The 2014 Le Race lead group in Little River

Le Race is a road bicycle racing event held annually in Canterbury, New Zealand since 1999. The race starts in Christchurch and finishes in Akaroa, and covers a distance of 100 kilometres (62 mi).

History

Le Race was first held in 1999. In the 2001 event, competitor Vanessa Caldwell died on the Summit Road in the Port Hills when she collided head-on with a car. Race organiser Astrid Anderson was charged with criminal nuisance and convicted in 2003, with a NZ$10,000 fine imposed. The conviction had a major impact on events held on New Zealand roads, with many events cancelled or postponed.[1] The Court of Appeal overturned the conviction in September 2004, as the judge was found to have misdirected the jury. No new trial was ordered, but her conviction was quashed.[1] Anderson's legal costs were NZ$60,000.[2]

In 2001, Le Race was one of two events in New Zealand that had a traffic management plan,[1] but this became compulsory following the 2001 fatality. Many club races consequently disappeared, with an underground cycling movement developing of holding unofficial races.[2]

Anderson, the original owner of Le Race, sold the event to Simon Hollander in 2008.[3][4] Hollander passed the event on to Sheree Stevens, whose first event as race director was in 2015.[5]

Le Race traditionally started in Christchurch's Cathedral Square in March of each year. The 2011 Christchurch earthquake caused the postponement of Le Race and due to the Central City Red Zone, the 2011 event was held on 15 October and started from Elgin Street in Sydenham.[6] After using Elgin Street as the start for four times, Le Race returned to Cathedral Square for the event held on 21 March 2015.[5] In the 2016 event held on 20 March, a shorter option of just 53 kilometres (33 mi) that finished in Little River was also offered.[7] Kate McIlroy won the race in 2019 and vowed that it was her last race. The 2020 race was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, McIlroy happened to be in Christchurch and signed up on the start line, winning the race in record time.[8]

Multiple winners

Men's

Wins Name Years
3New Zealand Mark Bailey2003, 2004, 2006
New Zealand Michael Vink2010, 2013, 2021
2New Zealand Jeremy Yates2008, 2009
New Zealand Daniel Whitehouse2018, 2019

Women's

Wins Name Years
4New Zealand Jo Buick2001, 2002, 2003, 2010
3New Zealand Reta Trotman2011, 2012, 2014
New Zealand Sharlotte Lucas2013, 2015, 2017
2New Zealand Annalisa Farrell2000, 2005
New Zealand Kate McIlroy2019, 2021

Past winners

YearMen's winnerWomen's winner
1999[9]New Zealand Chris Barnsley New Zealand Tracy Clark
2000[9]New Zealand Ben Bright New Zealand Annalisa Farrell
2001[9]New Zealand Stuart Lowe New Zealand Jo Buick
2002[9]New Zealand Heath Blackgrove New Zealand Jo Buick
2003[9]New Zealand Mark Bailey New Zealand Jo Buick
2004[9]New Zealand Mark Bailey New Zealand Michelle Kiesanowski
2005[9]New Zealand Brian Fowler New Zealand Annalisa Farrell
2006[9]New Zealand Mark Bailey New Zealand Josie Loane
2007[9]New Zealand Edwin Crossling Australia Carla Ryan
2008[9]New Zealand Jeremy Yates New Zealand Serena Sheridan
2009[9]New Zealand Jeremy Yates New Zealand Simone Grounds
2010[9]New Zealand Michael Vink New Zealand Jo Buick
2011[6][9]New Zealand Joshua Atkins New Zealand Reta Trotman
2012[9]New Zealand Sam Hogan New Zealand Reta Trotman
2013[9]New Zealand Michael Vink New Zealand Sharlotte Lucas
2014[5][10]New Zealand Keagan Girdlestone New Zealand Reta Trotman
2015[11]New Zealand Daniel Barry New Zealand Sharlotte Lucas
2016[12]New Zealand Hayden Roulston New Zealand Linda Villumsen
2017[13] New Zealand Brad Evans New Zealand Sharlotte Lucas
2018[14] New Zealand Daniel Whitehouse New Zealand Ella Harris
2019[15] New Zealand Daniel Whitehouse New Zealand Kate McIlroy
2020 No race due to COVID-19 pandemic
2021[16] New Zealand Michael Vink New Zealand Kate McIlroy
2022 No race due to COVID-19 pandemic[17]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Devereux, Monique (23 September 2004). "Fatal bike race organiser cleared". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
  2. 1 2 Cleaver, Dylan (24 March 2012). "Underground cycling movement". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
  3. ↑ "Astrid Sells Le Race – A New Era?". Vorb. Retrieved 23 March 2015.
  4. ↑ Gates, Charlie (27 March 2009). "Gee, what a fighter". The Press. Retrieved 23 March 2015.
  5. 1 2 3 "Le Race returns to Cathedral Square". The Press. 23 September 2014. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
  6. 1 2 "2011 Le Race". Le Race. Archived from the original on 5 February 2012. Retrieved 22 March 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  7. ↑ "World-class riders to compete in Le Race to Akaroa". The Press. 18 March 2016. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
  8. ↑ Allott, Amber (20 March 2021). "Record-breaking Le Race win for Christchurch cycling champion". Stuff. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 "Hall of Fame". Le Race. Archived from the original on 13 May 2019. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
  10. ↑ "Girdlestone youngest ever winner of Le Race". Cycling NZ. 29 March 2014. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 23 March 2015.
  11. ↑ "Dan Barry, Sharlotte Lucas take Le Race honours". The Press. 23 March 2015. Retrieved 23 March 2015.
  12. ↑ "Le Race victories for Roulston and Villumsen". Radio New Zealand. 20 March 2016. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
  13. ↑ "Descending skills winning formula for Evans and Lucas". scoop.co.nz. 25 March 2017. Retrieved 26 March 2017.
  14. ↑ "Cyclist wins Le Race event cycling event just four weeks after his appendix burst". The Press. 25 March 2018. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
  15. ↑ "Whitehouse and McIlroy smash records to win Le Race". 23 March 2019. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
  16. ↑ "Miles Continental Skoda Le Race Results (2021)". SportSplits. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
  17. ↑ Law, Tina; Fuller, Piers; Wilkes, Mikaela (24 January 2022). "Covid-19: All the events cancelled or up in the air as Omicron hits NZ". Stuff. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
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