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Robyn Edie / Stuff
Stage 2 winner Corbin Strong of Team Powernet checks the riders’ positions as he climbs Blackmount Hill with the peloton. The stage was 148 km from Riverton to Te Anau.
World points race champion Corbin Strong secured a home win on the second leg of the SBS Bank Tour of Southland with Aaron Gate retaining the yellow jersey ahead of tomorrow’s crucial Remarkables hill climb.
The PowerNet Strong rider, on his third tour of Southland, fought his way to the front of a sprint to win the stage at picturesque Te Anau under stunning blue skies.
“I have followed this tour for as long as I can remember, being a young Southerner growing up sitting outside of school watching the tour go by Otatara elementary school and then sitting in the vans before I was old enough to do it” Strong said.
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“It’s been a long time. I’ve had a lot of near misses on this tour in the last two years, so achieving it was a great feeling and I’ll remember it for a long time.
Robyn Edie / Stuff
King of the Mountain jersey wearer Paul Wright of Wanaka and the Creation Signs-MitoQ team cross the bridge at Riverton as they begin the stage.
The main break of the day featured Paul Odlin, Alexander White (Black Spoke), Dylan Kennett (Transport Engineering-Talleys) and Paul Wright (Creation Signs-MITOQ) of PowerNet, who excelled in the first two stages.
Wright eliminated the Blackmount hill climb, but the break was closed between Manapouri and Te Anau, with Strong beating his New Zealand endurance track companions Campbell Stewart (Base Solutions Racing) and Tom Sexton (Business South) to the line.
Robyn Edie / Stuff
Farmers Bec Baruel and Dave McMillan, right, watch the peloton pass by near Orepuki.
“We came in with a good plan for today, all the guys at PowerNet were committed and I owe them so much, it was an incredible team effort, and we are running great as a team together and I hope there are some more wins to come. week, ”Strong said.
“There wasn’t much wind, but it was still a tough day. There were a lot of attacks and it was a pretty aggressive race, which was nice. It hasn’t been such a difficult start to the tour this year, but that just means that when it gets tough it will be a lot more exciting. “
Gate (Black Spoke) crossed the finish line in the main group to retain the lead for a second day, surviving a terrifying moment when he was pushed into the barriers and dropped his chain over a pothole near the line.
Robyn Edie / Stuff
Passengers pass a parked DT Kings logging truck near Blackmount.
He leads his teammate and former Southland winner James Oram by 6 seconds, with Tom Sexton (Business South) third at 9 seconds and Strong fourth at 15 seconds.
Defending champion Michael Vink (Transport Engineering-Talleys) is in ninth place, 19ec behind.
“Fortunately, all the guys were excited this morning so it was good to get stuck,” Gate said.
Robyn Edie / Stuff
The Manapouri platoon.
“The race was definitely from the beginning with a group of us rolling from the front to the first little climb. It’s always a tough start to get out of Riverton and today it didn’t disappoint.
“It’s definitely the best weather I’ve had coming out of Riverton. It was really nice to sit in the peloton and take in some of the views. It was quite a magical time to come to Te Anau today. “
Strong’s efforts saw him take over the Under 23 ranking, with fellow southern Matt Zenovich retaining the Sprint Ace jersey and Wright in the King of the Mountain jersey.
Glen Haden retained the silver jersey for the leader of more than 35 years.
Robyn Edie / Stuff
Regan Gough of the Base Solutions Racing team leading a group of riders up Blackmount Hill.
Tomorrow the 64th SBS Bank Tour of Southland heads into uncharted territory with a 6km climb up the Remarkables access road at the end of a 111km stage that starts in Mossburn.
The climb is shorter and steeper than the Coronet Peak stage it has replaced and will provide stunning views of the Wakatipu Basin for those with enough oxygen in their lungs to enjoy it.
