North Island Secondary School Road Cycling Championships
Saturday 6 July-
The championships kicked off with the team time trial as the first event for the riders. Junior and senior teams took on a 16km course. The Under 16 category saw the school’s Junior A team, comprising Filip Martin, Jonathon Peel, Mitchell Wolland, and Flynn Balfour, secure an impressive second place, outpacing several top Auckland schools. The Junior B team clinched the 7th spot, leading the Junior B category. The Junior C and D teams also put-up commendable performances, finishing 11th and 15th respectively.
In the Under 20 Team Time Trial, our Senior team, all of whom will return to school next year, faced the challenge of riding with only four riders instead of the usual five. They managed to secure the 7th spot, a confidence-boosting performance for our senior riders as they look to the future.
Following a brief cool-down period, the riders were back on the course for the Road Race Championships. In the Under 14 Race spanning 26km, Liam O’Dea secured the second spot, missing the top spot by mere inches in the final sprint. Joesph Steer also had a strong finish, making it into the top 10.
The Under 15 Boys race saw Leo Webb finish 5th, demonstrating his steady progress as a rider. Max Calder-Kerr and Logan Dowdall also put up strong performances, finishing 10th and 11th respectively.
The Under 16 Race featured a competitive field of riders. Filip Martin finished 4th, Flynn Balfour 9th, and Jonathon Peel 12th.
In the Under 20 Race, our young riders gave their best, with Jacob Lean finishing in 14th place.
Sunday 7 July-
The Road Championship culminated in the criterium event on its final day. The event challenged the riders to complete 2km laps around a high-speed circuit.
In the Under 14 A Race, Liam O’Dea showcased his sprinting skills, crossing the finish line in first place. His ability to adapt quickly from his previous day’s sprint and better position himself earned him the gold medal. Joseph Steer finished 8th, capping off a strong weekend with a top 10 finish.
The Under 15 A Race saw Logan Dowdall display his sprinting prowess, finishing strong in a large group sprint to secure the silver medal. Max Calder-Kerr also had a commendable performance, finishing within the top 10. Unfortunately, Leo Webb was involved in an accident where he was thrown from his bike at around 50 km/hr. Despite this, he showed remarkable resilience to get back up and finish the race.
The Under 16 A Race was dominated by Filip Martin, who won the gold medal with an impressive sprint finish. He had to work hard to out-sprint the large bunch finish. Flynn Balfour and Jonathon Peel also had notable performances, finishing 5th and 8th respectively.
In the Under 16 B Race, Oliver Lean secured a top 10 finish, placing 9th. This was an impressive achievement considering he had only recently returned to cycling after a lengthy injury.
The Under 20 Boys grade saw solid performances from our young riders in this demanding category. Jacob Lean and Cody Clark demonstrated their strong development as riders, finishing 5th and 7th respectively. Logan Mulcahy also had a strong performance throughout the weekend.
Overall, the school team finished 2nd in the Overall School Points Event. This result marked a successful conclusion to the Road Championship event for the team.
North Island Secondary School Track Cycling Championships
Tuesday 9 July- Individual Omnium Events
On the first day of the Track Championships, all riders participated in the Omnium. This competition involved four events throughout the day: a 250m Sprint, Scratch Race, Keirin, and Tempo Race.
Liam O’Dea, continuing his impressive performance from the road championships, secured 2nd place in the Omnium. In the Under 15 Grade, Logan Dowdall’s performance in the four events earned him a silver medal, while Austin Riley finished a respectable 12th in the same grade.
In the Under 16 Race, Jonathon Peel finished an admirable 8th. Zachery Woollett delivered another strong track performance, finishing as runner-up in the Under 17 Grade. Leighton Riley finished 12th in the challenging Under 20 Omnium.
On Wednesday, 10 July, our riders competed in the team sprint and team pursuit competitions. In the Under 20 Sprint Championship, we had only two eligible riders. Therefore, Leighton Riley and Zachery Woollett teamed up with a rider from Auckland to compete in this event. The team finished 3rd, a remarkable achievement considering the riders had no prior training together.
In the Under 16 Team Sprints, Jonathon Peel and Logan Dowdall secured 3rd place in a competitive Under 16 Grade. They also teamed up with Austin Riley and Liam O’Dea to finish 3rd in the team pursuit.
Despite being a small team, our young men performed exceptionally well and should take pride in their achievements. Given the limited training time on the velodrome compared to northern schools, these young men have every reason to be proud.
