The 2024 Negative Split Carbon (NSC) Tour of Sāmoa was officially launched in Auckland last week. The tour is a six-day road cycle race around Upolu and Savai’i managed by Sāmoa Events and supported by Sāmoa Cycling.

The gathering on Thursday evening was hosted by NZ Cycling icon Gordon McCauley at the GMC Cycling store in Silverdale. Gordon rode the Tour of Sāmoa last year with his wife Pam. He was so impressed with the country and the tour that he is bringing back a bunch of mates for this year’s tour.

Gordon is a Commonwealth medallist in the individual time trial. He has won the men’s NZ road race championships a record five times and the NZ time trial championships three times. At 51 years of age, McCauley is still competitive but ultimately fell two back on the 2023 tour behind Andrew Westgarth who won the men’s tour and Sāmoa representative Bena Simanu.

McCauley signed up for the 2024 tour as soon as the open sign was up. “I had so much fun last year that I wanted to come back.”

” A big plus for me in the Tour of Sāmoa is there is no pressure for me to perform unlike at the Tour of Southland where I am expected to be up the front even though I am now entering my 50’s.”

If the 2023 tour was a speed up from previous tours, the2024 version looks to be even quicker. Early comments from those in the know looking at the list of new entrants, this year’s tour will be the fastest yet. The influence of McCauley is giving the tour  a big boost and attracting faster riders like Stuart Holder, a top GMC rider.

A major highlight of this year’s tour is the return of 80% of last year’s riders, including champions Westgarth (Auckland) and women’s champion Glynis Te Maipi-Kemp (Kapiti Cycling Club).

Westgarth was the fastest rider on the tour last year. He won the yellow jersey on the first day and never relinquished it. But even he can read the room and Westgarth has resigned the yellow jersey to someone else this year. Too bad for Andrew, a great sport, he will still have to don the yellow jersey for stage 1 of the first day. The handover ceremony follows at the end of that stage at Lalomanu - or is he pulling wool? Time will tell.

An unknown feature of the tour is the entry of Swiss rider Christoph Friedli. Although he has posted impressive results with the Hamilton Cycle Club this year, he remains a relative unknown in the cycling circles down under. Friedli is bringing a wingman indicating a tactical approach to the racing.

According to McCauley, he is a further four spots back from 2023 in placing this year on current entries.

The Info evening was attended by 25 people instore and more on the live link. Tour director Seti Afoa was present at the presentation as well as tour sponsor Negative Split Carbon director Chris Dunn. Chris is a regular competitor in Sāmoa Events races. He won the Sāmoa Swim Series (SSS) in 2019 and the Warrior Race Beat the Heat distance in the same year. Chris finished second in SSS in 2018.

The 2024 tour is a sellout at 50 riders with a large number of supporters joining the tour. The tour is staying at the following accommodations: Tanoa Hotels, Stevensons Manase, Tanu Beach Fales, Savai’i Lagoon Resort, Vaimoana and Vaisala Hotels, Amoa Resort, Le Rosalote and Le Alaimoana Hotel.

The tour has been the premier cycling event in the country since 2014. This year’s tour will kick start with a street race Criterium (Crit) in Apia on Saturday 17th August.

As a former NZ Criterium champion himself, McCauley is looking forward to showcasing his sprinting skills against tour riders and local riders. The Criterium might be the one event he can win - time will tell.

Local Riders - this year’s tour will field the biggest local field yet. In total, there are 12 Sāmoan riders enrolled on the tour, eight local riders and four from Aotearoa New Zealand. Local riders include tour veteran Wally Collins, and Oceania MTB medallists Maria Brooks and Patricia Brooks, Simon Brooks, Tonu’u Ollie Seumanufagai and three riders from Itū o Tane to be selected.

Sāmoa Events is subsidising all local entries. The four overseas Sāmoan riders are Galumalemana Rona Simanu, Bena Simanu and Vicki Cairns (2023 tour). Ella Simanu joins her dad and brother on the tour. Bena and Vicki were podium finishers in the 2023 tour, second and third respectively in the men’s and women’s tours, no mean feat in the competitive field that was 2023,

As races go, the South Coast Run was an honest one. It looked friendly but with a sting in the tail. The friendly part was the first half of the race, heading away from the sun and more downhill than up.

Then as the runners turned around to head back to the venue at Maninoa, the sun shone full and bright on already hot brows. There was no escaping it, nor the heat bouncing off the black tar. Getting to the finish fast was the only way to deal with the sauna-like conditions.

It was particularly hot everywhere in the country today.

Add the 500m climb to the finish meant the runners knew they were in a real run to look back on with satisfaction.

Thirteen runners turned up for the first race of the series. This was a good outcome; we were expecting fewer.

In the main race, five Tanoa Hotel Sāmoa runners contested the 12 km distance. Khalida Cox was the sole woman runner. She gave a great account of herself, finishing second overall and ahead of four male runners.

Benson Hunt of team Tanoa was first across the line. Tanoa General Manager Jay Krishna was also in the 12 km line-up where he finished fourth.

In the 6 km race, Thomas Fania was first across the line. Jake Henshaw and Geri Furness of the Australian High Commission were happy to run the 4 km distance. Joining them was Monita Krishna of team Tanoa.

Khalida Cox is preparing for the full marathon race in July. Today’s run was good preps for that race

The next run in the series is on 15 June at Falefā Falls. Distances on offer are 10 km, 6 km and 4 km.

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