Road riders descend on Manawatu this weekend for two unique and popular races requiring vastly differing skillsets.
The eighth Gravel & Tar Classic is a UCI 1.2 category event, with a reputation as the toughest one-day road races in the region, incorporating five gravel sections in the 135km men’s race.
The 2023 winner Ben Oliver from MitoQ-NZ Cycling Project will defend his title. The Commonwealth Games mountain bike silver medallist is an equally accomplished road rider and the rider to beat.
The North Canterbury rider will also be in the field for the Cycling New Zealand Criterium Championships on a 2km loop course at Massey University, with categories from under-17 to elite men and women. Homegrown pro rider Luke Mudgway will defend his title.
The women’s Gravel & Tar returns, racing over 100kms with three gravel sections with the race from Ashhurst up the Pohangina Valley and climb up the Watersheds with a second shorter lap finishing back in Ashhurst.
There will be interest in the entry from junior women’s MTB world champion Sammie Maxwell (Tactic), with some experienced fellow mountain bikers in Sonia Foote and Josie Wilcox in the Black Dirt Collective with former WorldTour pro Sharlotte Lucas.
Watch too for Manawatu’s Michaela Drummond, a double medallist on the track at the 2023 world championships, in the Green Monkey team with Pru Fowler and George Simpson and pro rider Rylee McMullen, fellow pro Bronwyn MacGregor (Team Tinelli) and the return of Sophie Williamson leading the new MitoQ-NZ Cycling Project women’s team.
NZ Cycle Classic winner Aaron Gate heads the New Zealand team with a powerful team including George Jackson, Lewis Bower, Ryan Christensen and Mudgway, all ex Black Spoke riders.
Oliver heads the Evo Cycles team, while brother Craig leads MitoQ-NZ Cycling Project team, with international challenges from the Dutch team of Global Cycling and Australian Criterion Racing both from the NZ Cycle Classic.
The men’s race is like the women but over 140kms with five gravel sections, starting and finishing in Ashhurst.
Many of the riders will remain in Palmerston North for the New Zealand Criterium Championships on Monday afternoon with races for under-17, under19 and elite.
Mudgway will look to retain his criterium national title in his hometown, with an otherwise open field with the likes of mountain biking brothers Ben and Craig Oliver, international cross racer Corban Nicol, experienced Ryan Christensen and emerging riders out of elite juniors in Marshall Erwood, James Gardner and Edward Pawson.
The experience and sprint abilities of Drummond mark her as favourite in the women’s elite race, with interest in Maxwell, Lucas, MacGregor, McMullen along with Tauranga’s Kim Cadzow, who moves to EF Education-Cannondale pro team in 2024 after her WorldTour debut with Jumbo-Vizma.
After under-17 and under-19 races, the elite women and elite men race for 45 minutes plus 3 laps.