Benson Boys powers home to claim national title
“[It feels] pretty good, it hasn’t sunk in yet."
Benson Boys’ cycling stocks continue to rise with the 15-year-old Southlander claiming a national title in Invercargill on Saturday.
The Central Southland College pupil emerged last year as an exciting young talent when at just 14 years old he finished second in the U17 ranks at the New Zealand Age-Group Road Nationals.
Boys was then picked up James Canny’s MitoQ - New Zealand Cycling Project team as a development rider with Canny excited by the young Southland rider’s future prospects.
That confidence was backed up on Saturday when Boys won the U17 title at the National Criterium Championships held at a circuit around James Hargest College in Invercargill.
Boys was part of a field of 10 riders and he ended up fighting it out with Riley Crampton and Wilbur Talbot at the front of the field before Boys powered home to claim the win.
Talbot at one point had opened up a decent gap but Boys stayed calm and timed the ride to perfection to haul Talbot in and hit the lead at the crunch point in the race.
“[It feels] pretty good, it hasn’t sunk in yet,” Boys said soon after picking up gold.
“It’s a lot of fun racing in the [criteriums] especially in the rain, it was awesome.”
To claim the national title in his home province of Southland made it that bit extra special.
“It was awesome to be able to practice the course a few times before I did it. So I knew where the corners were and when to push hard.”
It was a Central Southland College double in the U17 ranks with Lily Keast also taking out the girls U17 grade.
Just Keast and Emma Crawford were entered in the race and the two went at it throughout before Keast prevailed in the end.
It was a special 24 hours to remember for Keast, in amongst the smorgasbord of cycling in Invercargill during the weekend.
The night before the national criterium win, on day two of the ILT New Year Carnival at the velodrome, Keast claimed the prestigious OJ Henderson Wheel Race for Under 17 and Under 19 riders.
Earlier on at the National Criterium Championships on Saturday it was Zach Hibbs who claimed gold in the boys U15 race, while Mackenzie Crampton pipped Lucia Boys in a photo finish in the U15 girls event.
In the Under-19 age-group Summer Karras picked up gold in the women’s field ahead of Kyra Marett, while in the men’s U19 race David Kwon was victorious ahead of Hunter Dalton.
The National Criterium Championships wrapped up with the U23 and Elite racing which included a star-studded men’s field featuring Southland Olympian Tom Sexton.
Before they set off though Sharlotte Lucas won gold in the elite women’s event and Alex Rawlinson in the U23 race.
The men’s race was held over 50mins plus 3 laps with Ben Oliver taking the elite title ahead of Sexton, with James Gardner picking up the U23 win.