SUBWAY® Pro Cycling colours fly for the last time

SUBWAY® Pro Cycling colours fly for the last time in this weekend’s Benchmark Homes Festival of Cycling in Canterbury.

“We have had a very good relationship with the SUBWAY® brand in New Zealand and their support for the past eight years has enabled the team to run a very successful programme both in New Zealand and overseas,” SUBWAY® Pro Cycling’s General Manager Hayden Godfrey said.

“We are looking forward to a good last hit out this weekend. We’re really proud of our successes and track record over the past eight years and I know the guys want to finish off strongly riding in their green and gold colours for the last time.”

The SUBWAY® Pro Cycling team will be up against an impressive field in the festival’s 88 kilometre Waipara Challenge elite race tomorrow and in Sunday’s criterium at the University of Canterbury.

Eight current Olympians, including SUBWAY® Pro Cycling’s Westley Gough are riding. They will be joined by World Tour Professionals Hayden Roulston and George Bennett, last year’s winner of the road race and criterium Tom Scully, Tour of Southland and recent Taupo Classic winner Mike Northey and Josh Atkins from the US based Trek Livestrong Under 23 team. Other riders that could feature are local based full time bike riders Michael Vink, Alex Frame and Dan Barry.

Godfrey said motivation was high to do well in their event as New Zealand’s only current professional UCI registered team, and the fact there was such a strong line-up will make the racing very exciting and it will be a great opportunity for spectators to see world class athletes and shouldn’t be missed. 

The weekend will also see former Olympian and Commonwealth Games representative Pete Latham riding as a professional for the last time. Latham, who has been riding for SUBWAY® Pro Cycling for two years, is retiring. His career highlights include finishing the 2011/2012 track season as the world ranked number one in the individual pursuit, winning a medal in the team pursuit at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games and claiming world championship medals in the same discipline at Poland in 2009 and Copenhagen in 2010.

All of the SUBWAY® Pro Cycling team are racing this weekend except Dylan Kennett and Scott Creighton who are riding for New Zealand in the UCI Oceania Track Championships in Adelaide.

The SUBWAY® Pro Cycling team for the Benchmark Homes Festival of Cycling is; Dillion Bennett, Sam Horgan (returning from injury), Nick Lovegrove, Matt Gorter, Westley Gough, Ian Smallman, Peter Latham (last serious race – retiring), Paul Odlin, Simon Binney and Tayla Harrison