Road and track cycling success for Prudence Fowler

Prudence Fowler at the NZSS Nationals last year. PHOTO: Danielle Ward/Concept 78 Photography.

​Prudence Fowler has established herself as one of the country’s leading age-group track and road cyclists.

This past Friday and Saturday, Prudence defended both her U17 time trial and road race titles at the Age Group Road National Championships in Pleasant Point, near Timaru.

But not without a taking a tumble when riding out in front on route to her 2-minute victory in the road race.
“I actually came off about 3km before the finish,” said the year 12 Diocesan School for Girls rider who is in her second year competing in the U17 age group.

“I had my head down and I was just really focusing and giving it everything because all I was thinking about was getting to the finish and I clipped the wheel of a rider finishing the masters race in front of me. It was just minor, but I had to get up and put my chain back on and keep going. Luckily I only lost about 30 seconds!”

But this was only a matter of weeks after another crash in the lead-up to the Age Group Track Nationals in Cambridge in early March that could have been much more serious.

“I was knocked off my bike by a car a week before the track nationals. A car pulled out in front of me and went over the bonnet.”

She was coming down a hill on a main road at an estimated 40kph, the car was coming out of a side street and cyclist and car collided.

“Thankfully I only broke my finger. I was a bit bashed up everywhere else but overall I was otherwise alright and I was able to compete in Cambridge.”

How did the finger injury affect her Track Nationals performance?

She finished second in the U17 Individual Pursuit and she won the U17 Points Race.

“But I came off my bike again in the 500m time trial – I was coming out of the gates to start and I put my foot out and because my finger was broken I wasn’t really gripping my bike well and I couldn’t save it and I went for a slide down the track.”
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Last week she was selected in the New Zealand U19 team to compete at the Oceania Track Cycling Championships at Invercargill in October. 

Prudence Fowler wins the U17 girls road race at the Age Group Road National Championships in Pleasant Point. PHOTO: Bradley Powdrell.

​At this past weekend’s National Age Group Road National Championships she won both the female U17 races comfortably.

The event started on Friday with a 15km time trial on an out and back course.

“It was a pretty tough course because it was up hill and also into a headwind on the way out and then downhill and a tailwind on the way back.”

She won the time trial by 26 seconds to second placed Jenna Borthwick (St Margaret’s College, Christchurch), with Lucy Buckeridge (Takapuna Grammar School) third.

The road race on Saturday was a three-lap course totalling 63km, and Prudence made her move on the second lap – which wasn’t really part of the plan.

“The second hill was the steepest on the course and I came across the top of that hill and created a gap on the group of us riding together. I put the hammer down and created a bit of distance between us.  There was still almost 30km to go so I just kept going thinking they will get me at some point but I kept going and I ended up riding the rest of that lap and the whole of the third lap by myself.”

Did Prudence know what gap she had opened up?

“At the start of the third lap the time car came past me and told me the difference was 49s. From there I decided to really put the hammer down.

Despite her mishap near the end she won comfortably. Charlotte Spurway (Rangi Ruru Girls’ School) was out on her own in finishing second, with Lucy Buckeridge third and Jenna Borthwick fourth.

Prudence, who is coached by 2008 Olympic Games men’s individual pursuit silver medallist Hayden Roulston, now has a short rest before setting her sights on a busy remainder of the year.

The schools cycling season kicks in shortly. North Island Track and Road Schools Championships are together in Cambridge in July and the Northern and Southern schools tours are early September and then the Schools Nationals are in late September in the Manawatu.
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Prudence used to compete to a high level in other sports, namely swimming, triathlon, water polo and rowing, but now her focus is just on cycling where the future is promising.

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