Yates makes field for Le Race strongest ever

National Points leader Yates makes field for Le Race strongest ever 

10 march 2009

The entry of former world junior champion and national points series leader Jeremy Yates confirms this year’s Le Race will have its strongest field ever.

Yates won last year in a record three hours and 39 minutes and second placed Stephen Elden from Wellington has also confirmed his entry for this year.

Riding for Team Enterprise Cycling, Yates and Kelford Cycling team’s Elden, will be joined by national road cycling champion and Commonwealth Games medallist Gordon McCauley and his Subway – Avanti Cycling team mates Sam Horgan, Patrick and James Williamson, Eric Drower and Joe Cooper for the 100 kilometre Christchurch to Akaroa cycle race on 28 March.

James Williamson is the current New Zealand under 23 champion and Cooper won that title last year.

Yates raced in Asia last month for the Malaysian continental team LeTua at the Le Tour de Langkawi in his first step of a campaign to break back into the international cycling scene this year.

Other entries of note include New Zealand Under 17 road and time trail champion and youth Olympics representative Josh Aktins and New Zealand representative at last year’s Sun Tour in Australia and three times National Points race champion Anthony Chapman.

Entries for Le Race have a limit of 1000 this year and with just under three weeks until race day almost 828 entries have been received.

Australian elite road race Champion, 2007 Le Race winner and European based professional Carla Ryan will have two former female winners to contend with.

Lion Foundation National Points Series leader Serena Sheridan won the event last year and she will be joined by three time winner Jo Buick.

Buick retired from professional racing in 2006, and says she has done the ‘occasional’ event in recent times as her focus has been on family and work commitments.

New Zealand duathlon champion Victoria Beck and Sara McDonald from Dunedin are both well performed road cyclists that should also feature.

Competitors can enter the event online at www.lerace.co.nz.

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