SUBWAY® Pro Cycling takes top two podium spots on day one of elite national champs

SUBWAY® Pro Cycling took first and second at the RaboDirect National Road Cycling Championship’s opening time trial event today in Christchurch.

SUBWAY® Pro Cycling’s Paul Odlin won in 49 minutes and 35 seconds beating his teammate Sam Horgan by 21 seconds. The SUBWAY® Pro Cycling team mates were the only two senior elite riders to go under 50 minutes with both riders beating World Tour Pro rider and pre race favourite Jesse Sergent who recorded 50 minutes and 3 seconds for the 40 kilometre course to finish third.

Odlin, who at 33 was the oldest in the field today, said the win was his best in New Zealand and it was his first senior elite national title. He paid tribute to his SUBWAY® Pro Cycling team mates, management and support staff and his family, who he stressed laid the foundation for his success. He also said his preparation was a key to today’s result, and that it was a key New Zealand summer event he had targeted.

“To pull this result off is really special and after building up for it I’m just really relieved,” he said. “Things had gone really well during the week but there were some nerves as today got closer. The great support I had from my wife Holly and from my SUBWAY® Pro Cycling team really helped.”

Odlin said he paced himself well on the outward leg of the course and held a three second lead over the field at the turn around point in Leeston where riders turned into a head and side wind.

“It got harder and then harder again on the return leg. I did dig deep and had a few thoughts that it wasn’t good enough but in the end it was good enough to get the result and I’m really happy.”

Odlin said he realised Pro Tour prologue winner Sergent may not have been in peak form at this time of year but was still very satisfied to have beaten him. Horgan said he was happy to be beaten by his team mate and was also very pleased to get on the podium.

The SUBWAY® Pro Cycling team now turns its attention to Sunday’s road race being held on a 15.6 kilometre circuit that includes the tough Dyers Pass climb the men do 11 times to complete 186.6 kilometres.

Hayden Roulston won last year’s elite men’s road race in a time of four hours 43 minutes 29 seconds, with Melbourne-based professional Greg Henderson second and Jeremy Yates (Team Mico Revolution – Hawkes Bay) third, both 29 seconds behind Roulston.

Roulston and Henderson are both not racing this year due to their Pro Team commitments leaving Yates as the favourite in his last National Championship event.

SUBWAY® Pro Cycling Manager Graeme Miller said the road race was a very tough event to win, but felt it was more open this year and that several of the SUBWAY® Pro Cycling riders were “more than capable of stepping up for a result.”

The SUBWAY® Pro Cycling team for the road race is; Odlin, Horgan Nick Lovegrove and Matt Gorter (elite men’s road race). Dillion Bennett, Simon Binney and Scott Creighton race in the Under 23 event.