Auckland University le Tour de gym

[AuckUniRecComps]

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[AuckUniRecComps]

The annual Auckland University Recreation Centre le Tour de gym cycle race is in full swing.

Men's event

In the Men's section the Kennerley brothers, Jonathan (current champ) and Stoven (winner in 2008 and beaten into second by his brother in 2009) have returned to do battle again. New comers include Adam Simpson who could be a real threat to Jonno's title and Paul Harris, who has already turned in some top performances.

Recap on Men's event to-date.

Jonno Kennerley the hot favourite and defending champion took an expected lead after the first 2 legs. But then out of nowhere dark horse Adam absolutely blew the field away on the third leg, beating Jonno by almost 5 minutes and establishing a significant lead which he later increased and has yet to relinquish. However don't ever count Jonno out. The boy is inspired and he won't be beaten without a mammoth fight. He has nibbled into Adam's lead on a few stages with best times. Also Adam has looked fatigued on a few recent legs, so he's not invulnerable guys. Paul H is not out of it either and he has also recorded best stages times.

As things stand, Adam and Paul have ridden one stage more than Jonno. Adam leads at 6:35:36 from Paul at 6:43:18. JK is at 6.05.55 with the extra leg to ride. That leg took Adam 37.15. Jonno is going to need a super ride to close the gap significantly, but there are plenty of legs left for Jono and others to catch yellow jersey man Adam and come through to win this prestigous event. Come on Jono!!! Stoven is multiple legs behind. Better start peddling. Come on Stoven! Get back into this thing!!

Further, regular updates as the Tour continues.

[AuckUniRecComps]

Women's section

Laura leads the women at this time. She started before the other girls Vanessa Thompson and 'Gym Bunny' :-) decided to enter. Smart move Laura. She has ridden several legs more than the other girls. Her elapsed time is 7:11:38. The other girls have been beating Laura's earlier times, but they have all the extra legs to ride. That will be exhausting and times will be affected! Also Laura's earlier times were affected by a damaged arm which has mended now and she seems to be increasingly riding herself into form. So she could be difficult to catch. Go for it the girls!

[AuckUniRecComps]

Women's section

Laura Kennerley, wife of the men's section's Jonathan Kennerley (and a previous University and National powerlifting winner), leads the women at this time. She started before the other girls Vanessa Thompson and 'Gym Bunny' :-) decided to enter. Smart move Laura. Mrs Kennerley has ridden several legs more than the other girls. Her elapsed time is 7:11:38. The other girls have been beating Laura's earlier times, but they have all the extra legs to ride. That will be exhausting and times will be affected! Also Laura's earlier times were affected by a damaged arm which has mended now and she seems to be increasingly riding herself into form. So she could be difficult to catch. Go for it the girls!

[AuckUniRecComps]

An update on the state of the female and male individual standings as at end of racing Saturday, 18 July, will be posted sometime Sunday 19 July.

Good luck to all competitors and contenders.

[poos_n_wees]

Women's section

Laura Kennerley, wife of the men's section's Jonathan Kennerley (and a previous University and National powerlifting winner), leads the women at this time. She started before the other girls Vanessa Thompson and 'Gym Bunny' :-) decided to enter. Smart move Laura. Mrs Kennerley has ridden several legs more than the other girls. Her elapsed time is 7:11:38. The other girls have been beating Laura's earlier times, but they have all the extra legs to ride. That will be exhausting and times will be affected! Also Laura's earlier times were affected by a damaged arm which has mended now and she seems to be increasingly riding herself into form. So she could be difficult to catch. Go for it the girls!

Huh? Is this OUR Laura?? :shifty:

[AuckUniRecComps]

Women's section

Laura leads the women at this time. She started before the other girls Vanessa Thompson and 'Gym Bunny' :-) decided to enter. Smart move Laura. She has ridden several legs more than the other girls. Her elapsed time is 7:11:38. The other girls have been beating Laura's earlier times, but they have all the extra legs to ride. That will be exhausting and times will be affected! Also Laura's earlier times were affected by a damaged arm which has mended now and she seems to be increasingly riding herself into form. So she could be difficult to catch. Go for it the girls!

Huh? Is this OUR Laura?? :shifty:

Yes, it is YOUR Laura indeed. And a well known Auckland Uni gym personality she is too. Powerlifter turned cyclist. See the tour update that follows.

[AuckUniRecComps]

Tour Updates as at midday Sunday July 19.

Mens race

Further to the previous update, Jonno Kennerley completed the stage he was lagging Adam Simpson and Paul Harris. He recorded a disapponting time of 39.11, losing a further 1.56 to Adam and an even bigger 2.30 to Paul. At this point, our leading three riders had completed 13 out of the 23 stages (with one of the remaining 10 stages being a rest day and so 9 actual riding stages to complete), so the race is well past the halfway point. Times and placing at end of 13th stage were as follows:

1. Adam Simpson 6:35:36 - yellow jersey

2. Paul Harris 6:43:18 - 7:42 behind leader

3. Jonno Kennerley 6:45:06 - 9:30 behind leader

Our three contenders then completed the 14th stage recording these times:

Adam 39:54

Paul 40:34

Jonno 38:21

So a welcome return to form for Jonno, with a fastest time, shaving a good 1:33 off Adam's time and a big 2:13 off Paul's time.

So at the completion of stage 14, times and placings were:

1. Adam Simpson 7:15:30 - yellow jersey

2. Jonno Kennerley 7:23:27 - 7:57 behind leader

3. Paul Harris 7:23:52 - 8:22 behind leader

So great riding by Jonno stems the flow, regains him 2nd place and keeps him in with a real chance to retain his title if he can keep it up, or his opponents get wearier legs than him.

But the plot thickens! Adam sneaks a jump on the field AGAIN! This wily fox has completed stages 15 AND 16 this weekend, recording times of 36:35 and 41:49 respectively. Now that puts the acid on his opponents! Stage 17 is a rest stage. The race must conclude at end of gym this coming Sunday 26 July. So this leaves Adam in the yellow jersey with a still formidible lead, needing just 6 stages to complete by this coming Sunday and 7 available days (not counting today, but another ride by him today would be a great shock and perhaps a bad move). So, he can ride one stage a day and have a rest day as well. Good plan son!

Paul also completed stage 15, in a time of 37:23, leaving him a further 48 seconds behind Paul. Seven stages to ride for Paul, being one a day. You are still in this race Paul. It's neck and neck for second and first isn't impossible. Go for it you beauty!

Jonno hadn't ridden a further stage at the time of this update, but was expected to ride sometime before close of gym today. As it stands, he has eight stages to ride by next Sunday. That will be tough. Tired legs could derail his campaign. But this man has a huge heart and will fight till the end, to remain, "The Man"!

Sadly the other riders seem to have given up the ghost for this year's comp. They all have far too many stages to finish and haven't riden for many days. The higher intensity levels this year must have got to them; or maybe the fast pace of our front-running trio.

Further update Monday 20 July pm.

Good luck for the final week to all the riders.

[AuckUniRecComps]

Women's Tour - update to midday Sunday July 19.

The women's Tour promises an exciting conclusion this coming Sunday, July 26. The women's Tour appears to be down to just two active riders: http://www.nzbodybuilding.co.nz's very own Laura Laurasaur, who leads the race and Vanessa Thompson who is many stages behind Laura. But it is, as women often say, "complicated".

Laura has continued to ride herself into better and better form and has completed many more stages than Vanessa. She has completed 12 stages and has 11 to ride (one stage being a rest day), whereas Vanessa has only completed 8 stages with 15! yet to complete (but two are rests). As indicated, the Tour must finish at close of gym hours this coming Sunday July 26. So in seven days Laura has to ride 10 stages, which is a lot, BUT Vanessa has a crazy hard 13 to ride, which is almost two per day!!

So its definite advantage Laura. To borrow a cricketing cliche: "She has the runs on the board". The question to be answered, is "How will Vanessa's legs hold up, with all the extra riding she has to do?". She has big time advantages over Laura for the early stages. But Laura rode faster than her in Vanessa's last completed stage (8): 46:47 compared to 48:35. And her times will definitely suffer with all the extra riding she has to do. So expect Laura's final times to compare favourably with Vanessa's. Thus a clear picture has yet to emerge.

Regular progress reports as the week proceeds to its exciting climax. Hang in there girls and keep those legs pumping! And remember, you have to complete ALL the stages to win; so be on or ahead of schedule right from the start of the week!

[AuckUniRecComps]

Men's Tour as at midday Monday July 20 (first day of Auckland Uni Second Semester 2009)

As expected Jono has completed stage 15. And another fine ride it was indeed. We told you not to write this boy off - body of a bodybuilder, heart of a lion, stamina of a rabbit on heat. Another best time, Sir. Bravo! He was the hot favourite for this event for good reason and we are seeing it now. JK's time for stage 15 was 36:07, beating Paul by a big 1:16 and cementing second place and Adam by 28 secs. A small gain over the race leader, but he is racking up gains on him now and "the trend is your friend" as the say in the Futures Industry. Is Adam cracking? Time will tell, but Jono has the trend and is breathing down his neck now. A few more rides like this one and Adam is going to be shaking in his boots. It's race-on!

Standings and Times after stage 15:

1. Adam Simpson "The Simpsonator" 7:52:05 - race leader

2. Jonathan Kennerely 7:59:34 - 7:29 behind The Simpsonator

3. Paul Harris 8:01:15 - 9:10 behind Adam "Ant"

As we said, "The trend is your friend" and Jonno's trend is shining oh so very, very, brightly at present! He has reduced the deficit between him and "Super Simpo, Legs of Steel" from 9:30 after stage 13 to 7:29 after stage 15. Now that's a gain of 1:00:50 per stage over the last two stages. If we project this trend out to his remaining actual actual racing stages (stage 17 being the final rest stage), Jonno would pick up a further 7:03:50, which would leave him only 25:50 behind Adam. So he only needs to slighty increase his current trend advantage over Adam by 3.75 odd to 1:04:25 per stage and he will secure the title. This race is well and truly alive.

But don't count Paul "The Beef" out either. He has stopped the rot! He and Adam have riden stage 16 (which we are told by a source extremely close to JK, he will ride later tonight) and he has picked up a whopping 1:54 over Adam (Adam 41:49, Paul 39:55)! Inspired riding my boy! Is there a further twist in the "tale" of this Tour yet, courtesy of Mr Harris Esq???

So for Adam and Paul "The Beef", after stage 16, the respective times are:

Adam 8:33:54

Paul 8:41:10

That's a gap of 7:16. That's closer than Jonno was to Adam after stage 15 (albeit that Paul has one less stage to close the gap )! Awesome. You have every chance to win the Tour and claim the glory Paul if you can keep up your current form, or your rivals crumble as the legs tire, the lungs burn and the pressure mounts in this final week!

If Adam is not being to feel the pressure from both sides in this ever evolving cycling pincer movement, then he truly is "The Iceman"!

State of the Race

Advantage Adam. He has a good lead and he has one stage less to ride than Jonno. So he should be a bit fresher; ah but he is suffering from a chest infection. What damage will do to his chances? Are we already seeing the effects with his recent performance dips?

And Paul smashed Adam in the last ride, and he too has a stage less to ride than our current Champ, Mr JayKay! So Adam is a hot contender.

Jonno has the extra stage to ride. That could leave him more tired than the others. But he is taking his creatine our source close to the man tells us. So that will help. And Jonno is a sneaky old fellow AND he is letting the other riders post their times first so he can see what he has to race against. Smart man and more cunning than a ferret down a drain pipe in search of a you know what! And Jonno knows how to calculate, since he is an accountant after all (not that we are holding that against him ). So Jonno has a potentially big tactical advantage, especially in this closing week when "Mind over Matter" comes to the fore and the riders have to test the limits of what they are capable of, or at least ride at a pace ineeded to win, without hitting "the wall". We hear that Jonno is planning to continue this "ride after the other guys so you know how fast you need to peddle" tactic for the remainder of the Tour. But will the others let him?

Hmmm, I wonder whether the other two might seek to respond to Mr Jay Kay's tactic here and ride late just before gym closing to nullify his knowledge advantage? They would be silly not to, if they can ride then.

Maybe two, or even all three of the contenders, might happen to ride a stage or two at the same time, side by side, no doubt in the last riding slot before gym closing, in the ultimate psychological battle spectacle. Now wouldn't that be fun to watch! May the mentally toughest man win!

What a week this is going to be; probably the most exciting in Tour history!

[AuckUniRecComps]

Women's Tour as at midday Monday July 20 (first day of Auckland Uni Second Semester 2009)

Both Laura and Vanessa have ridden a further stage. Laura has now ridden 13 of the 23 Tours stages (one stage to come being a rest day) and Vanessa has ridden 9 stages (with two stages coming that are rest stages).

It is still difficult to predict a winner. Laura has 9 riding stages left, which she will have to complete in 7 days - tough. But, Vanessa has a massive 13 stages still to ride - almost 2 stages a day, which is a massive ask! Vanessa's times a re really going to suffer this week as she must catch up the stages Laura is ahead and complete all the remaining stages to eb able to win. We think it's advantage Laura. But anything could happen.

Remember girls, "You've got to play, if you want to win" (or place) and that means seeing it through to stage 23 by Sunday.

This race is an enigma inside a conundrum, wrapped up in a mystery and coated with a thick solution of pure logic and emotion. Who is going to win???

Girls....ON YOUR BIKE!

[AuckUniRecComps]

Mens Tour Update as at end of gym hours Monday 20 July 2009

As we were informed, Jonno did duly complete his 16th stage, and what a ride it was! His time was 39:45, the fastest of the three boys challenging for the title. As we recorded in the previous Men's Tour update, Adam rode this stage in a disappointing time of 41.49 and Paul in a very good time of 39.55. So Mr Kennerley absolutely smokes Adam, making up a further huge 2.04 on him, which far exceeds the 1:04:25 he needs to make up on each stage to beat Adam to the finishing line! And he also creates a little more breathing room between himself and Paul.

Wow, what did we tell you about Jonno "The Warrior"! The trend not only continues in his favour, but it has increased significantly to an average 1:20:33 per leg. That is easily a winning gain margin over Adam!!

JK - you rock dude!

Standings and placings after Stage 16:

1. Adam Simpsonator 8:33:54 - race leader

2. Jonno "The Magnificent" Kennerely 8:39:19 - 5:25 behind race leader

3. Paul Harris 8:41:10 - 7:16 behind race leader

Once again its been Mr Jay Kay's stage and then some. You must be pumped like a pro builder at competition time dude! Adam, you better get a move on or else this Kennerley is liable to smash you hard out and take the title. You getting nervous Adam - we think you are! Paul you are still in this Beefmeister, but you are going to need to ride hard. Keep at it. You CAN still win!

We can't wait till tomorrow. Six stages to ride and six days left! We are reliably informed that all riders will ride a stage tomorrow, with Mr Cunning, The Kennerley Man, again opting for the night shift in anticipation of his rivals having already ridden so that he will again have the advantage of knowing the pace to ride to.

But five questions remain:

1. Will JayKay's rivals again allow him the advantage of riding last, or will they instead opt to go late too? If they do go late we may see the hoped for shoulder to shoulder battle of the mentally strongest. Here's hoping!!!

2. Because Adam and Paul were a stage ahead of Kennerley Man today, so they got to rest. And by all accounts, Jono went hard, as his time indicates. So how is he going to hold up against the others tomorrow? Will fatigue set in and affect his time? It sure could do, but a man with a heart his size has the capacity to dig deep and overcome almost any physical obstacle!!

3. What of Adam's chest infection? Is it still troubling him and will it continue to affect his times? We don't know as he is keeping his cards very close to his chest and even out sercret informant has been unable to thrown any light on the matter.

4. Has Adam been foxing or simply taking it a bit easy to recuperate or save his legs (there is a whsiper that the later may well be so) and so is he about to come out in the next few stages and totally obliterate his rivals? Maybe, but we will have to wait and see.

5. And of course the Golden Question: WHO will win the 2009 Tour? We will have to wait and see.

Regular updates here each day!

Go for it boys!

[AuckUniRecComps]

Womens Tour Update as at end of gym hours Monday 20 July 2009

Laurasaur v Vanessa

Girls come on! Only Laura rode today. She completed her 14th stage in a time of 49.28. That still leaves Laura with a further 8 stages to ride, with only 6 days left. So she will at least have to ride two stages on two of the remaining days, if she rides one stage on each of the other days. It's a tall order and she knows it. Her times will suffer. HOWEVER, what has happened to her remaining opponent, Vanessa?!? She now has only 6 days to ride a further 13 stages! That is more than two per day! That will massively affect her times, if she completes the stages.

We are hearing that Laura is saying she sees herself coming second. Sounds like gamesmanship (gameswomenship?) to us. A past master (mistress?) of psychological warfare, we formally make her our hot favourite to take out the title.

Now come on Vanessa. You CAN still make it. Don't give up without a fight!

As we said before: "On your bike girls!!!"

Let's see what tomorrow brings!

[laurasaur]

No offense but this is getting slightly weird, please can you remove my last name from all the posts? Cheers.

[AuckUniRecComps]

Mens Tour Update as at end of gym hours Tuesday 21 July 2009

All three contenders have completed the 17th stage. It has been a rather unspectacular stage after the recent dramas of recent stages. Only 20 seconds covered all three riders. The best time was redcorded by Paul Harris at 34.02. Well done Paul. Next was J Kennerley at 34.17 and then Adam Simpson at 34.22.

Standings and placings after Stage 17:

1. Simpson A 9:08:16 - race leader

2. Kennerely J 9:13:36 - 5:20 behind race leader

3. Harris P 9:15:12 - 6.56 behind race leader

5 riding stages remain, before Sunday's finish. So that's one ride a day for each rider. Jonno again rode last today, but it didn't seem to help him this time. Further that increasing trend of making time up over Adam has now declined greatly. Is the trend about to reverse? Certainly a .05 gain over Adam in a stage isn't going to win him this contest. So Adam's position at the front has now strengthened, perhaps irreversibly. Paul has shown he can again lead the pack in a stage, so keep your eye on him.

Still everything to ride for. Inspired riding, or a collapse by the others, would see any of the three win. The money has to be on Adam though to defeat the others. A good ride in the next stage could bring him within sniffing distance of glory. But JK and Paul "Hitman" Harris won't relent.

Who has the biggest heart when it matters most? Who wants it the most? Time will tell; and that time is coming very soon.

Leave nothing in the tank guys. There is no return journey!

[AuckUniRecComps]

Womens Tour Update as at end of gym hours Tuesday 21 July 2009

Laurasaur v Vanessa

Has Vanessa suddenly got serious about finishing this Tour and possibly winning? She rode 2 stages today, recording times similar to what Laura had recorded when she had done them some many days back. Good effort Vanessa. Laura rode a further stage in a good time.

This race very much continues to be about completing all the stages and the toll that will take on these girls. Laura has 16 stages under her belt (probably Gucci, LV or similar), with 7 to ride. So she needs two days of two stages and three days of one stage to finish the Tour. How about a two stager tomorow, Laurasaur? Come on now. DDR! Discipline, Dedication and Recuperation

Although she completed two stages today, Vanessa-Woman still has a literal mountain to climb (or should that read "cycle"). She needs to ride a further 11 stages!!! Thats four days of double stages and one day of triple stages. Hell, damn woman! What an ask. You have really dug yourself into a hole. If you can climb your way out of it, you deserve to win!

The state of play remains, advantage Laura. Vanessa has an enormous amount of riding to complete the race. If she can do that, her times will suffer. Laura's early poor times will help her, but will it be enough?

How many stages ya gonna ride tomorrow ladies? Who has the biggest "balls"?

[AuckUniRecComps]

Mens Tour Update as at end of gym hours Wednesday 22 July 2009

The Return to form of The Simpsonator

Today all riders completed the 19th stage. It seems a decisive break has been made by Adam "Simpsonator" Simpson. After recent declining performances by Adam "Whitewear" Simpson, big gains by Jonno "Muscley Legsicles" Kendonkey that suggested he could well catch and pass Adam and lesser gains by Paul "Running Bear" Harris that kept him in the running, today The Simpsonator finally recorded a best stage time again. What a ride! He smashed his opponents. Adam's time was 34:58, which gave him a huge 2:33 gain over Jon Kennerley (37:31) and massive 7:07 over Paul Harris.

Times and placings at end of stage 19:

1. Simpson 9:43:14 - race leader

2. Kennerely 9:51:07 - 7:53 behind race leader

3. Harris 9:57:17 - 14:03 behind race leader

We have been wondering whether: Jonno's recent big gains might have been causing Adam to crack; or whether Adam was still impeded by illness; or whether Adam might have been foxing, giving The Jonno false hope and then crushing him in a psychologically devastating masterplan. Whatever the case may have been, Adam's ride today is sure to have broken the will of even those as mentally resilient as "Legsicles" Kennerley and The Harris man. With Simpo leading Kenno by 7:53 and Harro by 14:03! and only four stages to ride, and one just a short time trial, surely they now know that their chance of victory has amost certainly evaporated and they will be feeling wretched now. Perhaps Jon-NO will make one last forlorn attack on Adam tomorrow. But he will need to make up very significant time for ever a slither of hope to remain - certainly more than 2:00. However we just can't see The Simpsonator allowing this. He could win this thing now on a broken leg.

Verdict:

Adam now has this race in the bag, barring death, serious injury, an earthquake in Auckland that destroys the gym, the actions of terrorists, an alien invasion.....you get our drift. The champ has not quite been toppled, but he is in the process of executing an inexorable death spiral to the canvas.

[AuckUniRecComps]

Womens Tour Update as at end of gym hours Wednesday 22 July 2009

A change in the relative positions of strength.

Today Laura Laurasaur, darling of all nzbb members, raced a further one stage. Vanessa again rode two stages. Significantly Vanessa "The Undresser's" times have been holding up. She has been matching Laura's times, more or less. She still has a punishing schedule ahead - nine stages to ride in only four days (laura has six) - but it now seems possible that she may be able to ride the remaining stages in a good enough time to win. However her heavy riding toll could yet derail her carriage.

This race is closing up. But can Vanessa's legs continue to hold up and carry her to victory, or will Laurasaur do enough to record her maiden victory and become "The Peoples Choice"? Further light will be thrown on the situation tomorrow for sure.

Sleep well girls. Tomorrow could be a critical day.

[AuckUniRecComps]

Womens Tour Update as at end of gym hours Thursday 23 July 2009

Vanessa closes on Laurasaur

nzbb's own blonde bombshell "Little Miss Goldilocks" Laurasaur, continues to cycle at a very good pace. Her form and fitness levels have improved dramatically since the commencement of the Tour. This Powerlifter cum Figure Athlete cum cs champion turned cyclist has come of age as a rider. However, Vanessa, the highly experienced rider with years of competitive successes behind her and, unlike Laurasaur, in peak form and injury free coming into the Tour, has been able to make up stages in recent days at times good enough to probably edge her ahead when she catches up the one stage she now remains behind Laura. Fair play Vanessa, you have been in the battle of your life (which my sources tell me you were overheard saying) but you are still standing and poised to take the lead.

Vanessa "Hot Wheels" has 7 stages to ride (two double stage days and one three stage day, but one stage is a short time trial), and Laura "You gotta adore her" has 6 stages to go. So Laura only now has a small edge here.

There is still life left in this race, but if Vanessa can maintain her form she should be able to beat Laura by a slim margin.

[AuckUniRecComps]

Mens Tour Update as at end of gym hours Thursday 22 July 2009

Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust

Today's stage was only a short time trial. Jononono Kennerley and Paul Harrisisis rode (with only a small margin separating them), but Adam "yellow jersey" Simpson decided not to. He will catch that one up tomorrow, when he will also ride the next stage of the Tour which JK and Paulie Harris will also do. Riding the time trial tomorrow AND a full stage should have virtually no impact on Adam's lead in this Tour. Little time can be made up on the time trial even if Jonny or Pauly best Adam's time. Further, the unanimous opinion amongst the cycling experts is that Adam is now riding like the true champion he is and that he is clearly the dominant rider in theTour.

Jon Ken and Paul Harry may be broken men, but they are scrappers and will keep pedalling even if it is to defeat. However Adam is the Alpha Male in this pack and the death rites for his competitors have already commenced.

A special mention for Mr Imran "Khan" Grant. Just when it looked as if there would be only three finishers in this gruelling Tour, he has caught up a huge number of stages in a flash, at excellent times and now has the same number of stages to complete as Super Adam and the other two riders. There will be four finishers now we are sure. Well done Khan!

A further update on Adam's cruise to victory tomorrow.

[AuckUniRecComps]

Mens Tour Update as at end of gym hours Friday 23 July 2009

He plays with his prey like a cat plays with a mouse

The leading trio have completed stage 21, so only two stages remain. Paul Harris put together another fine stage best time, of 30.14, with KenO second in 30.58. This still leaves Jon Ken with a probably adequate lead of 6 minutes over PH so Jonerley has all-but secured second place, with Paulie taking third. Imran Grant will come fourth no doubt, having completed a record number of stages in a handful of days. Well done.

Our eye witnesses tell us that J-No-not-this-year-buddy-and-no-further-correspondence-will-be-entertained, cut a forlorn and dejected figure as he pedalled closer to defeat and the loss of his prized title.

Winner-in-waiting Adam "The Simpsonator" Simpson rode devilishy :twisted: today. He is coasting to victory now, having built up an unassailable lead. He is invulnerable and invincible, sitting alone and lordly atop the leaderboard, a cycling superman in the midst of mere mortals. His wicked sense of humour and desire to play with the other rider (or riders?) who may still have vain thoughts of a late surge to carry victory, was to the fore today.

In a clear ploy to frustrate and confuse his main "opponent", Simpo "The Magnificent" rode last for a change, with J-NONO have abandoned his late night tactical slot for a mid-afternoon ride (away from the prying eyes of the late night members who have been watching his demise). So what did Adam "The Invincible" do? He played with him by riding slowly, giving up 2:32 to J-No-No (and a massive 3:06! to Paul "Maul"). The intent being to restore a glimmer of hope in his already beaten opponent, that he might just collapse enough to have victory taken from him and into the hands of this "Pretender". The maths is simple. After 21 of the 23 stages of le Tour, Invulnerable Adam leads "The Second Placegetter" by around five minutes. If "Mr Number Two" :cry: , could replicate his 2:32 margin over "The Alpha Male" in each of the last two stages then he would emerge victorious by a few seconds! Talk about a cat with a mouse!

Don't get you hopes up buddy!!! This race is done and dusted. Mark my words. Don't be taken in by Adam's sandbagging!

The King is Dead, Long Live The King!

[AuckUniRecComps]

Women's Tour Update as at end of gym hours Friday 23 July 2009

Big Nessa moves up onto Laura's backwheel!

A continuation of yesterday's drama. The Van girl has almost pulled up alongside Laura in this race of Amazonians. Both these Feline Road Warriors have more stages to ride than days left, but it is clear now that both our SuperGirls will complete the tour, putting them in a very select group of top athletes.

The race is still almost on a knife edge and if fatigue sets in Vanessa "Not Yet A Contessa" will be beaten into second by Laura - even if it does take a stick :pfft: However having run our sophisticated computer models and inputting the girls' full biometric data, we are projecting a slim victory to V-Nessa over Blondie.

Fantastic work girls! The Girls' race has stirred up even more interest than the Mens' one.

Girl Power to Infinity and Beyond! :clap:

[AuckUniRecComps]

End of Tour Results 2009

Men's Race

Adam Simpson rules supreme - Jonno is left lamenting

This writer must confess to making this race sound rather more exciting than it was in reality. He had called the result a forgone conclusion with several stages still to be raced. However, the Tour was in fact predestined from the very start.

Jonno Kennerley was the existing champ. He was the hottest of favourites going into the Tour. He had been preparing in earnest since the early summer. Kenny was determined to prove to all that he was worthy of the title Champion, by retaining his Crown. However, unbeknownst to him, there was a vastly superior man in the field; The Auckland University Recreation Centre's Iron Man, Adam "The Conqueror" Simpsonator.

In truth, the Glorious Adam, our champ, owned Jonno and the rest of the field right from the start; establishing a big lead after a few stages and never being seriously threatened. He kept things interesting at times, by slowing his pace to give J-Ken and P-Harri a 'faint sniff of an outside chance of victory'. But this was nothing more than the slow torture of thousands of wheel revolutions for the Ken and Harry.

Congrats also go to:

Paul Harris for his very creditable third; and

Imran Grant for his well earned fourth on the back of being the first man to complete his stages, having ridden stage after stage in a tremendous display of endurance, after looking unlikely to finish coming into the last week.

In the end there can be only one; and what a one he is. Hail, Hail, Adam Simpson, The Mens Champion.

[AuckUniRecComps]

End of Tour Results 2009

Women's Race

Vanessa Thompson wins, but Laura gets the moral victory

As predicted, Vanessa, "Big Bird" Thomo, the highly experienced cyclist, came through to snatch victory by a very slender margin from Laura "The Blonde and The Beautiful" Laurasaur. So Van "The Man" wins the Tour, but the real story was the emergence of nzbb's own Laura "The Cupcake Queen" Laurasaur, as a top athletic talent and a woman who 'gets the job done'.

Written off by some as an 'Epic Fail Cupcakeaholic' before the Tour started, Laura came into the event out of shape, following a loss of dietary

(magnificent cupcakes though) and general fitness motivation and discipline and a major accident on the snowboarding slopes. However, over the course of the Tour she rediscovered her female "Mojo" and re-engineered herself into a genuine athlete. After the Tour passed the halfway mark she was clearly the best rider. Over the later stages she consistently bested Vanessa's times; often by big margins. If she had been just a little better prepared at the start of the Tour she would have won.

Result: EPIC SUCCESS AND MORAL VICTORY LAURA!!! Now, time to get some lifting PRs Laura and a SUCCESSFUL CUT TO 59 KG BY CHRISTMAS. We await the Journal(s)!