Egmont Seafoods Round the Mountain Ride

Jan 21st, 10. Brutal weather conditions tested riders to their limit in the Egmont Seafood sponsored Event last Saturday but the few withdrawals proved the riders weren't too phased.

Egmont Seafoods "Rolling Bones" team. Photo courtesy Peter Bennett

In the end it was the riders who emerged triumphant after the grueling but satisfying 153 km ride.

Riders faced horrendous head winds for the first 90 km but were then rewarded with an equally strong tail wind for the last 60 km which saw them clock speeds of 65-70 km per hr.

The first riders home were Gregory Marfell and Mel Titter from Taranaki.

In recognition of the hard work they did together they linked arms to cross the finish line in 1st equal place.

The first woman home was Cath Cheatley of Wanganui.

The ECL sponsored Bone Collector section saw 40 teams and 300 riders partake in this new concept team event.

The team leader - the Bone Collector - rode the full 153 km, picking up each team member from their designated station along the way.

It was the team leader's task to get the whole team to the finish together. The concept of the Bone Collector proved very popular with this year's entries double what they had been last year.

The camaraderie between team members was very evident with many of them riding in team kits which added to the atmosphere when they crossed the finish line together.

This section of the annual ride will no doubt continue to grow in popularity as more businesses and groups take up the challenge.

The overall event was again extremely successful with numbers well up on 2009. Very few incidents were reported and given the atrocious conditions, few withdrawals.

This annual cycle event is run in support of the Taranaki Velodrome Trusts Cycle Park project at Hickford Park Bell Block. The Trust is well underway with fundraising to construct a Velodrome as well as a closed road circuit which will be the first of its kind in New Zealand. Organisers hope construction will begin in the next 6-12 months.

Results

Individual:

Men: 1st = G Marfell & M Titter (4.19.23), 3rd C Sanson (4.20.48)

Women: 1st C Cheatley (4.21.16), 2nd Tara Allerton (4.59.02), 3rd S Bryant (5.19.56)

Bone Collector: 1st Always Suffering (4.48.44), 2nd Pedal Pushers Lads (4.49.46),

3rd CWC (5.08.23)

Relay: 1st Team Tasman Toyota (4.57.53), 2nd Oakura Fire Brigade (5.11.31),

3rd Super heroes in Training (5.22.43)