Defending champion Gate off to a strong start
At a glance
Defending champion Aaron Gate claimed the win on the opening stage of the New Zealand Cycle Classic in the Wairarapa yesterday.
Riding for Black Spoke Pro Cycling Academy, Gate won in a sprint finish up Landsdowne Hill at the end of the 122km stage.
Australian rider Jensen Plowright, riding for Team Bridgelane, finished second, while Kiwi Dylan Kennett, riding for St George Continental, finished third.
Gate thanked his team-mates for helping to ensure he was in a perfect position head into the last kilometre.
‘‘I know it sounds like a cliche, but I would not have been able to do it without the guys. That clear cut [strategy] was awesome and they did it perfectly for me,’’ he said.
‘‘The boys led it up from the bottom of the corner and I did the last 200m . . . job done.’’
There were several attempts to establish a breakaway early in the stage, but none were successful until the 68km mark.
Even though there were several attempts to establish a breakaway in the first 30km of racing, nothing was successful, until 68km when Frank Sutton (WBS Cycling Team) and Logan Griffin (CabjaksCastelli) opened up a lead that stretched to 2min 4sec.
The peloton slowly but surely clawed them back, however, setting up a sprint finish.
Race director Jorge Sandoval said had been an aggressive day of racing.
‘‘It proved the strong teams here, are it
Classification leaders General: Sprints: King of the Mountain:
Most aggressive rider:
here to win and the likes of Black Spoke did everything right to get Aaron the stage win. What a great start to the tour.’’
The New Zealand Cycle Classic continues today with the second of five stages – a 121km trek that starts and finishes in Masterton.