Jesse Sergent and Simon van Velthooven, whose cycling pedigree was developed through Bike Manawatu’s founding clubs – Feilding and Marist, are doing exceptionally well at the 2012 Oceania Track Champs, currently being held in Invercargill.
Both Jesse and Simon have collected a number of gold’s between them and they now hold the NZ Individual Pursuit and NZ Kilo record respectively. For Jesse, his performance anchored the NZ Team Pursuit win which also resulted in a new NZ record.
Simon also went on to win a closely fought Kieran final in what was described as one of the most exciting races seen in a long time.
For proud father and Bike Manawatu Chairperson, Paul van Velthooven, being on hand to watch his son is definitely something special.
While Jesse’s selection for the NZ track team appears assured, Simon’s chances of being selected have increased tenfold. Seen as a Kieran rider only, his individual and team performances at Oceania’s have widened his selection potential further and its likely to create headaches for the NZ selectors. Bike Manawatu congratulates both Jesse and Simon on their performances at Oceania Track Champs and we look forward to their inclusion into the NZ Olympic Squad for 2012.
Video Highlights
For those interested in watching highlights, Cycling Southland has pasted video highlights on their web http://www.cyclingsouth.org.nz/index.php?pageLoad=208