Stewart has another win at national champs
Campbell Stewart won the under20 boys’ points race on the final day of the New Zealand secondary schools road cycling championships, but it wasn’t enough to secure Palmerston North Boys’ High School the overall title.
Stewart won the points race at Manfeild yesterday, the last race of the three-day event in Manawatu, but Boys’ High were just pipped for third place overall, beaten by Auckland Grammar School, while Takapuna Grammar won the overall title.
That was despite Boys’ High winning the prestigious team time trial at Koputaroa on Saturday.
Palmerston North Girls’ High School finished fourth on the overall standings, having won the crown last year.
Waikato Diocesan School for Girls were the winners this year, well clear of Epsom Girls’ Grammar School in second place and St Peter’s School (Cambridge) in third spot.
Ellesse Andrews of St Peter’s won the under-20 girls’ points race, with Libby Arbuckle (Girls’ High) the best Manawatu rider in seventh place.
Boys’ High’s Madi Hartleybrown won the under-17 boys’ race and Angus Claasen (Boys’ High) was fourth in the under-16 race.
Connie O’brien, who won the under-17 road race, was fourth in the points race.
Chenuka Rajapkse, of Palmerston North Intermediate Normal School, won the under-13 boys’ race.
Rosie O’brien won the under-14 girls’ race.
Adam France of Boys’ High was second in the under-14 boys, with the Intermediate Normal pair of Dra’s Caldwell second and Ben Irvine third.
In Sunday’s road race at Hiwinui, Andrews, who won gold and bronze medals at the junior track world championships in Switzerland earlier this year, won the senior girls’ title in wet and windy conditions.
Andrews used her track speed to out-kick a bunch of 15 riders to win by the narrowest of margins over two laps of the 18km course, edging fellow world championship medallist Nicole Shields from Dunstan High School.
Auckland Grammar rider Harris Fogelberg won the senior boys title, holding off double world track champion Stewart in a sprint finish.
‘‘It was fantastic to have the opportunity to race against Campbell,’’ Fogelberg said. ‘‘He is incredible, so to get around him was great.
‘‘The sprint finish was my sort of race and I had a great lead out from my team-mate Ben Hamilton which set it up.’’
Cambridge High School’s Maddi Douglas was the only rider to defend a road race title, winning the under-15 race in a tight sprint finish.
Most of the classes fought out the honours in tight sprint finishes.