SIT Zero Fees Velodrome back on the map
It only took 42.508sec to put the SIT Zero Fees Velodrome back on the map.
A best-ever ride from the New Zealand men’s team sprint squad of Ethan Mitchell, Sam Webster and Southland’s Eddie Dawkins on the opening night of the Oceania track cycling championships helped re-establish the Invercargill track as a world-class venue.
The sprint trio are the flagbearers of the New Zealand cycling programme and have performed on the sport’s biggest stages, producing three world championship titles, two Commonwealth Games gold medals and silver at the 2016 Olympics.
But we rarely get to see them in action in Invercargill anymore.
Photo: Ethan Mitchell, Sam Webster and Eddie Dawkins of New Zealand compete in the Elite Men Team Sprint during the 2020 Oceania Track Cycling Championships at the SIT Zero Fees Velodrome in Invercargill. Pic: Dianne Manson
The SIT Zero Fees Velodrome was opened in 2006 - New Zealand’s first covered cycling track at the time – and helped create a period of unmatched success for cycling in this country. Invercargill even hosted the UCI’s junior world track cycling championships in 2012.
However, the advent of Cambridge’s Avantidrome as the new home of New Zealand cycling in 2014 meant Invercargill had to step down off the top of the podium.
And while centralisation has helped to take the national programme to another level, the ramifications of that have been significant for Invercargill.
Many of the Australian riders who arrived in Invercargill last week had never been to Invercargill and were unsure what to expect when flying into a provincial town at the bottom of the globe.
A handful of championship records later, and Invercargill’s reputation as a world class cycling facility had been restored.
Martin Barras took over as Cycling NZ high performance director nearly two years ago, but hadn’t been in Invercargill since being part of the Australian setup in 2007.
Photo: Cycling NZ high performance director Martin Barras with female endurance coach Alexandra Greenfield. Pic: Dianne Manson
The French-Canadian, who has also been involved in the British Olympic team, was impressed then and he left on Sunday impressed again.
“I was having this discussion with a couple of the sponsors upstairs. They wanted to hear how the track stacks up. You don’t have to go much further than the times that have been realised and the performances we’ve seen here to understand that this is a world class venue,” Barras said.
“It’s similar to Cambridge in that it’s interesting in New Zealand where these venues are built and how they operate. I’ve worked in a lot of velodromes over the years and a lot of them have been big, white elephants built in big population centres where it’s just another venue. When these facilities are located in smaller communities they tend to be really well supported. That keeps venues open and available, not just for the general public, but for us too.”
It was a great week for Southland’s riders as well. We’ve already mentioned Dawkins, and Kirstie James was another standout in the black skinsuit, winning titles in the team pursuit, along with Nicole Shields, and individual pursuit.
James hails from Auckland and is based in Cambridge these days, but she started her cycling career in Invercargill and continues to represent Southland at national level to help repay the support she was show by the local cycling community during her time here.
Photo: Kirstie James is congratulated by Cycling NZ women’s endurance coach Alexandra Greenfield. Pic: Dianne Manson
“It’s been so awesome racing here in Invercargill, because this is really where it all started for me. I’m so grateful and proud to race for Southland,” she said.
Nick Kergozou was roared to the line by his home crowd to claim the 1000m time trial title, Corbin Strong continued to push his claims for a late inclusion in the Olympic team for Tokyo by providing a combative presence in the omnium and winning the points race.
Rhylee Akeroyd had the crowd on its feet when she claimed the Oceania under 19 omnium title on the last lap of the points race, while Tom Sexton showed plenty of character to get up after a crash early in the madison and secure the silver medal.
Ellesse Andrews, another rider who started her career in the Southland colours, underlined her potential as a future star of New Zealand cycling.
Of course, Southland has a rich cycling pedigree, something which is being celebrated through October and November during the inaugural BikeFest.
Alongside events like the Oceania championships, the Yunca Junior Tour of Southland and SBS Bank Tour of Southland, there are a host of free and low-cost opportunities for the whole family to ride their bikes. Check out the BikeFest Southland website or Facebook page for more details.
