Junior world champions show class in secondary school cycling

World track champions Campbell Stewart and Ellesse Andrews showed their class in winning the senior points races on the final day of the Cycling New Zealand national secondary school road championship in the Manawatu.

The 49^th national schools championship attracted 700 cyclists from 91 schools for the three-day competition, with the team time trials on Saturday near Levin, road races near Feilding on Sunday
and the points races at the Manfeild Autocourse on Moday.

Stewart (Palmerston North Boys High), a double world champion at the junior world track championships this year, dominated the senior boys’ points race, winning four of the six sprints to beat off the challenge from three Takapuna Grammar riders who filled second to fourth spots.

It was his fifth straight win in his respective age group in the points race at the national schools championships, and on Monday's win came after he was pipped in the sprint finish in the road race on Sunday.

“There are lots of strong schools here and everyone seems to be pushing it to another level,” Stewart said. “It was closely fought and really fast. It was pretty tactical with people going up the road and having to pull them back so pacing was important and I had good support from my teammates.”

Andrews, who won gold and bronze medals at the same world championships, edged her way to victory. The St Peter’s (Cambridge) rider, who won the senior girls road race on Sunday, won the final sprint to equal Georgia Danford (St Cuthberts) with 13 points, but claimed the honours on countback.

“The conditions were much better than yesterday. It was very challenging with lots of attacks and breakaways,” Andrews said. “On the sprint laps I aimed to get as many points as possible which worked out well. It’s my first schools nationals and I enjoyed it a lot and fun to be in a school team.”

Takapuna Grammar, with some consistently strong performances throughout the grades, won the overall honours in the boys’ competition from last year’s winners Auckland Grammar and Palmerston North Boys High.

Waikato Diocesan School won the overall senior trophy for the girls’ competition ahead of Epsom Girls Grammar and St Peter’s Cambridge.

There were four riders to claim the double with victory in the road race and points race.

As well as Andrews in the senior girls, Maddi Douglas (Cambridge High) took out the girls’ under-15 title after winning all three sprints; Chenuka Rajapakse (Palmerston North Intermediate) won both sprints in claiming the under-13 boys’ honours while Laurence Pithie (Christchurch Boys) also dominated all three sprints to claim the under-15 points race.

Results, Points Race, Girls:
Under 13: Ally Gothard (St Mary’s Auckland) 10 points, 1; Sophie Spencer (St Kentigern College) 3, 2; Katie McLeod (Southwell School) 3, 3.

Under 14: Rosie O’Brien (Palmerston North Girls) 15, 1; Sacha McLeod (Waikato Diocesan) 9, 2; Beth Watt 4, 3.

Under 15: Maddi Douglas (Cambridge High) 15, 1; Henrietta Christie (Lincoln High) 9, 2; Lucy Thomson (Epsom Girls Grammar) 5, 3.

Under 16: Eva Parkinson (Waikato Diocesan) 14, 1; Ally Wollaston (St Peter’s Cambridge) 11, 2; Mckenzie Milne (Waikato Diocesan) 9, 3.

Under 17: Annamarie Lipp (Catholic Cathedral College) 18, 1; Hannah Knighton (Waikato Diocesan) 11, 2; Sammi Ogle (St Peter’s Cambridge) 8, 3.

Under 20: Ellesse Andrews (St Peters Cambridge) 13, 1; Georgia Danford (St Cuthbert’s College) 13, 2; Nicole Shields (Dunston High) 7, 3.

Boys:
Under 13: Chenuka Rajapakse (Palmerston North Intermediate) 10 points, 1; August Elworthy (Belmont Intermediate) 4, 2; Jackson Russell (Cambridge Middle School) 3, 3.

Under 14: Michael Audeau 12 points, 1; Adam Francis (Palmerston North Boys) 6, 2; Dras Caldwell (Palmerston North Intermediate) 6, 3.

Under 15: Laurence Pithie (Christchurch Boys High) 15, 1; Nick Bowen (Takapuna Grammar) 6, 2; Oliver Grave (Auckland Grammar) 5, 3.

Under 16: Kiaan Watts (Hamilton Boys) 9, 1; Finn Fisher-Black (Nelson College) 9, 2; Josh Kench (Takapuna Grammar) 8, 3.

Under 17: Madi Hartley-Brown (Palmerston North Boys) 13, 1; George Jackson (Rongotai College) 8, 2; Sam Cook (Hamilton Boys) 7, 3.

Under 20: Campbell Stewart (Palmerston North Boys) 23, 1; Oscar Elworthy (Takapuna Grammar) 13, 2; Aidan Nicholas (Takapuna Grammar) 8, 3.