U23 fastest in Auckland Open Championships

With a vicious attack on the final part of Bombay Hill climb to the finish, the Under 23 rider out sprinted senior Karl Murray to win the race, but not the overall title.

The title of Auckland Champion went to Murray. Ray of course took the Under 23 honours.

The race was run over six laps of a course in the Ramarama, Paerata, Runciman area with the last 6km continuing south on the Old Great South Road, under the Southern Motorway and finishing with a climb up to Bombay.

The rolling course has a long drag up Burtt Rd towards Paerata and then two short climbs on Tuhimata Rd, before a roller coaster and tailwind plunge down Runciman Rd to the flat section of the 23km lap.

Gordon McCauley, who has been so dominant in the Auckland racing scene over winter, was notable in his absence.  He is currently down in Christchurch at a training camp for his team, Subway Avanti Cycling.

Despite the organisers best intentions, several titles were decided by bunch sprints of various sizes.

Karl Murray took the lead role for the seniors, pulling away in a break with Nico de Jong virtually straight from the start. When a small group bridged to them on the third lap, their minute advantage disappeared as the chase bunch, led by Aaron Strong, joined the duo.

Numerous attacks were unsuccessful, but by the last lap a bunch of six had formed, including Murray, Ray, Strong and Carl Williams.

Ray and Murray managed to unload Strong and Williams before the final climb up to Bombay. Strong finished senior runner up with Williams 3rd. There was another gap back to visiting U23 rider Michael Torckler and Sheldon Gorter, who earned the other U23 medals.

The woman’s four lap race became one of attrition. By the final climb there were only three riders contesting the championship.  First year senior Emily Collins still had more than enough petrol in the tank to overcome Mel Burke and Marina Duvnjak in the final sprint.

The Under 19 men’s race saw three Counties Manukau club mates, Scott Mullaly, Fraser Bermingham and Sam Lindsay sprinting for the medals, while Kate Chilcott also had more fast twitch fibres than Lillie Summerville in the U19 women’s event.

Gary Ulmer had a devastating burst in the final 300m of the combined Masters race to earn line honours and the Masters 7 title for yet another year.

Auckland Open Road Cycling Championships Results

(More classification results ...)

Men Elite, 144 kms:

1. Karl Murray (Counties Manukau)
2. Aaron Strong (CMC)
3. Carl Williams (CMC)

Under 23, 144kms

1. Alex Ray (CMC)
2. Michael Torckler (Stratford)
3. Sheldon Gorter (Hamilton)

Women Elite, 98 kms

1. Emily Collins (CMC)
2. Mel Burke (CMC)
3. Marina Duvnjak (Nth Harb)