Le Race is a road bicycle racing event held annually in Canterbury, New Zealand since 1999. The race starts in Christchurch and finishes in Akaroa, and covers a distance of .
History Le Race was first held in 1999. In the 2001 event, competitor Vanessa Caldwell died on the Summit Road in the Port Hills when she collided head-on with a car. Race organiser Astrid Anderson was charged with criminal nuisance and convicted in 2003, with a NZ$10,000 fine imposed. The conviction had a major impact on events held on New Zealand roads, with many events cancelled or postponed. The Court of Appeal overturned the conviction in September 2004, as the judge was found to have misdirected the jury. No new trial was ordered, but her conviction was quashed. Anderson's legal costs were NZ$60,000.
In 2001, Le Race was one of two events in New Zealand that had a traffic management plan, but this became compulsory following the 2001 fatality. Many club races consequently disappeared, with an underground cycling movement developing of holding unofficial races.
Anderson, the original owner of Le Race, sold the event to Simon Hollander in 2008. Hollander passed the event on to Sheree Stevens, whose first event as race director was in 2015.
Le Race traditionally started in Christchurch's Cathedral Square in March of each year. The 2011 Christchurch earthquake caused the postponement of Le Race and due to the Central City Red Zone, the 2011 event was held on 15 October and started from Elgin Street in Sydenham. After using Elgin Street as the start for four times, Le Race returned to Cathedral Square for the event held on 21 March 2015. In the 2016 event held on 20 March, a shorter option of just that finished in Little River was also offered. Kate McIlroy won the race in 2019 and vowed that it was her last race. The 2020 race was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, McIlroy happened to be in Christchurch and signed up on the start line, winning the race in record time.
Multiple winners Men's WinsNameYears 3 Mark Bailey 2003, 2004, 2006 Michael Vink 2010, 2013, 2021 2 Jeremy Yates 2008, 2009 Daniel Whitehouse 2018, 2019
Women's WinsNameYears 4 Jo Buick 2001, 2002, 2003, 2010 3 Reta Trotman 2011, 2012, 2014 Sharlotte Lucas 2013, 2015, 2017 2 Annalisa Farrell 2000, 2005 Kate McIlroy 2019, 2021
Past winners YearMen's winnerWomen's winner 1999 Chris Barnsley Tracy Clark 2000 Ben Bright Annalisa Farrell 2001 Stuart Lowe Jo Buick 2002 Heath Blackgrove Jo Buick 2003 Mark Bailey Jo Buick 2004 Mark Bailey Michelle Kiesanowski 2005 Brian Fowler Annalisa Farrell 2006 Mark Bailey Josie Loane 2007 Edwin Crossling Carla Ryan 2008 Jeremy Yates Serena Sheridan 2009 Jeremy Yates Simone Grounds 2010 Michael Vink Jo Buick 2011 Joshua Atkins Reta Trotman 2012 Sam Hogan Reta Trotman 2013 Michael Vink Sharlotte Lucas 2014 Keagan Girdlestone Reta Trotman 2015 Daniel Barry Sharlotte Lucas 2016 Hayden Roulston Linda Villumsen 2017 Brad Evans Sharlotte Lucas 2018 Daniel Whitehouse Ella Harris 2019 Daniel Whitehouse Kate McIlroy 2021 Michael Vink Kate McIlroy
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