NEXT year's racing programmes are nearing completion - but there will be one cyclist missing from the results once the season gets under way.

He is Paul Rogers of Gosport who turned his back, literally, on the English climate this week when he flew out with his wife, Kay, and five-year-old son, Curt, to start a new life in New Zealand after riding, and winning races in almost every discipline of the sport for the last 25 years.

That span accounts for over two-thirds of his life which began when he was born on the Isle of Wight 37 years ago - giving him the necessary qualifications to represent the Island in all three cycling events included in the Island Games of 1993.

An accomplished international road man by then - he rode for Great Britain in two successive Milk Races and many other international events during the late eighties - he added cyclo-cross to his repertoire at that time, winning several Wessex League races, usually when off-road conditions were at their worst.

Though he never gave up his enthusiasm for road racing he became a most successful time trialist two years ago, winning bronze medals in the past two 12-hour championships and leading his club, VC St Raphael Wait Contracts, to victory in the British Best All-rounder team competition last year.

Rogers has his father, Geoff, to thank for his introduction to cycling, but a club rule, since rescinded, which prevented members from racing before their 12th birthday, led to him leaving Fareham Wheelers for first the Sotonia CC and then the Southampton based GS Europa in 1976.

Membership of that club was also short-lived, and apart from an unsuccessful season with Bournemouth Arrow Fircroft Hotel 20 years ago and two years with the Surrey-based Wembley RC in the last decade Rogers has carried the colours of the Portsmouth-based St Raphael with great distinction, culminating with the south of England Best All-Rounder title this year.

Times of 1 hour 50 minutes 47 seconds for 50 miles, 3.50.45 for 100 miles and a 12-hour distance of 286.35 miles gave him a winning average speed of 25.648 mph for the EB Brown Trophy, and this was presented to him by RTTC district secretary Alan Sharpen of Southampton, at a farewell evening arranged for the Gosport star last Saturday.

Sharpen joined two of Rogers' clubmates on the following morning for the first of seven reliability trials arranged by Sotonia CC. The second one, over an easier 50 mile course across lesser known roads of the New Forest to Ringwood and back, leaves Totton Civic Centre at 9am this Sunday, and is open to all looking for a late season ride.