North Canterbury News: August 10, 2023

Percival St, Rangiora
(03) 313-8186
www.rangiora.toyota.co.nz
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in North Canterbury
Victory for Ben in US Intelligentsia Cup
Commonwealth Games silver medallist
Ben Oliver,aged 26, of MitoQ – NZ
Cycling Projecttook the overall victory
at the 10­day IntelligentsiaCup
professional road cycling series in
Chicago, USA.
Liningupagainst the best
professional teams in the United
States, Ben and his pluckycohort of
young Kiwisdominated the series.
Ben, from Rangiora, won three of the
nine roundsand took out the overall
honours ahead of Belgian’s Simon
Daniels (UNCLotto Max)and American
star Robin Carpenter (Legion of Los
Angeles).
Intelligentsia Cup is seen as the
largest professional criterium series in
the United States. It has been running
for 11 yearsand it is the first time aNew
Zealander has won the overall
standings.
Ben took abreakfrom the UCI World
Cup mountain bike cross­countryseries
to transition to the road bike,and join
his teammates in targetingthis
pinnacle race.
MitoQ –NZCycling ProjectFounder
James Canny says they havebeen trying
to win Intelligentsia Cup for nine years.
‘‘Thisyear we went all out and spent
eight weeks in the States building up to
this race, and flew Ben out from
Morzine in France to strengthenthe
squad.
‘‘I always believed the boys couldwin
it, so it was awesomeseeingthem
believe it themselves to takeout the
entirerace.
‘‘It capsanother successful campaign
for the team.’’
Ben is thrilled with the performance.
Celebration time ... Theo Gilbertson (left), Hayden Strong, Oli Watson­Palmer, Ben Oliver, Sam Ritchie, Oliver Grave celebrating Ben’s
win at Intelligentsia Cup.
PHOTO:ETHAN GLADING
‘‘It’s been aprettyepic 10 days.
‘‘I think the teamcollectivelystepped
up and in atraditional kiwi underdog
way,wejust got stuckinand punched
wellabove our weight class, and
showed the United States how Kiwis
racebikes.’’
Ben had great team support in
Southland’s Hayden Strong,
Queenstown’sOliver Watson­Palmer,
Timaru’s Sam Ritchie and
Aucklander’s TheoGilbertson and
Oliver Grave defending his jersey.
Team captain Theo Gilbertson said
they are not the biggestteam around,
but had an amazing set of sponsorswho
backedthem to the hiltand give them
the opportunity to compete and ‘‘every
now and thenbeat the best’’.
‘‘I couldn’tbemore stoked with the
boys.’’
The raceattracts top American
teams,with the riders tackling 10
separate stages acrossthe wider
Chicago metropolitan areaover 10
days. The finalstage, heldindowntown
Chicago, attracted thousands of
spectators packing the one­mile course
to see Ben take out the overall win.
Ben’s season is far from overashe
heads to Glasgow to competeinthe
mountain bikeWorld Championships
cross­country for New Zealand.
After that it is backtothe UCI World
Cup series before returning home to
rejoin with his MitoQ –NZCycling
Projectteam to tackle New Zealand’s
biggestroad race—the Tour of
Southland.
Wicked racing and weather
The Wicked Winter Rogaine held in
Amberley on July 30 attracted 400
participants.
Orgainser Nora Audrá says they
couldn’t have asked for abetterday
thanks to the warm weather
conditions.
‘‘The teams had agreat time and
really enjoyed theviews from the tops,
the streams and native forests.
‘‘We had participants from all ages,
from little kids, on parents backpacks,
to 60­70 years oldparticipants.’’
Rogaining is ateam­based
navigation sport, which challenges
participants' map reading,compass
use, and strategic decision­making
skills.
Nora saysthey had four different
course lengths —6hr, 4hr, 2hr and a
kids event —which challenged the
two, threeand four person teams
racing around the hills near
Amberley.
During the event, teams work
together to locate checkpoints
strategically placed throughout
diverse terrains, including forests,
farm land, riverbeds, and rolling hills.
In the two hour open men’s race
Sam Sidey and Max Thomson were
first while Vanessa Rose, Zara Rose
won the open women’s section.
In the six hour men’s race Nico
Dubois, DanJessop won while the
Canterbury Water Services team of
Craig Ginders, Simon Francis, Estelle
Arundell and George Lucas were first
across the line in the six hour open
mixed team.
The six hour women’s winners were
the Bee Fit team of Kristen Diederich,
Belinda McCone,Tracey McDonald
and Olivia Rutherford.
NORTH CANTERBURY RESULTS
Rangiora Bridge
Winter Blues Pairs: North/South: Craig
Shannahan/Sue Solomons 1, Tom Rose
Rona Maslowski 2, Joyce Gray/Junette
McIntyre3.East/West: Janice Pickering/
Diane Watson 1, JudithDriver/Tony
Biddington 2, Gaynor Hurford/Heather
Waldron 3.
Rata Pairs: N/S: Lyn Edwards/Shirley
Symns 1, Bunty Marshall/Pauline Miller 2,
Robin Hassall/LindaHanham 3. E/W: Pam
McAllister/Lorraine Proffit 1, Sue
Solomons/Jan Roose 2, Liz Duke/Gaynor
Hurford 3.
Junior Evening: N/S: Annette Caldwell/
Gail Dunlop 1, Susan Kinley/Margaret
Cornwall2.Helen Russ/Lynette Tillman 3.
E/W: Tim Marshall/Jill Midgley 1, Marilyn
Eliet/Moira Courtney 2, Julie Smith/Ben
Prain 3.
Winter Pairs: Julie Elliott/Geoff Swailes 1,
Janet Apperley/Sarah Waldron 2, Jenny
Hassall/Gaynor Hurford 3.
Amberley Bridge July 31: North/South:
Jannene Cumming &Jan Roose 1, Irene
Carson &Julie Elliott 2, Margaret Bean &
Ken Fox 3, Jenny &Bruce Yates 4.
EW: Sarah Hughes­Games &Shula Guse 1,
Doushka &Tim Saunders 2, Di Bethell &
Jan Bishop 3, Caryl Brown &Nell
McKellow 4.
Amberley Golf Women: LWilly 66, R
Lester 72, DBanton 72. Men: AFalloon 69,
SHartley 70, WVan Zuylen71, GWilliams
71, GDunlop 72, BGill 72, RCilton 73, J
Burrows 73. Excel Design Build Longest
Putt: RMcPhail.
Mid Week Men: DFlewellen 39, AFalloon
38, J Byrne 34, J Burrows33, G Williams 33.
Women: SLee 34, SCrawford 33, KPepper
33.
Nine Holers: GReid 18, PGarlick 17, J
Evans 15.
Amberley Smallbore Rifle KBrown 99.4, G
Heaven 98.4, OMitchell 97.4, WParker
96.5, PWisheart 96.3, RHarper 95.3, I
Frazer 95.2, MParker 94.1, ARoxburgh
84.0, ARoxburgh Jnr 82.0, TDavey 23.0.
PROUDLYSUPPORTING LOCALSPORT
RANGIORA