Master One Trust House series winner, Brendan McGrath. PHOTO/SUPPLIED
CYCLING
A Masterton cycling team made history on Sunday by winning Wairarapa’s premier cycle race.
Riding for the Tararua Builders Racing team in the Masters Two division, Eddy Kuipers stormed to victory in a close sprint finish involving almost 40 riders during the fifth and final race of Wairarapa’s Trust House Team’s Series.
His win is the first time a Wairarapa team rider has won the race in its five-year history.
The 90km race began at Henley Lake in Masterton and had riders race towards Alfredton before returning via Whangeahu Valley to the finish at Black Rock Rd.
Kuipers was chased to the finish by Bruce Cook and Paul Delahunty.
Masters Two series leader Matthew Stevens from Kiwivelo was happy to sit in the bunch, allowing other riders to set the pace.
Stevens finished the final race of the series in fourth place but had secured enough points throughout the series to take the Masters Two title.
In the Masters One race, Brent Backhouse called on all his experience to repeat his 2017 win in the same race with Dave Weaver, second, and Hayden Bork third.
Kiwivelo’s Brendan McGrath took Masters One series title. The teams title went to the Wheelworks team.
In Masters Three, the series was won by Ian Paintin from the Kiwivelo team.
Paintin was clearly the strongest rider in the field, winning three of the series’ five races, including a convincing victory on Sunday.
He broke away from the bunch to finish on his own almost 12 seconds in front of the chasing bunch.
The Masters Three team’s title was won by the Optimal Performance team.
Race director Jorge Sandoval said all riders had endorsed the series and he promised to hold a ‘bigger and better event’ in 2019.
“We’ve managed to stage a great series and place the Wairarapa region as a true road cycling destination.
“We had over 250 riders take part over five races, most of them coming from outside Wairarapa. This provided a good economic impact to the region.”
RESULTS
Masters One: 1 Brent Backhouse [Meo GP], 2 Dave Weaver [Wheelworks Handcrafted], 3 Haedyn Borck [MTF Finance/Vetsone]. Series winner: Brendan McGrath [Kiwivelo].
Masters Two: 1 Eddy Kuipers [Tararua Builders Racing], 2 Bruce Cook, [THT Racing], 3 Paul Delahunty [FFC Racing Team]. Series winner: Matthew Stevens [Kiwivelo].
Masters Three: 1 Ian Paintin [Kiwivelo], 2 Richard Sutton [Optimal Performance], 3 Peter Wilkinson [Team Kapiti]. Series winner: Ian Paintin [Kiwivelo].
