Taylor Gunman (Avanti) became a surprising winner of the New Zealand Time Trial Championships when the 22-year-old held off pre-race favourite Samuel Horgan (Budget Forklifts) by 12 seconds on the 40km course in Christchurch. Fraser Gough also defied expectations when he beat James Oram to take the U23 title.

Today the New Zealand Road Nationals kicked off with the time trials and it was a day full of surprises. Taylor Gunman became a surprise winner in the elite's race while Fraser Gough beat big favourite James Oram in the U23 race.

With the country's major ProTeams stars all saving themselves for Sunday's road race, the battle for the time trial title was one for the domestic stars. With defending champion Jo Cooper and three-time under-23 winner Michael Vink ruled out with injury and illness respectively, local rider Horgan assumed the favourite’s tag.

However, it wasn't to be for Horgan who is the 2012 Oceania champion in the discipline. For the second time in his career, he left the race with a silver medal, having been beaten into second by Gunman.

First down the ramp was Morgan Smith who set an early best time that could survive the assault from a couple of riders. With only 11 riders lining up at the event, the major favourites were, however, already on the course and it didn't take long for Gunman to beat the time, having passed Daniel Barry (Budget Forklifts) and Dan Waluszewski on the way.

With just 5 riders left, including favourites Horgan, Westley Gough and Paul Odlin, the game was very much on. At the intermediate check, Horgan and Gunman had posted the exact same time, with Jason Christie only trailing the duo by 1 tiny second. Odlin was 9 seconds behind while Gough had already lost 21 seconds and appeared to be out of the running for the champion's jersey.

Horgan was the first of the favourites to finish his race but he had been unable to keep up with Gunman on the way back to the start/finish area. When he crossed the line, he had lost 12 seconds and his hopes for a first national title had been dashed.

Next to finish was Christie who had also lost time on the way back. With a time loss of 22 seconds, he slotted into 3rd with just Gough and Odlin left to come.

Gough was far off the mark and finished in a time that was 1 minute slower than Gunman's and when Odlin had also lost time in the final part, crossing the line with a loss of 29 seconds, Gunman realized that he was the surprise winner of the event.

His victory follows on from a strong performance finishing runner-up in the Tour of Southland.

“

The year could not have started any better," he said. "Things started well at the Tour of Southland and I came away and re-focussed on my time trialling.”

He drew motivation from last year’s winner Cooper, who drove his support car today. 

“I just wanted to show him what I could do," Gunamn said. "It was an inspiration to have him in the car and my folks too.”

Earlier Fraser Gough, cousin of London Olympic track medallist Westley, also showed his strength into the breeze, to win the under-23 battle. The Hawkes Bay rider clocked 51:38 to finish nine seconds clear of favourite Oram with his fellow Auckland rider Dion Smith third.

Gough competed with the New Zealand endurance track team and a Belgium combination on the roads of Europe this year.

He was delighted with his performance and hoped it would also transfer into a good showing in Sunday’s 185km road race.

Tomorrow is the elite women’s road race over 120.5kms which comprises eight laps with six climbs of the infamous Dyers Pass in the Cashmere Hills.

The elite and under-23 men’s race on Sunday is 12 laps in total for 183.7kms, starting with the usual full lap on the flat before 10 circuits up the Dyers Pass climb and a final flat lap to the finish.

Result:

1. Taylor Gunman (Avanti) 50.42

2. Samuel Horgan (Budget Forklifts) +0.12

3. Jason Christie +0.22

4. Paul Odlin +0.29

5. Scott Thomas +0.59

6. Westley Gough (Budget Forklifts) +1.00

7. Daniel Barry (Budget Forklifts) +2.43

8. Morgan Smith +3.02

9. Michael Poole +3.27

10. Reon Nolan +3.46

U23 result:

1. Fraser Gough 51.39

2. James Oram (Bissell) +0.08

3. Dion Smith (Hincapie Sportswear) +0.48

4. Dylan Kennett +0.58

5. Matthew Zenovich +1.51

6. Richard Lawson +2.00

7. Andrew Van Der Heyden +2.11

8. Sam Friend +2.15

9. Ben Wortelboer +2.37

10. Matt Webb-Smith +3.50