Olivia Ray hadn’t even been sure she’d be able to make it to the start line at New Zealand’s Road National Championships, with spots in the mandatory COVID-19 quarantine system hard to come by, but securing entry through the border also gave her a chance to secure a year in the prized silver fern emblazoned jersey, and the Human Powered Health rider didn’t let it go to waste.
The road race had initially been expected to run over 109km, taking in three laps of the circuit that started and finished in Cambridge and included the Maungakawa climb, which contributed more than half of the 488m of elevation gain included in each lap.
It was a climb that Ray had done her best to prepare for, though there was certainly another factor in defending champion Georgia Williams. The BikeExchange-Jayco rider may have been flying solo but looked ever more like the rider to beat after winning the time trial title, clocking up nearly a two-minute advantage on her nearest rival on the course which included an ascent of Te Miro.
Wild weather brought in by the remnants of Cyclone Dovi, however, led to a last minute change in the race circuit as trees and power lines were down on the winding roads of the key climb, which meant the course was one which now swung in Ray’s favour.
“It’s pretty big. I spent months trying to get home and it wasn’t happening then last minute I got a spot for quarantine,” said Ray. “The whole year I’ve been training for climbs, 30 minutes before the race we were doing flat or rolling so it played out well for me. It’s really cool to have taken the jersey.”
Even though the last minute course change may have tipped the hand in Ray’s favour the rider, who carried over from Rally Cycling to Human Powered Health as it changed names and stepped up Women’s World Tour level in 2022, faced anything but an easy battle.
Williams determinedly chased a third road title, constantly attacking, and consequently repeatedly splitting the field. At one stage she shook Ray, after jumping onto an attack by Bronwyn McGregor (Cabjaks Castelli Custom) but, with the combined efforts of Ray and Human Powered Health teammate Henrietta Christie, it ended up being a small group of six at the front as the race sped toward the line.
“I definitely found that every one was trying drop me, which was understandable, but it was hard because it was just Georgia and Bronwyn and girls just [going] attack, attack, attack,” said Ray. “It was easy to get on them as soon as it happened but if you let it go a little bit you were just dying to catch, so I had to be on them.”
On the course, devoid of spectators due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, the crosswinds often resulted in the riders being lined up diagonally and aggressive racing ensued, with attacks continuing to fly right through to the final kilometres.
Once it came down to that sprint, Ray took control early, coming over the top of U23 rider Ally Wollaston (NXTG by Experza), who is also current criterium champion, and settling in for a long powerful sprint to the line. Wollaston held on for second over the line, taking the U23 title, while Williams was next.
“It’s pretty crazy,” said Ray. “I came into it expecting a lot from myself so to actually get it sort of sums up all the training. How it went last year from being dropped to this year winning is cool.”
