2007 Christchurch Festival of Cycling - NE

New Zealand, December 1-2, 2007

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Stage 1 - December 1: Long Bays Classic, 75 km

Cooper takes out day one in Christchurch

Joe Cooper TT'ing to Solo Win
Photo ©: Michael Jacques

As expected the Subway Cycling Team dominated proceeding, controlling the large main bunch on the fast, flat early sections around Halswell out to Taitapu and Motukarara.

At the Brentwood Winery halfway mark Clinton Avery of Team Peak Fuel tried to break up the Subway boys, but race favourite Jeremy Yates marked him closely and as the race neared Gebbies Pass Subway again took the initiative to launch Yates on an attack at the King of the Mountain award.

Yates, a former world junior champion and the current national club champion, ripped the field apart and only Athens Olympian Heath Blackgrove could follow him up Gebbies Pass. At the top Yates accelerated to a 15m margin to claim the King of the Mountain and then continued his attack down the hill, breaking clear of Blackgrove and taking a 15sec lead at Teddington.

On the rolling hills around Lyttelton Harbour Yates was joined at the front by little known Palmerston North rider Tom Findlay, but the chase bunch wasn't going to allow Yates a free ride and by Governer's bay the race was back together.

As the bunch swallowed Yates and Findlay, however, Wellington rider Joe Cooper surprised the bunch with a counter attack so vicious that he put 25 seconds into them in only 2k. Cooper, also a Team Subway rider and a silver medalist at the recent Oceania Games, extended that lead through Lyttleton to start Evans Pass with more than a minute in hand.

Behind him Jeremy Yates was covering things for his teammate, gathering in an attack by New Zealand rep Logan Hutchings only to get left holding second place by himself when Hutchings and a few other riders took a wrong turn.

At the top of Evans Pass Cooper held 27secs over his teammate and with only the super-fast downhill through Sumner and around the Redcliffs causeway to the McCormack's Bay finish line, he was a certain winner. With a defiant punch to the air he crossed the line in 1hrs 55min 29secs.

Joe Cooper Winning Long Bays Classic
Photo ©: Michael Jacques

"I'm pretty rapt with that," said Cooper. "It was a great ride by our team. We talked about how we were going to ride last night and it went almost perfectly. Guys like Josh England and Hayden Godfrey kept things together early on and the team launched Jeremy to the King of the Mountain up Gebbies. We thought Jeremy might stay away but a few others were chasing so when we caught I put in a couple of big punches to see what would happen. I felt pretty good and decided to have a go at staying away."

And stay away is exactly what Cooper did, eventually finishing almost a minute clear of a bunch sprint for second place. In a furious finish that saw 20 riders clocking close to 60k per hour into the home straight, German pro Janosch Wintermantel looked to have second place sewn up but was pipped on the line by the little known Tom Findlay from Palmerston North.

The women's race also saw a big bunch sprint. Christchurch rider Tessa Smith took out the Queen of the Mountain over Gebbies Pass, but a tight knit group of five women came together around the harbour bays.

Smith and Nelson's Serena Sheridan tried to break it open up Evans Pass and the group came down to four, with 19 year old national junior rep Rushlee Buchanan and Christchurch rider Donna Sibley tucked in behind.

SBS Kids
Photo ©: Michael Jacques

Line honours eventually race came down to a four-way sprint with Buchanan getting the nod over Sheridan, Sibley and Smith.

As well as the Avanti Long Bays Classic, almost 1500 riders turned out for the Armstrong Peugeot Harbour ride, a recreational event over the same course that attracted participants of all age, ability and aspirations.

Almost 200 children also participated in the SBS Mini Bays, with many elite riders and celebrities riding alongside them for support. Television presenter, former Tall Black and Dancing with the Stars finalist Brendon Pongia had a big day, riding the full 75k Armstrong Peugeot Harbour Ride and then joining in the Kids 12-14 year event over 10k.

Photography

For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here

Images by Michael Jacques

Results

1 Joe Cooper            1.55.29
2 Tom Findlay              0.42
3 Janosch Wintermantel         
4 Paul Odlin                   
5 Clinton Avery            0.43
6 James Williamson             
7 Joseph Chapman               
8 Jeremy Yates                 
9 Reon Park                    
10 Steve Elden                 
11 George Bennett          0.44
12 James Gibson                
13 Brett Dawber                
14 Andrew Widdup               
15 Ed Barrett              0.45
16 Heath Blackgrove        0.46
17 Alex Meenhorst              
18 Laurent Vidal               
19 Thomas Hanover          0.50
20 Logan Hutchings         1.17
21 Scott Mcdonnell         3.17
22 Andrew Williams         3.18
23 Oliver Pearce               
24 Terry Moes                  
25 Darren Shea                 
26 Alex Mcgregor               
27 Brian Grant             3.19
28 Tony Catterick              
29 Tony Popenhagen             
30 Glenn Rewi                  
31 Conway Taylor           3.20
32 Alasdair Duncan             
33 Trevor Jenkinson            
34 Andy Reid               3.25
35 Michael Naylor          3.28
36 Ross Mackintosh         4.15
37 Patrick Williamson      4.16
38 Angus Jennings          4.17
39 Josh Atkins             4.22
40 Daniel Barry            4.27
41 Shorty Allnutt              
42 Richard Greer           5.38
43 Wayne Smythe            5.39
44 Sam Steele                  
45 Tim Madgwick            5.40
46 Brian Fowler            7.08
47 Barry Tinkler           7.09
48 Geoff Mirfin                
49 Steven Armstrong        7.10
50 Jeremy Nesbitt          8.12
51 Glen Gould              8.16
52 Rushlee Buchanan            
53 Serena Sheridan         8.17
54 Donna Sibley                
55 Tessa Smith             8.20
56 Craig Atwill                
57 Nicholas Hextall            
58 James Mccoy                 
59 Scott Wilder            8.21
60 Dan Waluszewski             
61 Greg Scott                  
62 Jonathan Stockwell          
63 Josh England                
64 Anthony Chapman         8.24
65 Jason Allen             8.25
66 Shane Archbold              
67 Jeff Best               9.12
68 Andrew Milne            9.31
69 Mathew Barr             9.32
70 Andre Chappell              
71 Nimesha Smith           9.34
72 Adam Mcgregor           9.35
73 Tom Pearce             13.13
74 Daniel Carruthers           
75 Garry Pierce           13.27
76 Jeannie Kuhajek             
77 Andy Osborne                
78 Annika Smail                
79 John Iseli             13.28
80 Alex Daniel                 
81 James Thompson              
82 Pete Sheed             13.29
83 Timothy Judge               
84 Brendan Hart           13.30
85 Jeremy Pugh                 
86 Fraser Macmaster            
87 Neil Sheerin           13.31
88 Graeme Allen           14.48
89 David Ayre             14.50
90 Kirk Hamilton          15.08
91 Emma Crum              15.32
92 Bruce Murray           15.50
93 Cris Lovell-Smith      17.21
94 Amanda Minty           17.22
95 Shane Aitken           18.05
96 Matthew Goodrick       18.14
97 Britta Martin          18.15
98 Paul Dahl              18.47
99 Cathy Hamer                 
100 Broni Fraser          19.31
101 Tracy Best            19.54
102 Sonia Hill                 
103 Stephen Clearwater    20.48
104 Lisa Savage           20.51
105 Andrea Hewitt         21.40
106 Phil Chester          22.36
107 Bill Mcsweeney        22.38
108 Nicole Anderson       22.54
109 Jason Revell          23.14
110 Yvette HillDNFWillis    23.15
111 Thomas Sharpe         23.59
112 John Garrett          24.44
113 Patti Whyte           25.49
114 Chris Unsted          25.55
115 Marina Duvnjak        26.16
116 Alan Bush             27.18
117 Abigail Ryan          28.15
118 Kathryn Jones         29.51
119 Ron Bush              32.58
120 Emma Prestidge        32.59
121 Gary Sword            36.55
122 Hayden Godfrey        38.09
123 Bryan Prestidge       38.39
124 Andrew Mcnicoll       39.08
125 Ross Bush             40.45
126 Ken Lord              41.36
127 Nicola Oneale         42.11
128 Chris Dawson          42.20
129 Frank Frizelle        48.59
130 Paul Jesson           49.03
131 Phil Bones            49.08
132 Shane Burns           49.22
133 Barry Forde           50.27
134 Megan Berrill         54.02
135 Darryl Oldham         55.01
136 David Turnbull        55.19
137 Bryan Callander       57.33
138 Ross Mackenzie      1.03.24
139 Don Williams        1.13.36
140 Gordon Burrow       1.17.08
141 Malcolm Mclennan    1.19.44
142 Michael Moore       1.21.19
143 David Falloon       1.39.47
DNF Robin Reid                   
DNF Jason Christie               
DNF Glen Fuller                  
DNF Nathan Hood                  
DNF Sam Horgan                   
DNF James Ludemann               
DNF Rodney Pearson               
DNF Ross Stewart                 
DNF Mal Waite                    
DNF Brendan Ward                 
DNF Tracy Clark                  
DNF Laura Thompson               
DNF Emily Collins                
DNF Rosy Mccall                  
DNF Rachel Mercer                
DNF Bridget Murdoch              
DNF Nienke Podmore               
DNF Michelle Thomson