Successful stint in Tasmania

Instead of tucking into Christmas hams, a group of Manawatu cyclists were blasting their way all over Tasmania during the festive period.

Ashhurst’s Ross Castle took nine riders as part of the Bike Blacks Racing team to Tasmania to ride the Sports Carnivals Association of Tasmania, the second year he has taken a group across.

They had about 50 different races across the week or so they were there.

It is rare to get that many races in one period in New Zealand and there were a few podium finishes and wins for the Bike Blacks Racing riders.

Castle’s son Jordan was one of the form riders of the team, who rode three criteriums and five track racing carnivals.

Castle, who stayed on a week longer than the rest, won the main wheel race in Hobart and one at Latrobe, as well as a couple of keirins.

There was a Japanese and a Malaysia team at the carnivals.

Also in the Bike Blacks team were Stephanie Mckenzie, who rode at the 2014 Commonwealth Games and is now based in Manawatu, junior world track cycling champion Michaela Drummond of Ashhurst, Gemma Payne, Jaymie King, Tess Jenkins, Duncan Grant, Bentley Atkinson and Nick Kergozou, who was the only endurance rider because the rest of them were sprinters.

Drummond was probably the quickest rider at all the events but was sometimes outfoxed by the older riders.

Grant is a former world rowing champion, but is getting into cycling and he won one of the scratch races, while Payne is a previous junior champion and is now studying at Massey University.

Zac Williams, who went to the 2016 Rio Olympics, went to Tasmania independently but still hung out with the team.

Jordan Castle will compete at the national track championships at Invercargill next month and is planning to head to Pennsylvania in the United States in the middle of the year again for some racing.