4 Lakes debut kicks off 07/08 Racing Season

The Mackenzie District hosted the inaugural 4 Lakes & Tekapo Canal Road Race on Sunday 21st October. The morning dawned with sunshine and very little wind. After a fresh dumping of snow on the Friday night, 4 Lakes competitors were surrounded by stunning white capped mountains when they lined up at the start in Twizel ready to cycle hard and soak up the stunning views of the aqua blue lakes and the awe inspiring backdrop of the mighty Mount Cook.

At 8.45am the hooter went off and over 210 cyclists began their 136km journey. A lead bunch formed very early in the race. The course took competitors out past Lake Ruataniwha along the canals to Lake Ohau and then wound back towards Lake Pukaki.

On approaching the 60km mark Shane Archhold of Timaru was the first to make a move. Oliver Pearce of Christchurch also edged himself away from the bunch as he powered his way up the hill after passing the Mt Cook Salmon Farm. The two leaders increased their gap over the chasing bunch as they climbed up the next hill and continued their journey under the watchful eye of Mount Cook.

In the women’s section Mitch Murdoch of Queenstown clashed handlebars with a fellow competitor and took a tumble on the tarseal. She picked herself up again losing little time and regained her momentum.

As competitors turned at the 68km mark, near Tekapo, they were challenged with a strong head wind that had developed over the morning. This was also the team transition point so there were plenty of cyclists waiting alongside the road in anticipation to meet up with their team mates.

It was a constant battle in the wind for the next 35km as competitors looped back toward Twizel. The last 10kms was welcomed by cyclists as they turned their backs to the wind (almost) and were able to take advantage of the long downhill gradient to the finish.

Archbold raced to the finish line with a four minute lead to win the Men’s race title in a time of 3.39.39. Second place went to Oliver Pearce in a time of 3.44.32, with his brother Thomas Pearce and Mark Williams of Queenstown coming in for a tie breaker third place in a time of 3.46.12.

Murdoch came in strong to win the women’s title in a time of 4.06.55. Susie Gowers of Christchurch came in second place in 4.07.54 and in third place, Jane Leckie of Christchurch in a time of 4.13.28.

Despite the windy conditions in the latter part of the race, feedback from competitors was overwhelmingly positive. One competitor said “What a great race, the scenery around Lake Pukaki was just unbelievable with the blue lake against the snowy mountains”.

The 4 Lakes had entries from all over the South Island as well as several North Island cyclists. There were a number of cyclists tackling the race as their first ever cycle event. The race attracted all levels of competitors and there was a popular team section for those that wanted to enjoy participating with friends and family members.

The 4 Lakes was part of a great line up of sporting events in the Mackenzie District over Labour Weekend. Eager kayakers lined up on Saturday for the South Island Kayak Sprint Championships at the Twizel Rowing Centre, on Sunday the Meridian Energy Kayak Challenge took place on what is regarded as the premier kayak course of New Zealand, the Ohau Hydro Canals. For those that wanted to keep to racing on dry land the Twizel Pyramid Run and Come Ride The Dusky Trail mountain bike race drew a competitive crowd this year.

Results
Men
1 Shane Archbold Timaru 3.39.39
2 Oliver Pearce Christchurch 3.44.32
3= Thomas Pearce Christchurch 3.46.12
3= Mark Williams Queenstown 3.46.12
5 Bevan Eyles Christchurch 3.46.13

Women
1 Mitch Murdoch Queenstown 4.06.55
2 Susie Gowers Christchurch 4.07.54
3 Jane Leckie Christchurch 4.13.28
4 Julie Edwards Christchurch 4.21.26
5 Denise Taylor Ashburton 4.27.24

A full list of results and race photos can be found at www.bloodygoodevents.co.nz