Subway – Avanti team tastes success on both islands at weekend
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The Subway - Avanti Pro Cycling team tasted success across New Zealand at the weekend with wins on both islands.
Nick Lovegrove won the latest round of the National Points Series, the Round the Mountain Cycle Classic in Taranaki, on Saturday and is hopeful the win will cement his spot in the six-man Subway-Avanti team for next month's Powernet Tour Of Southland.
Lovegrove had recently returned from Air France Tour of New Caledonia, finishing 14th in the event won by teammate Joe Cooper.
"The legs weren't that great in the first 100 kilometres but they came right and I felt good, although it was tough," he said.
Lovegrove and Eliot Crowther picked up race leader Richard Hope with 15 kilometres to go.
“We worked together to establish a gap and get to the front of the race then I attacked him with three kilometres to go over the top of a climb and managed to get a gap and ride away. I’m really happy with my first big win and hope I make the cut for Southland.”
Lovegrove’s winning time was three hours 40 minutes 40 seconds, 25 seconds ahead of Crowther.
While Lovegrove was winning in the North Island teammates Sam Horgan and Ian Smallman were first and second in the BRT Canterbury Open 100 kilometre champs.
The paid worked well together until Horgan went clear to win in a time of two hours 29 minutes and 7 seconds with Smallman winning the bunch sprint to come home just over two minutes later.
It was Horgan’s first race since returning to New Zealand after spending the winter racing in Europe and China.
The Subway-Avanti team will make its Powernet Tour of Southland team announcement later this week.
Ends
Notes
• The Subway – Avanti Pro Cycling Team is New Zealand’s only UCI Continental team receiving UCI status in early 2009.
• http://www.youtube.com/user/SubwayAvanti
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For more information please contact:
Hayden Godfrey
021 464482
www.subwaycycling.co.nz
John McKenzie
enthuse ltd
021 384 730
03 384 7338
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