Sam Gaze, King of the Mountains
Sam Gaze (Year 11) recently returned from racing in the Junior Tour of Camberra. From a field of 91 Australasian competitors, Gaze won the King of the Mountains competition, making Scott Ambrose and Sam the only two New Zealanders to win jerseys in this decades-old race.
‘King of the Mountains’ is the general classification for the fastest hill climb time in the Tour. Gaze finished the first day of the competition in second place, and was aware that he needed to ‘pull something out’ to secure the top spot, going in to the final leg. The hills are normally approximately five kilometers long, with three or four in each fifty kilometer race (stage). The first day involved a time trial and a road race, while the next day involved a road race and a criterion (circuit racing). Fellow HBHS student Corby Price placed 42nd, while Scott Ambrose, a Year 12 Auckland cyclist won the overall Tour.
Gaze’s next challenge is gaining entry to the Junior Mountain Bike World Competition in April. The selection process begins at the start of next year.
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