suit its riders when it starts on Wednesday. 
The UCI 2.2 international cycle tour started in Wellington and the Hutt Valley, and more recently has concentrated in the Wairarapa. This year it has moved to Manawatu, attracting what Race Director Jorge Sandoval says is the strongest field in the 25 year history of the event.
SUBWAY® Pro Cycling’s Team Manager Graeme Miller agrees with Sandoval, saying the field is “the best ever to assemble in New Zealand,” and is looking forward to planning what he hopes is a successful tour for SUBWAY® Pro Cycling.
“It is great to see Jorge move the race to a new location,” Miller said. “It was a good race in the Wellington region but I think it will be a much more exciting race this year with lots of changes in the lead and plenty of close racing.”
Miller said the move to Manawatu suited SUBWAY® Pro Cycling’s style of racing, with less hill stages, and he had expectations the team should perform well during racing.
“With Paul (Odlin), the National time trial champ in the team, who also has proven he can sprint, we are expecting to mix it up this year. Being a flatter tour will mean it will be tightly contested and we’re expecting very strong side winds which New Zealand riders excel in.”
Miller said SUBWAY® Pro Cycling were excited to have Westley Gough and Pete Latham join the team after a successful World Cup track campaign that saw Latham claim gold in the Individual Pursuit. Gough and Latham will be joined by the elite National Championships Time Trial silver medallist Sam Horgan and the strong Nick Lovegrove.
“It means we have options and a few cards to play,” Miller said.
There are 21 teams from USA, Australia and New Zealand headed by US-based Team Type 1 Sanofi, a full UCI Continental team initially established to raise awareness of diabetes.
Other leading teams include Team Jayco, a UCI Continental team under the Australia Institute of Sport programme that includes defending champion Patrick Lane and the strong Australian combinations of Drapac and Genesys Wealth Advisers.
BikeNZ has selected a five-man team from their endurance track programme for the tour as the riders prepare for the national track championships and the upcoming UCI World Cup in London. These form part of their campaign towards the track world championships in Melbourne in April and the Olympics in July.
Team pursuit riders Sam Bewley, Marc Ryan, Myron Simpson and Aaron Gate will be joined by omnium world silver medallist Shane Archbold in the New Zealand team for the five-day tour
The Tour begins with an individual time trial on Wednesday in Palmerston North with all road stages looping back to Palmerston North before the final circuit stage around the city on Sunday.
January 20th, 2012
SUBWAY® Pro Cycling’s Kennett wins classic Southland race
SUBWAY® Pro Cycling’s Dylan Kennett won a furious sprint to take out the Gore to Invercargill cycling classic on Tuesday.
Kennett finished ahead of fellow scratch riders Pieter Bulling and Mark Spessott winning in a time of one hour 38 minutes and 30 seconds for the 64 kilometre race.
A double bronze medallist at last year’s junior world track championships, Kennett was well supported by his SUBWAY® Pro Cycling team-mates Tayla Harrison and Dillon Bennett.
“We all took our turns until we caught the big bunch and then our job was to get on the front and stay out of trouble,” Kennett said.
“It was great team work from SUBWAY® Pro Cycling with Tayla getting in the breakaway once we were at the front of the race, meaning that I could save my legs for the sprint. When Tom (Scully) attacked, Dillon (Bennett) sacrificed himself to get me back up to the leading group and then all I had to do was mark Tom and leave the sprint as late as possible due to the strong headwind.”
Kennett managed to kick off Scully’s wheel and out into the lead to take his first win in SUBWAY® Pro Cycling colours.
