Three-time Tour of Southland Sprint Ace Nick Kergozou took to the tarmac at Invercargill Airport on Friday (30 October) morning for the inaugural runway sprint, racing 1,910 metres of uninterrupted asphalt to mark the airport’s sponsorship of the Tour’s flying sprint competition.
Kergozou, a member of the New Zealand Endurance Squad who also claimed the overall Sprint Ace title in 2025 and has won Tour stages and worn the race leader’s jersey, set the first benchmark on the airport’s main runway. The idea grew from a conversation between Invercargill Airport Chief Executive Stuart Harris and Cycling Southland President Julian Ineson, who saw a chance to do something different ahead of this year’s race.
Harris has previously described the concept as both a bit of fun and a genuine link to the airport’s long-running support of the Tour’s sprint competition, with the hope that future Sprint Ace winners might return to try and beat the time.
Adding a distinctly Southland touch of humour, Invercargill Airport senior firefighter Jed Martin contested the “Officially Unofficial World Record for the Fastest Man on Two Very Unequal Wheels” on a penny-farthing. Martin was given a 500-metre head start. Photos from the morning show both riders driving hard toward the line on the wet runway, Kergozou tucked low on his road bike and Martin high on the high-wheeler in full firefighting gear.
The penny-farthing effort also helped promote the launch of Invercargill Airport’s 2027 Firefighters Calendar, which goes on sale today (Monday 2 November). Featuring Martin and fellow airport firefighter Corey Diack, the $20 calendar raises funds for Leukaemia & Blood Cancer New Zealand in support of the Firefighter Sky Tower Challenge on Saturday 22 May 2027. The initiative has been made possible with support from local businesses, who will be acknowledged as part of the official launch.
With the 70th SBS Bank Tour of Southland now underway from Queens Park, the runway sprint has given the week a memorable local start — part serious speed, part pure Southland character.