KEY POINTS:
Double Olympic medallist Hayden Roulston will face some tough opposition as he seeks to complete a hat-trick of Tour of Southland titles next month.
A total of 115 riders in 23 teams had registered for the 860km race from November 3-8 when entries closed yesterday.
Among the contenders are Hawkes Bay former world junior road-race champion Jeremy Yates (Subway), Waimate's Heath Blackgrove (Colour Plus) who is returning after a two-year absence and New Zealand Olympic road racer Glen Chadwick (Raboplus).
Australian young gun Travis Meyer, 18, a surprise winner of the Tour of Wellington in January in his first senior outing, will make his Southland debut with the Calder Stewart team.
Roulston was attempting to win the Wellington Tour for the third consecutive time and won two of the stages, but his Trek Zookeepers outfit were out-raced by Meyer's SouthAustralia.com team.
Since then, Roulston has won an individual pursuit silver medal and a bronze in the team pursuit at the Beijing Olympics and recently signed with new Canadian professional team, Cervelo.
Meyer, winner of five world junior titles in the last two years, made his senior debut at Wellington and heads to Southland with European road-racing experience.
Roulston will be supported by fellow Olympian Sam Bewley, Paul Odlin, Michael Torckler and Shane Marrows, while Meyer will be backed by Adam Semple, Benjamin King, Brad Carter and Alex McGregor.
"Roulston's battle with Meyer, who beat him in Wellington, will be a highlight of the race," said tour director Bruce Ross.
"But with Blackgrove, Chadwick and Yates in the field, we have a number of riders capable of winning the tour."
Yates, who won the king of the mountains classification last year, is in a Subway team containing world omnium champion Hayden Godfrey, Olympian Jesse Sergent, Joe Cooper and James Williamson.
Blackgrove will be supported by Olympian Marc Ryan, runner-up to Roulston last year; fellow Olympian Westley Gough; Logan Hutchings, third overall last year; and American Justin England. Colour Plus will be out to defend their teams title.
Chadwick's back-up at Raboplus will be Robin Reid, Olympian Peter Latham, Justin Kerr and Shem Rodger.
"There are some very good riders in those teams. Overall, the field also has a number of young New Zealand riders pushing to wear national colours in the future, so we are anticipating a great race," Ross said.
Three big New Zealand names missing are professional riders Julian Dean, Tim Gudsell and Greg Henderson.
Dean and Gudsell are enjoying a breather after a long European season, while Henderson is marrying Australian track rider Kate Mactier in Melbourne one week before the race.
Prize money for the Powernet-sponsored International Cycling Union 2.2 classified race has increased by about $8000 this year and teams will be fighting it out in 85 money-spinning sprints.
The tour will take the field along the windswept rugged southern coast, across the region's fertile plains, into the lakes district and back to Invercargill.
Ross said: "We haven't made any major changes to the stages - it remains the classic Southland tour."
- NZPA
