Archbold grabs top performance with Around Brunner win

Shane Archbold had his biggest win on New Zealand soil winning round five of the elite RaboPlus National Points series race at Around Brunner road cycling race yesterday.

The Timaru rider proved to be the fastest over 400 metres winning a tight bunch sprint of 50 riders to smash the course record by 15 minutes to win in three hours one minute and 17 seconds. .

“I fought for a good position over the last few kilometres, making sure I was in the front 10 riders,” Archbold said. “I hit the front with 400 metres to go to avoid getting swamped by the teams and just went for it and got the result, which would be my biggest result in New Zealand.”

Archbold is part of the New Zealand endurance track programme, and with a view to selection on the track for the Commonwealth Games, and then a professional road contract, has been based in Europe racing with the track team on the track and road. Around Brunner was his first road race in New Zealand for 18 months.

“I had no team support so tried to look after myself, so to win is a great result.”

In a fast race several breakaways were reeled back in, including one that featured the leader of the National Points Series, Gordon McCauley from the Subway – Avanti Pro Cycling Team, Tom Findlay (Mico-All About Plumbing) and Hamish Presbury (H and J Smith Southland).

Without someone in the break, the Benchmark Homes and Bici Vida teams worked hard to pull it back in, and once done the majority of the field stayed together for the sprint finish.

Matt Gorter (Subway-Avanti) got up for second to collect 70 National Points Series points which ties him as joint leader in the series with team mate McCauley who received 15 points for his seventh placed finish.

“It was a really fast race,” Gorter said. “And the finish was tight and a bit messy and wasn’t very organised meaning it was everyone for themselves so I was happy to get second.”

Seventeen year old Southland Peter Bulling was third followed by National Under 23 Champion and National Points Series Under 23 leader Tom Findlay.

Karen Fulton’s win at Around Brunner sees her moves her up to first equal in the women’s series with Catherine Cheatley who did not race at Around Brunner.

Results, elite men: Shane Archbold (timaru) 3:01.17, 1; Mathew Gorter (Christchurch) same time, 2; Pieter Bulling (Invercargill) at 1 sec, 3.
Elite women: Karen Fulton (Nelson) 3:01.22, 1; Jeanie Kuhajek (Nelson) at 1 sec, 2; Sia Svendsen (Christchurch) at 8 sec, 3.