After fourth and third places in the last two years, Jason Christie (Kenyan Riders Down Under) took his first New Zealand road race title when he claimed an impressive solo win at today’s race in Napier. After bridging across to an early breakaway, he made it into a six-rider group before taking off in a successful solo move. Dion Smith (ONE) won the four-rider sprint for second, with Hamish Shreurs crossing the line in third to win the U23 title and Robin Reid taking the elite bronze medal.

Below you can read a few reactions.

Jason Christie (Kenyan Riders Down Under, 1st)

"It's going to be pretty special. I get to wear it at the Sun Tour and Cadel's race. It's overwhelming to be honest," Christie said.

It also means that Christie follows in the footsteps of his childhood hero Hayden Roulston, a four-time champion.

"He was inspirational when I was younger," Christie said.

"He coached me from a young age, from when I first started pretty much through to junior worlds and he was a lot of help."

Dion Smith (ONE, 2nd)

"We obviously just misjudged it a little bit, because we had the numbers and there was still about 30km left so we thought we could bring him back slowly," Smith said. "We did a little bit but we ran out of road I guess."

Robin Reid (3rd)

"He's [George Bennett who had a mechanical, ed.] a good friend of mine and he's really riding well at the moment, but unfortunately on the second to last time up the climb his battery shorted out and he was stuck in the big chain ring and that was it for him," Reid said.

"I really couldn't do anything at all to help him in that sort of situation, so I started to think what I could do for myself. But to be honest my legs were pretty shot.

"I haven't done the racing or the consistent training to be able to really put it done in the final stages of a race like that."