Secondary Schools cycle racing in New Zealand has enjoyed a relatively short history but in that time one school has consistently been near the top of the heap in the boys races. Auckland Grammar School cycling team, it cannot be argued, has won more than any other school.

Both Senior and Junior boys teams are the current NZ Secondary Schools Team Time Trial champions. This event is considered the most highly sought after event of the Schools calendar. As if this is not impressive enough, AGS

Read more: The Grammar Hammer – A Tough Act To Follow

Mel Burke – no challenge too tough

Back in 2008 BikeNZ came up with an idea to uncover womens cycling talent with a programme they called “Power to the Podium”.  100 or so applicants applied from a wide range of relevant sports.  All were put through a series of tests to ascertain whether any had the physiology to be potential medallists on the track in 2012.  The hope was to uncover an athlete that showed untapped potential.  Perhaps they weren’t even involved with cycling yet.

Read more: Athlete Profile - Mel Burke

I am quite often approached by budding fun-riders with the same goal…”to beat my mate around Taupo”.  The Lake Taupo Cycle challenge is NZ cyclings biggest participation event every November and is the one event cyclists of all abilities can relate to.  Whether it be to just finish or to achieve a certain time or to “beat your mates” there are a few key ingredients you need to include in your preparation.

• GET A COACH – of course I am biased here, but at the very least, seek some advice from

Read more: Training For Taupo – Putting Together A Plan