www.aroundbrunner.co.nz

media release – 19 april 2008

Horgan wins Around Brunner Cycle event

The Benchmark team worked well to put team member Sam Horgan from Christchurch across the line first in elite men’s field of the Around Lake Brunner Cycle event in Greymouth on Saturday.

Horgan held off a chasing bunch of eight that included newly crowned world champion track cyclist Hayden Godfrey and New Zealand representatives Joe Chapman and Stephen Elden, to win by one minute in a time of three hours and 17 minutes.

Benchmark team mate Daniel Barry had a lone lead at the half way point of the 130km race but was caught with 40km to go and Horgan made his winning move as the race turned for home at Stillwater with 20km remaining.

Elden, Chapman, Godfrey and Cory Williams all had attempts to catch Horgan but with Benchmark team mates Josh Atkin, Leon Hextall and Barry sitting on and not interested in chasing their team mate the gap was not closed.

Benchmark riders also featured in the woman’s elite race with Benchmark’s Nicole Anderson out sprinting team mate Laura Thompson and Josie Giddings to win in a time of three hours and 31 minutes.

Organisers were excited to have over 50 riders in the elite race and more than 1300 in the recreational event.

In a large bunch finish Shorty Allnutt from Hokitika was first in the recreational event in a time of three hours and 34 minutes and first recreational female home was Stacey O’Driscoll from Christchurch in the same time.

Rob Martin completed the event on a row bike in five hours and one minute and Beijing bound tandem ParaOlympians former national road champion Annaliisa Farrell Jayne Parsons were narrowly beaten in the tandem category after dropping their chain by Mark Meadows and Derek Smith.

The bulk of the field came from Christchurch and Canterbury with entries also coming from throughout New Zealand. There were also several entries from Australia.

Provisional results - Individuals by Category

Elite men

1 SAM HORGAN CHRISTCHURCH 03:17:37

2 JOSEPH CHAPMAN CHRISTCHURCH 03:18:39

3 HAYDEN GODFREY CHRISTCHURCH 03:18:40

4 DANIEL BARRY CHRISTCHURCH 03:18:40

5 STEVE ELDEN CHRISTCHURCH 03:18:41

6 LEON HEXTAIL CHRISTCHURCH 03:18:41

7 JOSH AKIN CHRISTCHURCH 03:18:43

8 COREY WILLIAMS CHRISTCHURCH 03:18:49

9 JASON CHRISTIE TINWALD 03:21:31

10 MARC PRUTTON CHRISTCHURCH 03:31:03

Elite woman

1 NICOLE ANDERSON CHRISTCHURCH 03:31:06

2 JOSIE GIDDENS CHCH 03:31:06

3 LAURA THOMPSON CHRISTCHURCH 03:31:07

4 TRACY CLARK CHRISTCHURCH 03:41:49

5 TAMARA BOYD CHRISTCHURCH 03:41:56

6 LISA SAVAGE TAKAKA 03:59:49

7 IRENE MINCHIN NELSON 04:18:19

8 SHARYN GINGELL-KENT WANAKA 04:44:10

Recreational event

Female 13 -17

1 SARAH MARTIN CHRISTCHURCH 03:37:13

F20-39

1 STACEY O'DRISCOLL CHRISTCHURCH 03:34:51

2 SARAH SMALLMAN CHRISTCHURCH 03:45:16

3 JOANNA GODFREY CHRISTCHURCH 03:49:47

F40-49

1 JULIE EDWARDS CHRISTCHURCH 03:52:14

2 WILLI BORST HAVELOCK 03:58:41

3 ANGELA BERTACCO CHRISTCHURCH 03:58:42

F50-59

1 MARY JONES CHRISTCHURCH 03:45:23

2 ANNE KERR HOKITIKA 03:49:37

3 SHARON PRUTTON 03:52:23

F60-69

1 CHRISTINE VAN HOPPE NELSON 03:45:28

2 DIANE STEAD CHRISTCHURCH 04:07:19

Men

M13-17

1 JAMES BROWN CHRISTCHURCH 03:34:27

2 DARCY ELLERM NORTON CHRISTCHURCH 03:34:29

3 PERRIN RICHARDSON CHRISTCHURCH 03:35:29

M18-19

1 ANDREW CURNOW BLENHEIM 03:35:32

2 MICHAEL NUTTALL CHRISTCHURCH 04:06:08

M20-39

1 SHORTY ALLNUTT HOKITIKA 03:34:18

2 GARY HANCOCK CHRISTCHURCH 03:34:19

3 DAVID NIXON CHRISTCHURCH 03:34:20

M40-49

1 GREG BRIDGMAN CHRISTCHURCH 03:34:19

2 PHIL SCOTT CHRISTCHURCH 03:34:19

3 GREG JEFF GREYMOUTH 03:34:20

M50-59

1 GARRY OVEREND NELSON 03:34:20

2 KEN RICHARDSON GREYMOUTH 03:34:21

3 GARY FERGUSON SHEFFIELD 03:34:22

M60-69

1 FRANK HOOPER CHRISTCHURCH 03:45:14

2 GEOFF GUDSELL NELSON 03:45:14

3 KARL VAN HOPPE NELSON 03:45:16

M70+

1 ROY PEMBERTON CHRISTCHURCH 03:59:02

2 ERIC HUNTER LYTTELTON 04:05:49

3 BRUCE STANTON CHRISTCHURCH 04:08:23

Stage teams

Family

1 WAYNE SPEAKMAN & GLENN SPEAKMAN COBDEN 03:45:59

Tandems

1 MARK MEADOWS & DEREK SMITH CHRISTCHURCH 03:38:47

2 ANNALIISA FARRELL & JAYNE PARSONS CHRISTCHURCH 03:40:03

3 MIKE WATSON & NEVILLE ROGERS NELSON 03:59:02

for more information please contact:

John McKenzie Dale Coulter

enthuse ltd Challenge Events

m 021 384 730 03 348 3282

t 03 384 7338

e john@enthuse.co.nz