Ambitious plans for cycle classic tour
The wheels are in motion to bring some of cycling’s biggest names to New Zealand as the country’s premier tour gears up for a major revamp.
After 31 years of staging the event in Wairarapa, Wellington and Palmerston North, race director Jorge Sandoval has confirmed the New Zealand Cycle Classic will shift to Waikato from 2019 amid ambitious plans to achieve UCI 2.1 status, which would enable World Tour riders to participate.
Sandoval said his dream is to see three-time world champion Peter Sagan and New Zealand’s own star George Bennett riding the streets of Cambridge as he attempts to replicate South Australia’s popular Tour Down Under in our own backyard.
‘‘I want to see to see something like the Tour Down Under in my country and I want to be the organiser,’’ Sandoval said.
‘‘I’ve done this for so many years and this is my vision. I want to see George Bennett with his professional team here, I want to see Jack Bauer with his team here, Sam Bewley with his team here. I want to see the winner of the Tour de France, I want to see Peter Sagan racing in New Zealand and all the top names that people see on TV come to New Zealand sooner than later.
‘‘With a 2.1 I think we will achieve this.’’
The five-stage New Zealand Cycle Classic is currently a 2.2 accredited event, which allows second-tier continental and national teams to participate alongside the country’s best club riders.
However, with 2.1 status half of the field could be made up of World Tour teams, which would significantly lift its profile.
Sandoval said substantial financial support from Brian Perry Charitable Trust, a key player in moving the race to Waikato, would enable the event to grow.
‘‘I’ve been working really hard for the last 30 years to get the race where it is today but I have failed in my attempt to get financial support in the region of getting the race upgraded,’’ he said.
Brian Perry Charitable Trust general manager Jennifer Palmer said the trust shared Sandoval’s vision to get the event upgraded to 2.1 status.
‘‘We love Jorge’s enthusiasm and the idea of getting this event to UCI 2.1 is something that the trust would be supportive of,’’ Palmer said.
‘‘The budget multiplies by about five to get it from 2.2 to 2.1 so it’s a big ask and we need to prove that the community wants this event, prove that it is sustainable and prove that there is the support for it.’’
Sandoval expected the event to be embraced in Waikato, describing Cambridge as the ‘‘home of cycling’’ in New Zealand.
‘‘The numbers they have for club races and fun races are double and triple anything around the country, so the spectators are there. We are already working on a festival of cycling around the Cycle Classic,’’ he said.
Sandoval said the New Zealand Cycle Classic has committed to Waikato for at least three years. He plans to stage a women’s tour in Wairarapa.