Hamish Bond claims elite Cycle Challenge cup in Taupō

Saturday, 24 November 2018

Hamish Bond [centre] with second-placed Dylan Kennett [right] and third-placed Corbin Strong [left]. Bond won the 160-km Holden Mens Classic race by two minutes at the 2018 BDO Lake Taupō Cycle Challenge.

Olympic rower Hamish Bond has scooped first place at the BDO Lake Taupō Cycle Challenge's elite mens race.

More than 5700 people raced in the event's 13 road and mountain bike races over two days on Friday and Saturday.

Slogging out the 160-kilometres Holden Elite Mens Classic on Saturday, Bond finished in 3 hours 46 minutes, 15 seconds.

Bond is best known for rowing, with six consecutive world titles and gold at the 2012 London Summer Olympic Games and the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics.

Pack-leader Jamie Dennis (left) checks his shoulder as Barnaby Clegg-Shaw (centre) approaches in the final 500 metres of the 160-km Holden Mens Classic race.

The 32-year-old finished two minutes ahead of the second and third placed riders: Dylan Kennett from Rukuhia, south of Hamilton, and Invercargill's Corbin Strong.

Bond got creative with his similes when describing the moment he broke from the pack.

'It was a little bit chilly around the back with rain, but I ended up in a strong bunch and we worked pretty well,' he said.

'I thought, I can't go to the line with anyone else, so I kicked liked a… small child [kicks].

Holden Mens Classic winner Hamish Bond photographed in the last 500 metres of the 160-km race.

'I had to get away up Hatepe [hill] and use my TT [time-trial] experience.

'So yeah: my hamstrings are pretty cooked now.'

Bond's average speed in the race was 42 kmh.

The Dunedin-born athlete switched from rowing to cycling after the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

Ione Johnson from Wellington winning the 100-kilometre Bayleys Women's Classic Race, following closely by Elyse Fraser of Christchurch and Teresa Adam of Waitakere.

'I'm slowly progressing and I'm learning how to use my abilities to produce results,' he said.

'This is probably my best result yet.'

Ione Johnson from Wellington won the 100-kilometre Bayleys Women's Classic Race in 2 hours 40 minutes. Split-seconds later, Elyse Fraser of Christchurch and Teresa Adam of Waitakere followed her over the finish line.

The Huka XL Elite mountain biking saw a clash of the titans.

Britain's three-time under-23 national mountain biking champion Frazer Clacherty's pipped three-time race-winner Sam Shaw from Rotorua in the 80 km race.

Clacherty and Shaw battled for the lead several times in the race, as rain drenched the track halfway through.

UK champ Frazer Clacherty said he had a 'small crash' early in the Huka XL mountain bike race, but he battled to take first place.

'Eighty k's is a long way, so I thought we'd take a while to get going, but the boys started off really fast so it caught me by surprise,' he said.

Clacherty said he had a 'small crash' early in the race, but battled to get back to the front.

Huka XL mountain bikers' podium with race winner Frazer Clacherty (centre), third-placed Caleb Bottcher (left) and second-placed Sam Shaw (right).

'I kept fighting, and before I knew it I was in first place, then second place.' he said.

Huka XL-race winner Frazer Clacherty (centre) aims his champagne bottle at second-placed Sam Shaw, while Caleb Bottcher lets loose his bottle too.

'I caught Sam [Shaw] who was leading and I was with him for about an hour. We were just knocking a good tempo and then I attacked about 20 minutes from the finish.'

Shaw said he had more than a few near misses on the Craters Mountain Bike Park tracks, but kept on his seat.

'It started out really nice, but 1.5 hours in it rained, which made things really spicy,' he said.

'It changed the order of the lead quite a lot, and kept things real interesting.'

The Rotorua-based biker said he was stoked to be racing some world-class talent. ]

Jolanda Neff approaches the finish line; the first female in the Huka XL Challenge.

Mountain bikers aprepare for the start of an off road 2018 BDO Cycle Challenge event.

Switzerland's Jolanda Neff won the female division of the Huka XL Elite Race with 4 hours 3 minutes, followed by Samara Sheppard [4h 5m] and Bulls' Kym Skerman [4h 54m].

A pack of elite Holden Mens Classic riders dash for the finish.

PROVISIONAL RESULTS:

ROAD:

Holden Men's Classic Race, 160 km

1. Hamish Bond (CAMBRIDGE): 3:46:14

2. Dylan Kennett (RUKUHIA): +2:00

3. Corbin Strong (INVERCARGILL): +2:00

Bayleys Women's Classic Race, 100 km

1. Ione Johnson (KARORI): 02:40:42

2. Elyse Fraser (CHRISTCHURCH): +0

A pair of elite Holden Mens Classic riders reach the final stretch of the 2018 BDO Lake Taupō Cycle Challenge

3. Teresa Adam (WAITAKERE): +0

**Huka XL Elite Race, 80 km

Female**

1. 9324 Jolanda Neff (THAL) 04:03:05

2. 9303 Samara Sheppard (NSW) 04:05:53

3. 9301 Kym Skerman (BULLS) 04:54:20

Male

1. 9317 Frazer Clacherty (WHITBY) 03:39:32

2. 9304 Sam Shaw (ROTORUA) 03:41:42

3. 9306 Caleb Bottcher (PALMERSTON NORTH) 03:48:28

**Enduro 320 km, two laps Lake Taupō

Female:**

1. Alice Chaplin (AUCKLAND): 10:11:47

Male:

1. Jeremy Rowe (ASHHURST): 09:48:24

2. Colin Baird (AUCKLAND): 10:11:43

3. Logan Mort (AUCKLAND): 10:11:48

**Maxi Enduro 640 km, four laps Lake Taupō

Male:**

1. Craig Harper (BLENHEIM): 21:45:23

2. Remco Biesheuvel (AUCKLAND): 25:10:45

3. Darren Murdie (PALMERSTON NORTH): 27:16:03

Bike Barn Round The Lake 160 km

Female

1. 1866 Rebecca Clarke (AUCKLAND) F19-34 (1) 04:16:33

2. 529 Kate Chilcott (TAKAPUNA) F19-34 (2) 04:30:55

3. 1537 Louise Delaney (WAITAKERE) F55-59 (1) 04:30:59

Male

1. 1090 Nga Poupouare (WHANGAPARAOA) M55-59 (1) 03:57:13

2. 777 Frank Simons (AUCKLAND) M35-44 (1) 04:11:12

3. 1817 David Venter (AUCKLAND) M35-44 (2) 04:11:12

Half The Lake, 75 km

Female

1. 11060 Angela Mote (CHRISTCHURCH) F45-54 02:11:22

2. 10685 Hannah Howell (TAUPO) F18U 02:12:04

3. 11064 Ella Morton (AUCKLAND) F18U 02:12:14

Male

1. 10608 Finnegan Murphy (WHNGANUI) M18U 02:01:48

2. 10522 Samuel Dawkins (AUCKLAND) M18U 02:01:51

3. 10941 Hunter Gibson (WANGANUI) M18U 02:01:53

Tandem Round The Lake

Female

1. 6604 Katey Coubrough + Mark Gibson (TAUPO) (1) 05:30:22

Male

1. 6613 Phil Shoemack (TAURANGA), 05:23:48

2. 6603 Carlos Charlton + Jason Treadaway (AUCKLAND), 06:00:23

**Bookabach Quarter Lake, 40 km

Male**

1. 12129 Blake Bailey (CAMBRIDGE) M18U (1) 01:08:35

2. 12139 Maurice Mildenhall (WANGANUI)M70+ (1) 02:11:08

Kids Heart Ride

Female

1. 6805 Raya Forsey (RIVERHEAD) (1) 00:15:28

2. 6827 Nakita Warner (PALMERSTON NORTH) (2) 00:15:34

3. 6746 Zara Lily Mack (PAPAMOA) (3) 00:15:49

Male

1. 6800 James Hughes (AUCKLAND) (1) 00:12:44

2. 6742 James Whiteley (AUCKLAND) (2) 00:13:07

3. 6719 Thomas Gray (TAUPO) (3) 00:14:01

MOUNTAIN BIKE:

**Huka Challenge, 82 km

Male**

1. 7146 Isaac Schuurman (TAUPO) M19-34 (1) 04:07:18

2. 7174 Payson Partridge (OHAKUNE) M19-34 (2) 04:10:59

3. 7188 Steve Furminger (WAITAKERE) M19-34 (3) 04:12:38

Huka Steamer, 62 km

Female

1. 8168 Sammie Maxwell (TAUPO) F18U (1) 02:50:35

2. 8257 Anna Barrett (PAENGAROA) F19-34 (1) 03:20:48

3. 8253 Coralie O'connell (TAURANGA) F45-54 (1) 03:26:29

Male

1. 8266 Allan Mcdougall (OHOPE) M60-69 (1) 02:09:00

2. 8205 Connor Johnston (ROTORUA) M18U (1) 02:37:37

3. 8101 Troy Herdman (TAURANGA) M18U (2) 02:49:54

Huka Teaser, 31 km

Female

1. 8763 Mia Cameron (TAUPO) 18U (1) 01:23:04

2. 8780 Kellie Hurring (AUCKLAND) F19-34 (1) 01:36:12

3. 8791 Cassandra Kelly (AUCKLAND) F55-59 (1) 01:36:38

Male

1. 8618 Alex Brackenbury (TAUPO) M18U (1) 01:20:19

2. 8765 Matt Bos (ALBANY) M19-34 (1) 01:23:22

3. 8828 Graham Oberlin-Brown (AKL) M19-34 (2) 01:24:04