Favourites win Long Bays Classic

Dec 5th, 09. Jack Bauer won a two man sprint reversing the Tour of Southland scoreboard and denying Heath Blackgrove a birthday victory in the opening day of the Festival of Cycling.

Bauer powers to the finish line to win the Avanti Long Bays Classic ©RoadCycling.co.nz

In this morning's Armstrong Motor Group Festival of Cycling Avanti Long Bays Classic Bauer and Heathgrove and 122 others set out at 8am in unseasonly cold and windy conditions for the 80km loop.

Despite many attacks, the peloton stayed together until almost the top of Gebbes Pass where Bauer had his eye on the King of the Mountain title.

"I thought there was a KOM up there, so I decided I'd try and win that.  I was really surprised we got away. It was all in a big group and we just slipped away over the top," Bauer told RoadCycling.co.nz.

Two others went with the Golden Bays rider, Tour of Southland winner Blackgrove and the U23 NZ Road Champion James Williamson from Subway Avanti.

Williamson was soon left behind leaving the other two riders to battle the winds and each other.

"Once we dropped Williamson there were just the two of us which wasn't perfect. It made it hard.  Like you said on your site, a post Southland showdown. I didn't think it would come to that, but it did. It's kind of novel," Bauer said.

At Corser Bay, Bauer and Blackgrove had a one minute lead on the peloton and surprisingly the lead wasn't brought closer over the last 13kms.  

Bauer and Blackgrove relax in the sun after the finish ©RoadCycling.co.nz

"We left it down to the line for the sprint as I think we were both hurting pretty badly," Bauer said.  

Although Blackgrove has been doing well with his sprinting in the US season, it was Bauer who had the final push today to take the win.

When Bauer crossed the line he was still looking sideways waiting for Blackgrove’s challenge and didn’t relax into a grin until 10 metres past the finish line. Both riders were awarded the same time, 1hr 54min 18secs.

Blackgrove agreed it was a hard race.

"It was a pretty tough race with only two of us and Jack had the goods at the end, he had the goods the whole race really. It was a well deserved win," Blackgrove said. Jack is the strongest in the race so I was pretty happy to be out there with him."

For Bauer it was a winning end to a breakthrough year. The 24 year old is keen to cement his arrival as a world class talent by winning the New Zealand elite title which will be raced in Christchurch in January, but revealed he also has some longer terms goals to explore this summer.

“I’m going to be spending some time training with the national track squad, just to see if I have some options there for the future,” he explained.

Women's category

Cath Cheatley defended her title ©RoadCycling.co.nz

Coming after her two podiums in Taupo last weekend, Cheatley was one of the favourites for today's road race and she didn't disappoint.  She won almost three minutes ahead of the other women in what she called a tough race.

"It was full on from the start.  It didn't ease up and the wind was really tough," she told RoadCycling.co.nz. "I was knackered even before the start of the climb up Gebbes."

Up Gebbes Pass was where the Wanganui rider managed to shake off a key competitor, Australia's Laura Luxford.  Cheatley said after deciding to ride conservatively when her bunch split, she stayed with the second group until Gebbes where she pulled away with a small group of strong guys. They caught the rest of her original group and Cheatley kept her lead on the women's field for the rest of the race.

"I could have really dug a hole to hang on, but it's a long way if you put yourself in the hole too early," she said.

Her winning time was 2h05m44s.

Cheatley said it's not too common for the women's event to be raced at the same time as the men's but that it can be be a good or bad thing with luck playing a big part.  Last year she had the help of the men's bunches to tow her up to climber Ruth Corset, but Corset did the same to her on the flat.  

"It's the luck of draw where you end up.  You can be advantaged and you can be disadvantaged," she said.

Today, Cheatley didn't need any help.

Teams category

Top teams of the Avanti Long Bays Classic 2009 ©RoadCycling.co.nz

Today's race was the first outing for Team Carbon Zero and Team Manager David Ellerm told RoadCycling.co.nz he was thrilled with the team.

"I'm absolutely stoked, I couldn't have wished for a better finish.  Two of our young riders, Nick [Hand] and Darcy [Ellerm Norton] featuring in the first bunch across the line.  Just a fantastic result.  Superb," he said.

In the team's classification it was the experienced Subway Avanti team who came 1st, Carbon Zero 2nd and Benchmark Homes 3rd.

Other articles on the Armstrong Motor Group Festival of Cycling, Christchurch 5-6 December.

• Alex Ray out sprints world class field
• Aussie wins Festival of Cycling Criterium
• Favourites win Long Bays Classic
• Long Bays Classic Results
• Bici Vida ready for the Festival
• Festival fever for Subway Avanti's fastman
• Another team joins the revolution
• Rider list for Elite criterium
• Rider list for Elite Road Race
• Track stars sign for Festival of Cycling
• Team Carbon Zero gear up for debut
• Home advantage for Benchmark Homes Team
• Bauer keen on Festival of Cycling criterium
• Southland winner heads to Festival of Cycling