Buchanan aiming for fifth road race win
RUSHLEE Buchanan will look to become the first female cyclist to win the national road race championship five times, after confirming her entry for the BDO Road Cycling Nationals in Napier next month.
While her current focus is on the track looking towards the world championships and Commonwealth Games, the 29yearold has won three of the last four years and twice in a row in Napier.
A major challenge is likely from World Tour rider Georgia Williams, a former Olympic track teammate now focusing on the road, where she greatly impressed in her rookie year with the MitcheltonScott team.
Williams has been four times runnerup and will no doubt be looking to get to the top of the podium.
Buchanan’s national elite squad track teammates Racquel Sheath, Kirstie James and Elyse Fraser will be competing along with Bryony Botha, Michaela Drummond and Holly Edmonston in the under23 division.
There are a number of highly promising young riders in the under23 division who could challenge for overall honours, including Georgia Catterick, Mikayla Harvey and Grace Anderson, along with defending under23 road race champion Amanda Jamieson, who rode in Europe this year.
Some experienced and competitive riders will push for honours, headed by the remarkable Kate McIlroy, who has been a mountain running world champion and a world class steeplechaser and Olympic triathlete before moving to cycling.
She is joined by the KerriAnne Page, Hannah van Kampen and the 2013 elite champion, Courteney Lowe.
There will be a strong challenge from the talented Sharlotte Lucas, who has enjoyed another stellar year with success in both New Zealand and Australia, and she will join the Australianbased Specialized team next year, alongside McIlroy.
The time trial, over 20km, is again based at Church Road Winery on January 5. The road race is a similar course to 2017, although there is no added flat lap at the end of the course to bring the riders back in the opposite direction to the finish line.
Instead, after the rural loop (55km for women), the riders head over Napier Hill to the startfinish line, with a further five full city loops over the hill, leaving a 500m sprint finish along the foreshore on the final lap to the finish.
The women’s elite race, which also includes the under23 females, is 114km long and starts at 10am on January 6.