Top racing on city streets
Top class cycle racing came to the main streets of Upper Hutt on Sunday and it was Gordon McCauley, one of the great names of the sport in New Zealand, who claimed the stage victory.
Three stages of the PNP Easter tour were raced in Upper Hutt. Riders in the tour’s four grades completed a WallacevilleMangaroa circuit on Sunday morning ahead of the street racing.
At 42 years McCauley is recognised as one of the all-time greats of the racing scene.
A several times winner of the Tour of Southland, he completed the event late last year in the new over-40s category after a serious injury months before threatened to end his long career.
A five-time winner of the New Zealand national road championship, McCauley won a bronze medal in the individual time trial at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.
His win on Sunday was popular with the spectators and organisers alike and he finished 13 seconds clear of the bunch to savour the stage win alone and in style.
McCauley was near the front of the first bunch for the opening two-thirds of the race before he sprinted away to establish a lead which was was never challenged.
The tour finished on Monday with the overall winner, Taylor Gunman, winning the last stage after powering up the Blue Mountains climb for a fourth time in a 110k race.
Gunman, a New Zealand professional rider based in America, was in the yellow leader’s jersey for all the Upper Hutt action after the two-stage opening day in the Wairarapa.
McCauley finished 10th overall, 16 minutes behind Gunman who was 55 seconds clear of the runner-up Robert Stannard
A delayed start to the lower grades’ racing meant the kermesse for the A-grade was reduced from 24 laps to 18 to allow for it to finish for the reopening of the city streets after a five-hour closure.
The circuit featured racing on the Main St from Pine Ave to Logan St and included the residential Kowhai, McParland, Queen, Sinclair and Hay streets.