Organisers of last Wednesday’s inaugural Milford Mountain Classic cycle race from Milford to Te Anau are confi dent the event will become a firm fixture on the region’s sporting calendar.
A total of 129 riders lined up to take part in the 120km classic and the 65km Eglinton Challenge sister race from Knobs Flat. The race started at 4.15pm from Milford with the first rider, Jeremy Yates, arriving just 3 hours 13 minutes and 29 seconds later.
Te Anau locals turned out in force to cheer the riders into town.
A large number lined the Mokonui Street finish line with many others en route standing outside their homes, cheering and clapping as the cylists rode past.
Among them were Caroline Carter and Pania Dalley who clanged a large cowbell as the cyclists entered the final kilometre.
Mr Yates broke away from the group on the gruelling climb to the Homer Tunnel, earning deserved kudos for “muscling out” the remainder of the distance alone.
Also riding the entire distance solo – albeit at the other end of the field – was Te Anau’s Ray Willett who completed the course in seven hours 10 minutes and one second, arriving in the dark to a hero’s welcome. Both riders were equally complimentary of the race and predicted a positive future as word of it spread. Mr Willett said it was clear that many more riders would be needed to make future races financially viable but he hoped his efforts would encourage more people to give it a go.
“To be successful it’s got to have more ‘also rans’ – those who believe they can’t do it,” he said.
For him the hardest part had been in the first 19km – specifically the zigzags up to the Homer Tunnel.
“There’s only minutes of it where I dug as deep as I’ve ever done in my life but it would have made sense to walk,” he said, noting that was what the rider ahead of him had done and still beat him home.
He said it was a thrilling experience – “providing you’ve got the patience to be out there a long time” – and he encouraged as many people as possible to get out on their bike in preparation for next year.
Full results can be found at www.milfordclasic.co.nz