Scott Creighton, National Cycling Champion

Scott Creighton (Yr 12) recently returned to New Zealand after assisting the Under 19 Men’s Road Cycling Team to win the Nations Cup title at the Tour de L’Abitibi in Canada.  He finished eighth in a field of more than 100 riders, in a competition which is modeled on cycling races like the Tour de France.  Creighton raced over six days in the seven-stage event.  He was surprised and delighted that his results were able to make a crucial different to his team’s performance.
 
What is Road Cycling?

‘Road cycling’ is a term usually applied to events where competing riders start at the same time (unless riding a handicap event) with the winner being the first to the line at the end of the course (individual and team time trials are another form of cycle racing on roads).

Road racing is popular all over the world, but especially in Europe. It has be considered  an organized sport since 1868. The first world championship was in 1893 and cycling has been part of the Olympic Games since the modern sequence started in Athens in 1896.

Stage races (like the one Scott competed in recently) consist of several races, or stages, ridden consecutively. The competitor with the lowest cumulative time to complete all stages is declared the overall, or general classification (GC), winner. Stage races may also have other classifications and awards, such as individual stage winners, the points classification winner, and the "King of the Mountains” (or mountains classification) winner. A stage race can also be a series of road races and individual time trials, (some events include team time trials). The stage winner is the first person to cross the finish line that day or the time trial rider (or team) with the lowest time on the course.