Horgan feeling good for title
Sam Horgan feels ready for the final round of the Calder Stewart Cycling Series, with the Christchurch cyclist hoping to take home the series title for the third time on Sunday.
The final race, titled ‘‘The Hell of the South’’ is a challenging end to the competition, and features two gravel sections to test the peloton’s bike handling.
‘‘The Hell of the South is a really unique race due to the gravel,’’ said Horgan.
‘‘We only get to race it once a year and I actually like the challenge of the gravel as it makes it a tough race so a strong team to support you if something happens is important.’’
The 28-year-old is currently leading the standings, but fellow Christchurch rider Tom Hubbard could steal it off him in the final race. It’s reminiscent of 2013, when Horgan held off Hubbard on Selwyn’s roads to seal his second title.
Another interesting addition to the peloton is last year’s series winner Michael Vink. It’s his first appearance in this year’s series and he said his form is ‘a bit of an unknown’ after European season affected by illness.
‘‘’I feel fit but haven’t had much racing this year so no doubt the intensity will be a bit of a shock,’’ said Vink.
‘‘I’m totally over the illness that has plagued me this season and I’ve worked hard these last few weeks to get a good level of fitness back so I won’t have to work too hard to prepare for next season.’’
Vink said having so much time off the bike is something he’s never had to deal before and has had to go back to basics, aiming to be competitive for the Tour of Southland in November.
Horgan says he feels confident after a good block of training and is keen to test his legs ahead of his major goal this year, the Melbourne to Warrnambool Cycling Classic next Saturday.
Horgan had the biggest win of his career two years ago when he won the Victorian cycling race which is the second oldest one day cycling event in the world and the longest in the Southern hemisphere.
‘‘I know the Calder Stewart elite overall title is still very much on the line on Sunday but I am feeling good about getting the result I need to win the series for the third time. ‘‘You need a special skill set to do well and it will be a good litmus test for me looking ahead to the overseas races coming up.’’
It will be a battle between the Breads of Europe and Modus Construct teams for overall series elite team classification honours with only four points separating the two teams.
Last year’s women’s series winner Sharlotte Lucas hoped Sunday’s racing would be hard and challenging and her previous experience on gravel will allow her to overtake series leader Amanda Jamieson who she trails by just two points.
‘‘It’s definitely a strong rider’s course, especially if it’s windy’’ Lucas said.
‘‘There’s no doubt previous experience on the gravel helps as I know what to expect and how hard it can be. I’m in with a good shot to still win the series; we have a good team plan and I’ll give it a hundred percent.’’
Experienced Nelson rider Karen Fulton lies third and is within striking distance of Jamieson and Lucas while the Black Magic Black team will also look to hold off Benchmark Homes and Cycle World Fairweathers to win the women’s team’s classification.
The elite men will race 144km over four laps of the circuit based near Leeston in Canterbury’s Selwyn District while the masters and women tackle 108km of racing.