Ashhurst rider Hoskin finds form on bike
Top young cyclist Kyle Hoskin has high hopes after a successful year.
Ashhurst teenager Hoskin, who has just finished year 12 at Wanganui Collegiate School, has been in good form on the road this year.
Hoskin, 16, put in a big block of training before term four and it paid off with good results.
He finished seventh overall in the under17 grade at the Novice Tour of Manawatu¯ , the tour for the country’s top young riders, on his home patch at Ashhurst this year.
He finished sixth in the first stage on the road, but that was after he had to fight back from a broken wheel early in the race.
He was ninth in the stage-two individual time trial and then sixth in the final-stage road race.
He finished 15th in the road race at the New Zealand secondary schools championships in Christchurch and was 10th in the criterium.
Hoskin finished third overall in the under-17 category at the Yunca junior tour in Invercargill in October, having finished third in two of the stages.
He won the king of the mountains classification and was second in the spring category.
‘‘My training worked me into form with all the racing, really,’’ he said. ‘‘I was always trying to peak for those nationals and Yunca.’’
Hoskin started cycling about six years ago when he was at Huntley School in Marton.
He is more of an endurance rider on track and road and has moved into track cycling over summer.
He is keen to pursue cycling in the future. ‘‘I’d definitely like to give it a good crack. I’ll go away with the track and try and build on the cycling stuff.’’
He trains at the Whanganui velodrome. Martin Barker is Hoskin’s main coach but he also works with Mike Mcredmond.
Hoskin also finished first equal in the 90-kilometre event at the Feilding Festival of cycling.