Benchmark Homes Tour - 10 Feb, 2008 - Greg Hume
Series win sought after
The 2008 re-branded Benchmark Homes Tour commences Saturday, February 16th at Yaldhurst, Christchurch. The South Island-based eight round series has so far attracted ten teams committed to this year’s series, as well as a number of individual entrants whom many will be aspiring to win this sought after competition.
Last year’s series winner Paul Odlin will again be favoured to win after impressive stage wins in both the Tour de Vineyards and Trust House Cycle Classic earlier this year. He will however start his title defence on the back-foot missing the Round one Benchmark Homes Classic because of national team duties in Malaysia. With a change of team this year to Star & Garter - Tasman, Odlin will team-up with 2006 series winner Robin Reid. The Nelson-based pairing will be hard to beat considering Reid’s impressive overall second placing in the Trust House event.
The 2005 winner Brian Fowler has remained with his Kelford – Reiker Cycling Team and will look to add to his record number of round wins (6) which he achieved during the first two editions. Whilst Fowler will face tough competition from riders half his age for overall series honours, the Masters Classification is a realistic goal after last year winning the classification’s black jersey.
Again the Benchmark Homes Cycling Team will place priority on winning the Team Classification it won last year, however will have stiff competition in Fowler’s Kelford – Reiker Cycling Team containing Marc Ryan and Reon Park; Odlin and Reid’s Star & Garter – Tasman Cycling Team containing former double-Olympian Chris Nicholson; Lowe & Associates containing former Tour of Southland winner and Team Principle Stuart Lowe, last year’s series third place-getter Joe Chapman, and Ashleigh Whitehead; and the Subway Cycling Team featuring Jeremy Yates, James Williamson, and Tom Findlay. Like Odlin and Chapman, Yates will miss the first round whilst at the Tour of Langkawi.
Both Williamson and Findlay will be contenders for the Under 23 Classification along with 2007 winner Daniel Barry (Benchmark Homes Cycling Team), however these riders will be serious challengers for the overall title also. Previous winners of the Category 2 Hummingbird Coffee Classic Edward Barrett (Benchmark Homes Cycling Team) and Leon Hextall (Revolution Properties) are also expected to challenge for the Under 23 leader’s red jersey, which Barrett has previously worn following his Round two win last year.
Fowler’s competition for the Masters title will be from team-mate Reon Park; Lowe & Associate’s Stu Lowe, Darrell Kircher, and Lester Settle; and Thulé rider Barry Tinkler.
This year’s Women’s Classification appears wide open. The 2007 winner Tracy Clark will start as a favourite together with her Thulé team-mate Annalisa Farrell. Main challengers will come from Laura Thompson and Donna Sibley (Benchmark Homes Cycling Team), Katri Laike and Josie Giddens (Kelford – Reiker Cycling Team), and Nimesha Smith who will likely compete for the BikeRight team.
The format of the Benchmark Homes Tour is a series of 130 – 150km mass start road events, which the first fifteen place-getters at each round are awarded points. The rider with the most points at series-end is awarded the title of the respective classification. The 2008 series will conclude on October 18th after several rounds near Christchurch, and the remainder in Timaru, Hanmer Springs, and Nelson. Any team or individual interested in competing in this year’s series can find details on the promoting Papanui Cycling Club’s website
www.papanuicycling.org.nz
Greg Hume
Series Manager
021 599921
