Kiwi Aussie showdown looming

 Jan 21st, 10.  New Zealand riders will be trying hard to break Australia's dominance in next week's Trust House Cycle Classic in the Wairarapa and Wellington.

Jack Bauer, NZ National Road Champion climbs to victory in Christchurch ©RoadCycling.co.nz

However,  the New Zealand squads include a number of top riders with the credentials to be potential winners, including new national road champion Jack Bauer, Heath Blackgrove winner of the 2009 Tour of Southland, and Tom Findlay from Team Bici Vida.

Bauer won the National title in Christchurch earlier this month on a demanding circuit against Tour de France riders and former winners of the Trust House Classic, Hayden Roulston and Julian Dean.

However, for Bauer to be successful in this event will require the support of his Trust House teammates, three of them Australian and the other from Belgium.

Other New Zealanders who command respect include 2009 Tour of Southland winner Heath Blackgrove. He has a strong team with him, Team Solway includes Jeremy Yates, Westley Gough, plus Logan Hutchings and Scott Lyttle.

Tom Findlay, from Team Bici Vida, the national under-23 road champion who was in the four-man winning break of the senior event, alongside Bauer, Roulston and Dean, will be also one to watch.  Team Bici Vida have many fast options for sprint finishes.

Subway Avanti's squad is headed by Gordon McCauley, a multi-national champion on the road and current time trial champion. With him is brilliant teenager Michael Vink, who made a name for himself during the recent national event where he rode largely on his own off the front of the peloton for most of the 186km of the senior national race in Christchurch.

Bissell Pro Cycling's Peter Latham who is in the Benchmark Homes squad, and George Bennett (Cardno), recent winner of the brutal Takaha hill climb in the Tour de Vineyards, are also riders to watch.

Last year's winner, McDonald (Drapac Porsche), Jai Crawford (Fly V Australia), and Joel Pearson (Genesys Wealth Advisers), are three Australians among the 35 entered in a field of 110 from seven countries who might be of most bother to the New Zealanders.

McDonald's preparation is being completed by this week competing in the opening event on the Pro Tour series, the Santos Tour Down Under in Australia.

Jorge Sandoval testing the course

Crawford is a hill-climb specialist, ideally suited for this tour. He won the stage up Admiral Hill last year, but his chances of being overall tour victor were hampered in the stage one time trial when he lost valuable time after suffering mechanical failure.

Pearson is an accomplished all-rounder, whose results include winning the Melbourne to Warrnambool classic last year.

Tour director Jorge Sandoval is delighted with the quality of the field with so many of the best riders from New Zealand and Australia involved.

"For the first time in the 23 years of the tour we have seven overseas pro teams, in addition to the fifteen from within New Zealand," said Sandoval.

"The tour is gathering increased recognition on the UCI calendar, and I'm keen for that to be further enhanced. This year's event is a tough one with so much emphasis on the hill climbs, starting with the return of the stage from Upper Hutt to Masterton, which will promote excellent racing, and ideal opportunities for the spectators to observe the riders up close," he said.

On the tour's first day, January 27, the Rimutaka road will be closed to all traffic from 9.30am to 11am as the race makes its way over the climb into the Wairarapa region.

The Trust House Cycle Classic runs from Jan 27 through to Jan 31st where it finishes with a criterium in central Wellington.

Related articles on the Trust House Cycle Classic

• Full results
• Team lists
• Torckler crowned Trust House Tour Champion
• Fast paced stage sets Torckler up for final tour defence
• Sprint Ace wins stage but Kiwi retains yellow
• Attacks expected in Trust House tour today
• Torckler gives Kiwis something to cheer about
• From Tour Down Under to Wellington tour
• Defending champion stakes his claim
• Summit fun on Rimutaka Hill
• Five NZ champions for Trust House tour
• Kiwi Aussie showdown looming
• Defending champion back for Trust House tour