trials. Art Aitken quickly showed how his triathlon fitness would easily transfer to the time trial discipline, and Thomas Audeau was consistently among the fastest riders in his grade. Fearghus Bratten and Michael Audeau were also beginning to find their form when the great story of 2020 broke over New Zealand’s shores. The Covid-19 outbreak, lockdown, and subsequent social distancing restrictions led to the postponement and eventual cancellation of almost all schools cycling events. Unfortunately, neither the South Island championships nor the Southern Tour were able to go ahead, which was a major disappointment given Michael Audeau’s success in the Blenheim road race in 2019, and our expectations for similar achievements from him and others in 2020. In the end, only one major event – the Litolff Cup teams time trial championship – was able to go ahead. At this event, on a cold September afternoon, the senior team of Michael Audeau, Justin Hodges, and Thomas Johnston won a bronze medal, finishing only a second or two behind Cashmere High School, who themselves trailed the CBHS team by a much larger
margin of 30 seconds. The junior team rode well, but the efforts of getting to Tai Tapu in a strong southwesterly headwind had taken its toll on the boys, who were unable to medal despite a solid team performance. In all, it was not the 2020 season the cycling team had hoped for, but this was down to circumstances beyond anyone’s control. Things are looking good for 2021, with success in the U17 category looking particularly attainable.
Dr Tom Hawkins MiC Cycling
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Register 2020 Sport
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