Five NZ national champions for Trust House tour

Jan 27th, 10.

Unlike most tours which leave the hill stages until after everyone has warmed up, the Trust House tour starts with a stage where no one can hide.  

With two King of the Mountain climbs on Stage 1, the Rimutaka Hill and Te Wharau Hill, the contenders for the overall tour title will have made themselves clear by the time they reach Masterton in the early afternoon.

The 110 strong peloton has 41 Australians in it, including the defending champion Peter McDonald, straight from competing in the Tour Down Under, and the top Australian team for 2009, Fly V Australia. No doubt there is going to be an 'us and them' showdown right from the start.

The Kiwis are ready to put up a good fight with five of our own current champions amid the peloton.  2010 NZ Elite Road Champion Jack Bauer is heading up the Trust House team and 2010 U23 NZ Road Champion (and winner of last weekend's Jnr SRAM Tour de Ranges) Tom Findlay is ready for Bici Vida's first Trust House tour.

NZ's two time trial champions are also competing, one more suited to the hills than the other.  Although Gordon McCauley has been working on his hill climbing this year he's more likely to be working for a Subway Avanti teammate during this tour.  

Time trial champions aren't usually great hill climbers but at the Nationals earlier this month U23 time trial champion Michael Vink  (also Subway Avanti) proved the exception to the rule as he rode ahead of the main peloton for the majority of the road race.  Vink was also 3rd up the Bluff Hill climb at the Tour of Southland late last year.

The fifth NZ Champion on the start line today is Peter Latham the current criterium national champion (and winner of the Open SRAM Tour de Ranges last weekend) who is leaving his US Bissell Pro Cycling team kit behind and joining the Benchmark Homes team for the five stage tour.

These five NZ Champions aren't the only top Kiwis in the line-up with some strong looking composite teams including Cardno team with their line-up of Kiwi internationals (Avery, Strong, Torckler, Bennett and Mangham) and Team Solway's experienced list (Yates, Blackgrove, Hutchings, Lyttle and Gough).

As well as the composite teams are the growing number of permanent teams here in New Zealand; Subway Avanti, Bici Vida, Benchmark Homes, and Black Peloton / Placemakers.

View the full start list ...

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