On the first weekend of December every year the Armstrong Motor Group Festival of Cycling confirms Christchurch as the epi-centre of New Zealand cycling.
Held for the first time in 2005, this innovative event launched a new concept for cycling enthusiasts nationwide, bringing every cycling format into a single weekend of cycling celebration that sees Olympic champions and European stars rubbing shoulders with recreational riders, kids and keen club cyclists alike.
Scheduled this year for December 4th and 5th, the sixth annual Armstrong Motor Group Festival of Cycling promises to be bigger and better than ever. As well as the top flight Avanti Long Bays Classic, the hugely popular Harbour Ride and the exciting City Criterium, the 2010 event will include mountain biking, BMX and the Benchmark Homes Kids Mini-Bays.
Festivities kick-off on Saturday December 4th with the Armstrong Motor Group Harbour Ride around the spectacular Port Hills and Lyttelton bays. This challenging yet achievable 80k is a legendary local benchmark for every cyclist from Olympians such as Hayden Roulston to relative rookies enjoying their first summer on the bike.
The country’s top riders will gather again for the Avanti Long Bays Classic. Past winners have included double Olympic medalist Hayden Roulston, but also standouts such as world champions Greg Henderson and Katie MacTier and women’s Tour de France champion Linda Villumsen.
In 2009 the Avanti Long Bays Classic was dominated by Kiwi Olympian Cath Cheatley and New Zealand pro champion Jack Bauer, and Bauer is already signed up to defend his title in 2010. Last year Bauer capped off a break-through international year by out-sprinting Kiwi Olympian Heath Blackgrove in the home straight. He went from the Armstrong Motor Group Festival of Cycling to win the national elite champs in January, which netted the former Takaka rider his first pro contract on the hallowed roads of Europe.
When Bauer lines up to defend his Avanti Long Bays title at this year’s Armstrong Motor Group Festival of Cycling he’ll be wearing the black and white of the NZ Champions jersey. But Canterbury favourite and Olympic medallist Hayden Roulston will be very keen to give that jersey a beating.
Roulston has also confirmed for this year’s Armstrong Motor Group Festival of Cycling. He and Bauer last faced off at the national elite champs when Bauer surprised even himself to outsprint New Zealand’s most successful pro’s, Roulston and Julian Dean. Roulston knows the Avanti Long Bays race intimately, having trained around it most of his cycling life and of course, having won the 2006 Avanti Long Bays title.
There is much to look forward to in 2010. Last year’s inaugural mountain bike option will return, with the 30k course this year taking in private land that is not otherwise open to the public. Experienced riders take on the toughest, trickiest tracks, while a more sedate but no less spectacular course caters for off road rookies. And to mark the Festival appeal, five dollars from every entry goes back to trail maintenance on the very tracks participants will ride.
The opening day concludes with the Benchmark Homes Kids Mini Bays, where hundreds of kids aged eight to 14 take on a fun 5k or 10k around McCormack’s Bay, with Olympians and New Zealand champions for company.
On Sunday December 5th the action moves downtown to the Oxford Terrace café strip for the Armstrong Motor Group City Criterium. In an action-packed day, events vary from kids’ events, BMX racing to celebrity tandem races, open events for keen punters to try the Euro-style excitement of criterium racing, to the feature invitational racing, which has been dominated by Olympians Wesley Gough, Jason Allen and Marc Ryan. Or you can join the thousands of spectators taking in coffee and brunch while they watch some of the best cycle racing you’ll see on these shores.
