The Oceania Cycling Confederation (OCC) was pleased to hold the 2019 Annual General Meeting and UCI Sharing Platform and Development Workshops as part of an exciting two weeks of cycling in New Zealand.

The opening weekend of racing saw some of the world’s best cyclists compete across three disciplines on New Zealand’s North Island. In the velodrome at round five of the 2018/19 Tissot UCI Track World Cup in Cambridge, on the BMX track at the 2019 Oceania BMX Championships in Te Awamutu and on the road at the Gravel and Tar Classic and Gravel and Tar La Femme in Palmerston North.

New Zealand topped the medal standings at the Tissot UCI Track World Cup with five gold and one bronze, with Australia second collecting two gold among four medals in a sign of the continued strength of track cycling in our region.

World Number two Saya Sakakibara stole the show at the 2019 Oceania BMX Championships taking her first elite women’s title, with her brother and 2017 Oceania Champion Kai winning the men’s crown. New Zealand’s rising stars Tasman Wakelin and Jessie Smith earned gold in the junior categories.

On the road riders tackled the tough Gravel and Tar Classic, part of the 2019 UCI Oceania Tour and the inaugural edition of Gravel and Tar La Femme, part of the UCI women’s calendar. Luke Mudgway took out the Gravel and Tar Classic ahead of Ryan Christensen and Cyrus Monk.

Brodie Chapman riding for the inaugural Oceania Cycling Confederation Team won Gravel and Tar La Femme, the first women’s edition of the race.

The OCC welcomed UCI World Cycling Centre Director Frederic Magné who attended the Track World Cup, Oceania BMX Championships and participated in the Tier 4 Pacific Development Workshop. Three time Olympic medallist and 10 time world champion Félicia Ballanger, Vice President of Comite Regional de Cyclisme Nouvelle-Caledonie was a delegate at the AGM and attended the UCI Track World Cup.

At the AGM we officially welcomed the Cook Islands Cycling Federation as the eighth OCC member and sixth full member nation, with Cook Islands Cycling Federation President Kevin Henderson accepting the UCI Certificate of Membership.

The OCC is currently working with two Pacific Nationals who are in the process of affiliating with the OCC and UCI in 2019.

Cycling continues in New Zealand this week with the New Zealand Cycle Classic and across the Tasman in Australia with the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race followed by the Herald Sun Tour.