Winter Worlds

THAT was Winter Worlds. ❄️

There was a genuine discussion on the drive out today about whether we should postpone.

The rain was horrific.

Then, almost on cue, it cleared.

And Winter Worlds finally got the weather required to properly earn its name.

A wind chill around **1°C**. A savage south-wester straight off the mountains. And, because apparently that wasn’t quite enough, a storm rolled through and fired **hail directly into everyone’s faces**.

Beautiful.

To every rider who pinned on a number today, and especially every volunteer who stood out there while we raced past pretending we weren’t cold:

**TAKE A BOW. 👏**

Because doing hard things matters.

It would have been very easy to stay home. Warm house. Netflix. Coffee. Perhaps a smug little indoor trainer session.

Instead, you turned up.

You pinned on a number.

And you raced.

That says something pretty bloody good about this cycling community.

And today wasn’t just a fast bunch ride either.

It was a **points race**.

Attacks. Counter-attacks. Decisions. Positioning. Knowing when to work and, just as importantly, when not to. Watching who was moving. Thinking about the next sprint while somebody else was trying to remove your legs.

That’s what makes racing so bloody addictive.

A smashfest with your mates is hard.

**Bike racing is different.**

At 50, 60, sometimes 70km/h, inches off another wheel, things happen ridiculously quickly. You’re calculating, reacting, hurting and trying to work out who is about to launch before they’ve worked it out themselves.

It’s about as close as most of us are getting to Formula One without needing a billionaire father.

And today there were some fantastic races across every grade.

# # # ROUND 5 PODIUMS

🏆 **A GRADE**

1. Michael Audeau
2. Josh Davies
3. Saxon Morgan

🏆 **B GRADE**

1. Eli Dimbleby
2. Joe Bebbington
3. Matt Hartnell

🏆 **C GRADE**

1. Alex “Burglar” Mann
2. Warwick Moffat
3. Sophie Brown

Yes, unfortunately the race director managed to win his own race. An independent inquiry will commence shortly. 😂

🏆 **D GRADE**

1. Charlie Sara
2. Jacob Morris
3. Ben Hewitt

🏆 **FOUNDATIONS**

1. Steve Morris
2. Brendan Cook
3. Leo Sincock

And that brings **Winter Worlds 2026** to an end.

Five rounds.

Frost. Wind. Rain. Hail. Sunshine occasionally sneaking through when Canterbury wasn’t paying attention.

But most importantly, **proper bike racing**.

To our volunteers, sponsors, supporters, families and every single person who took a deep breath, clipped in and had a crack:

**Thank you.**

Winning is cool.

But turning up when it’s bloody uncomfortable, racing hard, learning something, getting dropped, attacking anyway, coming back next week and having another crack?

**That’s what Winter Worlds is actually about.**

You lot are friggen awesome.

See you on the start line again. ❤️🚴

CYCLISTS WILL SPEND $15,000 TO SAVE 300 GRAMS.

Then completely ignore some considerably more important numbers. 😂

Thankfully, Sprout Accounting are rather better with numbers than most of us are.

Gillian and James aren’t just sponsoring Sunday’s final Winter Worlds round. They’re cyclists themselves and they’re backing grassroots racing in Canterbury.

That’s exactly the sort of business we love having behind Winter Worlds. 🌱💙

So if your business numbers deserve slightly more attention than your FTP, wheel depth and optimal tyre pressure, have a yarn with Sprout.

And if it’s your race numbers you’re worried about…

Sunday. 2 pm. Lincoln.

Sprint laps. Extra points. Wind. Tactics.

The accountant can’t help you there. 😏

EVERY CYCLIST THINKS THEY CAN SPRINT.

Until somebody puts a line on the road.

Sunday we’re putting points on the line during the race, not just at the finish.

So this is for the wheel-watchers.

The jumpers.

The people who have spent years telling everyone:

“I’m actually pretty quick over 200 metres.”

Excellent.

Come provide evidence.

And for everyone who claims they definitely aren’t a sprinter…

You may be surprised what happens when a bell rings and suddenly completely meaningless points become the most important thing in your life.

🔔 Sprint laps.
⚡ Extra points.
🏁 Final Round.

Sprout Accountants Winter Worlds
Sunday | 2 pm | Lincoln

https://www.winterworlds.co.nz/round-5-sprout-accountants

CYCLISTS ARE WEIRD ABOUT RAIN. 🌧️

They’ll look out the window on Saturday morning, see horizontal rain, 6 degrees and general misery…

…and go for a four-hour training ride because “it was on the programme.”

Then Sunday afternoon comes along, the sun appears, there’s an actual bike race with other humans, sprint points, tactics and bragging rights…

“Hmmmm. Not sure about the weather.”

😂

For four straight weeks, Winter Worlds has somehow found the decent bit of the weekend.

This Sunday is the Sprout Accountants Final Hit-Out and we’re making it spicy.

⚡ Sprint laps
🏆 Extra points
🚴 Proper racing
☀️ And, based on our completely unscientific four-week sample size, probably sunshine at 2 pm.

If you can sprint, this might be your round.

If you can’t sprint, excellent. Try anyway. That’s rather the point.

And if you’ve never raced Winter Worlds before, there’s still one chance left to discover what all the fuss is about.

Sunday. 2 pm. Lincoln.

🌱 Proudly sponsored by Sprout Accountants, proper cycling people who understand that sometimes the numbers hurt.

👉 Entries are open:

Round 5 – Sprout Accountants’ Final Hit-Out | Winter Worlds 2026 Winter Worlds Round 5 is proudly sponsored by Sprout Accountants. Race Sunday 16 August 2026 at 2pm on the Lincoln course, with results, photos and sponsor details here after the race.

🏁 ROUND 4 RESULTS ARE IN

Another cracking afternoon of Winter Worlds racing, with plenty of action across every grade.

🥇 FOUNDATIONS – Leo Sincock
🥇 A GRADE – Michael Audeau
🥇 B GRADE – Joe Bebbington
🥇 C GRADE – Alex Mann 👀

Yep. Even the Race Director managed to win one. Miracles do happen.

FULL RESULTS:

https://www.winterworlds.co.nz/race-results-2026

PODIUM PHOTOS:

https://www.winterworlds.co.nz/podium-gallery

Huge thanks to everyone who raced, volunteered and helped make another round happen.

One round to go. 🔥

Podium Gallery | Winter Worlds Podium gallery photos

TOMORROW: CHOOSE WISELY.

You could head out in the morning and enjoy the wet, cold, miserable Canterbury winter experience.

Or…

You could assert your dominance at home.

Stand tall.

Look your partner directly in the eye and say:

“I’m riding this afternoon.”

Then come race Winter Worlds in the little dry weather window from about 1–4 pm.

That’s not selfish.

That’s weather strategy.

ENTRIES OPEN UNTIL 10:30 AM TOMORROW.

See you at 2.

Round 4 – Champion System Leaders Jersey Round | Winter Worlds 2026 Winter Worlds Round 4 is proudly sponsored by Champion System New Zealand. Race Sunday 9 August 2026 at 2pm on the Lincoln course, with results, photos and sponsor details here after the race.

GROUP-RIDE KIT.
RACE-DAY KIT.

Apparently there is a difference.

Perhaps the socks get taller. Perhaps the skinsuit appears. Perhaps someone finally removes the saddle bag containing enough equipment to cross the Southern Alps.

Champion System are backing Round 4, so we need to ask:

Do you have special kit that only comes out for racing?

https://www.winterworlds.co.nz/round-4-champion-system

EVERY CYCLIST HAS A WINTER KIT SYSTEM.

Some are carefully researched.

Some involve three base layers, gardening gloves and blind optimism.

Champion System know how to make proper cycling apparel. The rest of us have learned through years of being either too hot, too cold or somehow both.

What is your best trick for staying warm without cooking yourself once the racing starts?

https://www.winterworlds.co.nz/round-4-champion-system

THE KIT DOESN’T MAKE YOU A RACER.

SHOWING UP DOES.

Round 4 is the Champion System Leaders Jersey Round.

Champion System supplied our leaders jerseys, but you do not need to own one, chase one or look remotely professional to race Winter Worlds.

You just need suitable kit, a safe bike and the courage to line up.

What is the one piece of cycling kit you would never race without?
https://www.winterworlds.co.nz/round-4-champion-system

Hey guys, the reason we put on these five races at this time was for this epic day tour and a couple of weeks. For a night accommodation and a pretty low entry fee you couldn’t get better value racing.

Cycling South Canterbury - 2026 Two Day Tour - Race 17, 22/08/2026-23/08/2026 : : my.race|result Cycling South Canterbury - 2026 Two Day Tour - Race 17, 22/08/2026-23/08/2026, Timaru