Monday evening’s race at Thornton produced another lively contest across all four grades, with the B-grade riders stealing the spotlight in the handicapped race.

Jeremy Anderson, Steve Came and Phil McIlroy Bisley combined superbly to overhaul the A-grade “young guns” and reach the finish well ahead of them.

Came, a welcome visitor from Tauranga, added extra sting to the pace despite riding his gravel bike, while Scott Christie helped the group catch the A grade in the first 5 kilometres.

Xavier Christie took advantage of the 20kmh south-east wind to record the fastest ever time on the McLean Road sector.

Not far behind were Jacques Collombet, Oliver Christie and Came, who filled the next three-fastest positions on the segment, all achieved in this race.

With Zoe Christie now racing, there are three women competing in the A and B grades, adding further depth to the fields.

The B grade remains the largest group, and the strong winds exposed a wide range of abilities, with significant splits forming throughout the race.

Lorian Hicksen, returning to racing after a short break, and Albie Hulse, in excellent form, both find themselves sitting between grades on current form, giving race director Dave Wright plenty to ponder ahead of a likely “cabinet reshuffle” for upcoming races.

Further down the field, Dennis Sax discovered his shifter battery was flat and was restricted to the small chainring and a maximum of 33kmh, enabling him to bolster the D grade ranks for the evening.

In the graded race, Oliver Christie claimed the A-grade win ahead of Collombet and Xavier Christie. Anderson, Came and McIlroy Bisley filled the B-grade podium, while Coenie Hoffmann rode an excellent race to pip Wright and Dale Clarke in the C-grade race.

In the D grade, Hulse continued his strong run, finishing ahead of Mark Birks and Zak Brown.

The previous week’s racing on the Selwyn circuit was a points race, again held in strong winds – this time a northerly. Oliver Christie dominated the A grade, outsprinting Collombet and Bailey Fredericksen over the four laps to accumulate the most points.

The B grade contest was tightly fought, with Antoine Collombet edging Donovan Jackson by a single point, who in turn finished just one point ahead of Hicksen.

In the C grade, Wright and Sax resumed their familiar rivalry, with Wright eventually taking control to secure the win. Brown led the D-grade points, finishing ahead of Birks and Dylan Jackson.

The depth of talent, together with the wind, meant another sector record was broken – this time by Oliver Christie, Jacques Collombet, and Bailey Fredericksen. Oliver Christie and Jacques Collombet both averaged 53kmh for the 1.5km section.

Auckland Anniversary race on Monday starts at 5pm from the Awakaponga Hall on Caverhill Road, and Thursday’s race is a criterium starting from near the entrance to Ohope Golf Course, on Harbour Road, Ohope, starting at 6pm. This is a fundraiser for Lilly Collombet, who starts her European racing season in Belgium next month. The full racing calendar and club details are available at www.whakatanecycleclub.org