ROADIES MAKE THE FIRST MOVE AT PIONEER PROLOGUE

Slippery conditions after recent snow and rain should have made it tough for the ‘roadie’s’ at the Pioneer Mountain Bike prologue on Coronet Peak today, but those more used to the tarmac under the wheels and sunshine on their backs made the early moves in the six-day mountain bike stage race.

2018 Tour of Southland winner Michael Vink and Tim Rush (ONYA BIKE) and Amy Hollamby and 2018 Commonwealth Games road cyclist Kate McIlroy (Wellington Airport) came out in front in the open men’s and women’s categories, negotiating the 20km course in clear and calm conditions, with just the final 100m of the course enveloped in cloud at the base of the ski field.

Vink was a little surprised at how well the day went, given the conditions.

“It is hard to know what to read into it, you never know what to expect and it is only the prologue so we won’t ready too much into it but certainly it is a nice gap to have on what was one of the more technical stages of the race, one that on paper shouldn’t be our thing, but it only takes a mechanical or a crash and that gets turned around, so we have to be on our game still.

“Tim and I have not been able to ride most of that course before, but we got through really smooth and in a fast time without taking too many risks so that was a perfect first outing for us.”

Vink spoke before the event of growing up on a mountain bike and loving this format of racing, it was little surprise that a few splashes of mud did not deter him from enjoying the 20km ride.

“A wet day on a mountain bike is better than a good day at work. We were taking it all in and having some fun. Tim and I have don’t plenty of riding together on the road, so we know each other personality wise. Tim led the whole way today to get a feel for where we are at and we were never more than five seconds apart, it was perfect really, we will reassess every day and wake up and see how we feel.”

The lead for ONYA Bike is a significant one over the 20km prologue, albeit there is much riding and plenty of climbing still to come in the week, with the international pairing of Vojomag’s Sebastien Carabin (Belgium) and Ismael Sanchez (Spain) over four minutes back in second, with defending champions Jimmy Williamson and Scott Lyttle (Willbike – MortgageMe Queenstown) a further minute back in third.

Lyttle was happy with their day, saying Williamson rode strongly on the front of their combination throughout the stage, while Lyttle took on a few extra bumps down Rude Rock track, thanks to an inadvertent flick of a switch.

“I don’t think we have lost too much time, you can’t win the Pioneer today, but you can lose it, it is good to get through safe and sound.

“I learned something today though, that is good. The drop post lever is close to the bike lock switch and when you push it in too far it locks the bike out, so I rode Rude Rock with the suspension locked out, thinking the headset was loose or something, but you live and learn!”

It was a primarily road renowned team taking the early lead in the open women’s category too, albeit by just 12.5 seconds, with Amy Hollamby (Timaru) and Kate McIlroy (Wellington) in the Wellington Airport team making a huge statement to the rest of an impressive field.

“That was definitely hard, we were a bit apprehensive coming in with the amount of mud out there given we are primarily roadies, we were outside our comfort zone, but we had a plan and stuck to it and it went well,” said Hollamby.

McIlroy admitted to some nerves during a technical start to the week.

“That was a little out of my depth on that descent, I just followed Amy’s wheel and I am pleased the prologue is done and dusted but I know there are five days to come with some pretty gnarly trails, so I am just hoping to keep it rubber side down.”

Hollamby is not surprised at how close the competition is, with 34 seconds between the top three, and the highly ranked Australians Briony Mattocks and Brodie Chapman lurking 4 minutes back in fourth.

“I knew it would be like that, the competition is tough out there this year, it is going to be an interesting week.”

 The mixed category is another that is expected to be close throughout the week and it was newcomers to the event and a relative newcomer to mountain bike racing that held the early advantage with team JoJoe - Josie Wilcox and Joe Skerman, edging to just over a minute in front of two-time defending champions Mark Williams and Kate Fluker (team New World).

Wilcox has only been on a mountain bike for two years and missed the recent nationals through injury but is already rated as one of the quickest cross-country riders in the country, winning the recent Whaka 100 in a new race record time.

“We just came off Whaka and rode well there, we have been riding a lot and feeling in great shape, so we are pleased with that start today,” said Wilcox.

For many others in the 560 strong field it was a longer but nonetheless enjoyable opening day, with riders picking their way carefully through the opening stage, looking to eliminate any silly mistakes that might derail the stunning week of riding that lies ahead.

12-time IRONMAN New Zealand champion Cameron Brown came home safely in team Vital All in One with team mate Andrew Smith, the good friends riding in the Masters (40+) category as the IRONMAN legend enjoys a week of cross training ahead of his summer of racing in New Zealand.

Monday brings the riders down from the lofty heights of Coronet Peak, with Stage One comprising 69km of riding with a testing 2245m of climbing, on an out and back route that starts and finishes at the Ice Arena in Queenstown.

Riders take on a loop around Queenstown via Lower Shotover Conservation Area, Arthurs Point, Moke Lake, Lake Dispute before an exhilarating ride down Thundergoat Track to the bottom of Skyline Gondola, and the finish line at the Ice Arena.

The event then shifts to an overnight camp in Alexandra (Molyneaux Park) as The Pioneer moves into Central Otago for three stages before heading back to Queenstown and the finish line on Friday.

Provisional Prologue Results

Open Men
1 ONYA Bike, Tim Rush & Michael Vink (NZL), 1:11:42
2 Vojomag ESMTB, Sebastien Carabin (BEL) & Ismael Sanchez (ESP), 1:15:56
3 Willbike MortgageMe Queenstown, Jimmy Williamson & Scott Lyttle (NZL), 1:16:57

Open Women
1 Wellington Airport, Amy Hollamby & Kate McIlroy (NZL), 1:39:19
2 New World St Martins, Nina McVicar & Mary Gray (NZL), 1:39:32
3 Madison NZ, Erin Greene & Hannah Miller (NZL), 1:39:53

Mixed
1 JoJoe, Josie Wilcox & Joe Skerman (NZL), 1:28:37
2 New World, Mark Williams & Kate Fluker (NZL), 1:29:51
3 Niner Bikes/Kappius Components, Jean-Francois Bossler & Fanny Bourdon (FRA/CZE), 1:34:38

Masters (Both riders 40+)
1 SRAM, Anthony Shippard & David Evans, (AUS), 1:23:52
2 Rivet Racing, Gianluca Valsenti & Matthew Webber (NZL), 1:28:10
3 A21 Linc’n’Lister, Lincoln Carolan & Peter Lister (AUS), 1:28:47

Grand Masters (both riders 50+)
1 Stutho & Sutho Protocol, Blair Stuthridge & Neil Sutherland (NZL), 1:25:39
2 2 Old Men, Shaun Portegys & Tim O’Leary, NZL), 1:25:51
3 Crankit Cycles Specialized, Peter O’Sullivan & Trevor Woodward (NZL), 1:31:22