imageTickets will be sold from the I site in the Square on Friday afternoon from 4pm to 5.30pm at Novice tour registration, then  throughout the Novice tour.

Tickets will also be sold at each Bike Manawatu event up until the draw.

Drawn on Thursday 19th at End of year Prizegiving.

Draw one    Manfeild 6 hour Challenge to be held on    Sunday 11th May  One solo entry or half a team entry     Winner   Malcolm Rees   Ticket no 86 C

Draw two    Country Road Cycle Classic to be held on   Saturday 22nd March   One solo entry or half a team entry     Winner   Kerry Hammington   Ticket no 91 C

Draw three    Feilding Festival of Cycling to be held on Sunday   14th September  One solo entry       Winner   Christine Christie  Ticket no 65 C

An informal 160km end of season cycle ride around the Pisa Range is the inspiration for a new three-tier classic one day event on February 22 2014

flying under the flag of La Pisa Ronda.

Event Directors Geoff Hunt and Pascale Lorre of Southern Traverse fame have devised the challenging race which has attracted headline sponsorship from Southsure Assurance Ltd.

“For several years a group of mates have marked the end of the cycling season with a ride around the Pisa which is always a good test of fitness at the end of summer and a chance to spend some quality riding time with friends,” says Hunt.” But I have always seen the potential to expand the ride into a one day Southern Lakes classic ride and that’s now become a reality.”

Entries for three different levels in La Pisa Ronda have now opened with a positive early response.

IMG_20130511_113310-1-1Well Manawatu certainly does have some talented cyclists. But what is a cycle? It is anything with a wheel that can be used for transportation. There are pennyfarthing cycles, unicycles, bicycles, motorcycles.

I came across these group of lads at a local park sometime ago and thought it just goes to show that it takes all sorts. Great to see young people out enjoying their cycles and having fun.


Location: Memorial Park, Palmerston North
Date: Saturday, 22 March 2014

Our very own The Country Road Manawatu Cycle Classic is an amazing experience, displaying all of the Manawatu’s scenic delights, from stunning views of river valleys clothed in vibrant rural farmland, through to native bush hugging the foothills of the majestic Ruahine Ranges.

The route features a rising 90km of gentle incline before dropping 600m, then charging over 40km of roller coasters, before levelling off and rolling over the last flat 30km home stretch to Palmerston North City.

The start and finish will be outside Memorial Park on Main Street. Riders will be encouraged to continue cycling to The Square for after-race entertainment and a prize giving set amongst the vibrancy and colour of the Festival of Cultures, which runs throughout the day.

I flew down to Invercargill on Friday the 15th, and made my way to my accommodation, where I would be spending the next 3 nights with fellow WCNI rider Cassie Cameron, and travelling Scotsman Gus Gillies.

Saturday was day one of the UCI tier one event, which we started off with a 30 minute ride/crawl to the Velodrome. My Keirin was first up, however while racing I had a small mechanical. I still managed to finish a respectable third.

Later that night I competed in the scratch race but unfortunately the mechanical repeated itself, and I was forced to pull out. Due to this, I decided to enter the points race the next day. After lapping the field with a couple of NZ riders, and picking up a couple of sprints, I finished up 5th overall. I was very happy with this, as the points race is an endurance event and by nature I’m a sprinter. This 2 day event was a huge confidence boost, as I had proven to myself that I could kick it with the best of them.