Dawkins, Canny to rev up at US 'mecca'

Invercargill's Eddie Dawkins and James Canny will be part of a small New Zealand contingent testing themselves against some of the best riders in the world at cycling's famous Trexlertown velodrome in Pennslyvania, in the United States, this year.



The T-town series runs for almost three months from June to August and is something of a mecca for aspiring and name riders.

Dawkins went there last year and will use the series as buildup for the Oceania championships, which this year are being staged for the second time at the ILT Velodrome in Invercargill.

Canny will manage the team and ride, along with New Zealand representative sprinters Simon van Velthooven from Palmerston North and Canterbury's Adam Stewart.

"It's like a carnival but raced at world championship level," Dawkins said.

"You've got the relaxed atmosphere of carnival racing but the intensity on the track is like a world championships."

The racing offers plenty of opportunities with madisons, kierin, sprints and even tandem.

Along with track racing there is criterium racing and gym work basically, the riders eat, sleep and breathe competitive cycling for the best part of three months.

The only downside is it isn't free.

While there is significant prize money available during the series, the four riders will not be an official New Zealand team and won't be funded by BikeNZ.

That has meant Canny and Dawkins, who will turn 20 while in the States, doing the rounds to try to raise sponsorship to cover airfares, expenses and kit.

courtesy of Southland Times