The rain held off and 35 hardy souls braved the polar conditions to take part in the first team time trial of the year.  With temperatures below 6°C it was up to the athletes to set a hot pace.  Seven teams rolled out from Shelley Bay with the wind behind their backs.  Seven teams hit the southerly as they rounded Halswell Point, and momentarily considered rethinking their lives. But with true Wellington grit and team commitment, they pushed through. Watching the tight pace lines zooming down the airport straight towards Lyall Bay was impressive. Watching the flouro jackets recede back to the tunnel, never letting the wind-wall overwhelm them and each taking their turn on the front, highlighted our ethos of comradeship.  The riders were great ambassadors for the OTB’s, showing fine fighting spirit, excellent team work and safe bunch riding. Every competitor talked of how much fun it was to race as a team and how much they wanted to do this again. Please

Chocolate Fish Café proved to be an excellent venue and well worth the reduction of a few kilometres overall. Easy parking. Start and finish lines were safer, being further from an intersection and with a clear line of view for traffic.  Pre-race briefing felt civilized in the warm, dry café. A brisk trade in caffeinated pre-race drinks was welcomed. (Doping? What’s that?)  The after-match function in the heated, covered courtyard was enhanced by much needed hot drinks and warm scones.  Chocolate Fish Café also support PNP race events, so they are definitely a good business to work with

Thanks to Digger for the handicap calc' and Esko for getting us off on time, and standing about in the cold to see us finish and Liz T for he excellent safety duty on the Lyall Bay Parade roundabout in the face of a cold southerly and sometimes hesitant motorists.  Results can be found here