The route for the Road National Championships was changed at the last minute as the wreckage of Cyclone Dovi approached the North Island of New Zealand and strong winds blew in. Also, due to deteriorating conditions, the men's race was cut short.

Olivia Ray (Human Powered Health) was the first to win the elite women's national title. This course was set as an alternate course after trees and power lines fell across the road up Maungakawa Sunday morning that could have changed the course of the race. This change, which was implemented in the women's and men's races, favored sprinters rather than climbers, including defending champions Georgia Williams (Bike Exchange-Jayco) and George Bennett (UAE Team Emirates).

In the late men's race, a decision was made to shorten the race by two laps while it was in progress due to a tree falling on the road and deteriorating conditions. This fell into the clutches of early break rider James Fouchet (Bolton Equities Black Spoke Pro Cycling), and the 2019 winner won his second national title by a wide margin over his rivals.

"I attacked by the second lap, but no one was following me, so I just put my head down and rode each lap like it was my last," Fouchet said in a live streaming interview of the race. The race started at 11:00 a.m. local time and was scheduled to catch the last two laps of the men's race, but started early to catch the run to the finish unexpectedly early. There was a tree in the road before the first lap, and I almost got blown off a couple of times."

Fouche's team had the strongest field in the race after receiving a pre-race warning from commissaire panel president Zach Prendergast that if the race was suspended and could not be resumed, the results would be announced based on the previous lap's standings. Eventually the peloton was given a little warning that the race would end two laps early, but it was too late to reel in Fouchet.

"There was some luck involved, but we had the numbers and the riders were strong. We could have won any way we wanted: a sprinter, a breakaway, a late breakaway. The pressure was on us, and I'm really happy we were able to respond to that pressure.

Meanwhile, 19-year-old Laurence Pitti (Groupama-FDJ Continental Team) led the lead group to the finish line and took the U23 jersey.

Conditions were rough for the women's race, but an echelon formed and the riders were able to battle the wind to the end of the adjusted race distance of 90 km. However, the race plan was readjusted quickly, especially since it was the first race of the day.

"I'd been up since 3 a.m.," said Williams. Before the race started," Williams said, "I was up at 3:00 a.m., and I was just trying to figure out what to do. 'Is the race cancelled?'

Sprinter Ray said that before the start, he had hoped to complete the entire distance.

"I've been training uphill all year, but 30 minutes before the race I was either flat or rolling.

Rey won the sprint from a six-man breakaway and showed unassailable strength early on to take the U23 title from Allie Wollaston (NXTG by Experza).