The numbers do not lie — junior cycling in New Zealand is on a high, and many of this country’s best young riders are about to descend on Southland.
Cycling Southland will host both the Yunca-sponsored Junior Tour of Southland and the New Zealand secondary schools track championships over the next week.
There are big fields registered and a high likelihood that the next Corbin Strong or Ellesse Andrews will be on show.
A record field of more than 165 riders have entered the three-day junior tour, which starts today. That is an increase of more than 25 riders from what was an impressive start list last year.
The field will include 20 Australians, a mix of members of AusCycling Development Academy and the Australian-based Rauland Development Team.
Twenty-two Southland riders will take part, many of them inspired by former Tour of Southland winner Josh Burnett, who became the first local rider in nearly 30 years to win the senior event in 2022 and who will be involved as a guest speaker during the junior event.
Junior Tour of Southland race director Marc Prutton said it was exciting to see so many young riders looking to gain more experience.
"The Yunca tour is renowned in New Zealand cycling and is a fantastic proving ground for any young rider," Prutton said.
"This race offers riders a true multi-stage experience, including a mix of open road and criterium racing that is hard to find."
Many will remain in Invercargill and swap their group sets for fixed gears to ride in the national schools track championships on Tuesday-Wednesday.
The programme will feature riders from New Zealand’s strongest school cycling programmes, including the likes of St Peter’s Cambridge, which has three-time Olympian Rushlee Buchanan on its coaching staff, and Auckland Grammar, coached by Tim Pawson, who helped guide Dan Gardiner to the Tour of Southland’s orange jersey last year.
- By Nathan Burton
