Westlake Cyclists competed in the National Secondary School Championships during the first 3 days of the holiday break. Hosted by Palmerston North, the boys competed in Team Time Trials, Road Races and a Points Race. Invariably, the weather made it a tough competition with the cyclists battling against strong winds during their races.
Day 2 of the Nationals proved to be a highlight. A number of boys claimed top 10 places with 3 of our cyclists gaining podiums. Blake Tolmie made a break for the finish in the U16 road race. While the bunch chased hard, Blake managed to claim 2nd in New Zealand in a very exciting finish.
Westlake concluded our season on Manfeild raceway in the Points race. While we were denied any major placing in this event it was great to see some of our senior riders collect points and make attacks in a very competitive field.
Cycling at Westlake depends on the generosity of families. The boys are very fortunate to have such a supportive group. The positive team culture means that while these events involve a great deal of hard work, they are also great fun. Many thanks in particular to Vaughn Bycroft who has generously built and donated a custom-built trailer to the club.
Any boys interested in joining the Cycling Club should see Mr Clarke in E block. We have a number of scholarship bikes available for boys to use.
Nationals 2017
Top 10 placings
Team Time Trial
– Senior A 9th
– Junior A 6th
Road Race
– Blake Tolmie U16 A 2nd
– Jaydn Harris U16 A 8th
– Sam Dawkins U16 B 1st
– Kalib Patterson U16 B 2nd
– Matt Plank U16 B 4th
– Sam Turner O’Keeffe U16 B 6th
– Ewart Bower U17 A 6th
– Matthew Sugden U17 A 10th
– Bradley Bycroft U17 B 2nd
– Joshua Wang U17 B 10th