Wellington World Cup's future looking good

The organisers of the Wellington leg of the women's cycling World Cup believe the success of last Sunday's race will ensure the future of the event in the New Zealand. Race organiser Jorge Sandoval, who has a five-year contract with the UCI to run the event, said positive feedback has been flooding in from around Wellington and around the country and also from overseas.

"Everyone involved did a fantastic job - the organising team, the city council and police - everyone," he commented."We got perfect weather and big crowds, and the race was won by a Kiwi girl, Sarah Ulmer, who is a crowd favourite. We couldn't have asked for anything more."

Sandoval said the crowd that watched the race both in Parliament grounds and around the streets of Wellington, was the biggest he has seen for a cycling event in the country, and revealed even the UCI congratulated the organisers via e-mail on the size of the crowd.

"We had around 4000 people at Parliament and thousands more around the course, it was fantastic. The only cycling event here I can think of where there were anywhere near as many people might be the road race at the 1990 Commonwealth Games in Auckland. People really turned out for it," Sandoval continued, pointing out that the preceding Trust House three-day tour around Hutt City, Wairarapa and Wellington was also very well supported.

"I believe the success of this year's event will open a lot of doors for us with sponsors and corporates. The event will keep getting bigger and better," he concluded.