Tom Sexton wins madison title on final night of national track champs
New Zealand’s leading riders, buoyed by some promising form at the Vantage National Track Championships, will refocus with confidence on the next three weeks before they depart for the UCI World Championships.
Their performances, especially from the likes of the exciting teenager Corbin Strong and veteran sprinter Sam Webster, coming off a heavy training block, will encourage the Vantage Elite team in the final preparations before heading to Berlin.
Meanwhile at the other end of the spectrum, some emerging talent shone from the likes of teenager Shaane Fulton, who grabbed her first elite titles in the 500m time trial, keirin and team sprint and the standout Canterbury pair of Jenna Borthwick and double junior world champion Laurence Pithie.
They won 11 titles between then, with Borthwick claiming honours in both sprint and endurance events.
“They have been the outstanding juniors and produced some impressive performances this week,” said Cycling New Zealand national junior coach, Tim Carswell.
“They are both world class and will be looking forward to a big year on the international scene.”
Carswell and fellow selectors will name their New Zealand team for this year’s UCI Junior Track World Championships next week, with Borthwick and Pithie expected to be the backbone of the team.
Cycling New Zealand High Performance Director, Martin Barras said the elite coaches were all impressed with the performances from their riders who will compete in the upcoming world championships.
“Most have been on heavy training load and have even trained through this week, and they are all back to work tomorrow,” he said.
“It was important to compete in the national championships, and it was another good opportunity to test their racecraft ahead of the worlds.
“Many were riding in limited events but I was impressed with Corbin Strong, clearly, who has emerged with outstanding performances this summer to demand his selection, and he has showed that form here this week.
Photo: Laurence Pithie (right) slingshots teammate Tom Sexton. Pic: DIanne Manson Photos
“Now it is a return to the hard work as they put the finishing touches on before heading to Berlin.”
Highlights of the final day of team racing saw Canterbury men clock 4:01.560 and Waikato BOP women with a championship record time of 4:21.121, to win the respective 4000m team pursuit finals.
The elite team sprint honours went to the Southland trio of Nick Kergozou, Tom Sexton, Conor Shearing while a composite team of Fulton and Jaymie King won the elite women.
Vantage Elite riders Ally Wollaston and Jessie Hodges, who won three titles over the weekend, combined to win the women’s 20km madison while the exciting Pithie combined with world scratch medallist Tom Sexton for Skoda Fruzio to win the men’s 25km madison.
Results:
Male, 4000m team pursuit: Canterbury 4:01.560, 1 (Championship Record); Southland 4:09.188, 2; Canterbury Black 4:16.176, 3.
750m Team Sprint: Southland (Nick Kergozou, Tom Sexton, Conor Shearing) 46.73, 1; Waikato BOP (Cailen Calkin, Patrick Clancy, Jayden Fleming) 47.34, 2; Composite (R Pepperell, Chris Watts, Angus Claasen) 47.45, 3. Under-19 Team Sprint: Canterbury 1, Waikato BOP 2, Composite 3.
Madison: Skoda Fruzio (Tom Sexton, Laurence Pithie) 43 points, 1; Canterbury (Josh Scott, Hugo Jones) 27, 2; Waikato (George Jackson, Zakk Patterson) 17, 3.
Female, 4000m Team Pursuit: Waikato BOP 4:21.121, 1 (Championship record); Southland OL, 2; Canterbury 4:43.708, 3.
Under-19 Team Sprint: Waikato BOP (Mya Anderson, Prudence Fowler) 37.346, 1; Canterbury (Jenna Borthwick, Mikaela Grant) 37.438, 2; Southland (Jennifer Brown, Tyla Green) 38.359, 3.
Elite team sprint: Composite (Shaane Fulton, Jaymie King) 35.289, 1; Southland (Sophie-Leigh Bloxham, Nicole Marshall) 36.920, 2; Auckland (Rhiannon Dunn, Briana Gunn) 37.714, 3.
Madison 20km: Subway Blue (Ally Wollaston, Jessie Hodges) 38 points, 1; Waikato BOP (Bryony Botha, Rushlee Buchanan) 24, 2; Vantage Green (Racquel Sheath, Nicole Shields) 23, 3.
