Olds tipped for cycle glory

Defending champion, Shelley Olds of the United States, is a prime contender to win the five-day NZCT Women's Cycle Tour of New Zealand which gets under way in Martinborough tomorrow.
Olds won four of the six stages and the general classification in 2010. Just a few weeks back she scored a Grand Prix victory in Spain to prove she was in the right form for a repeat performance.
And even if Olds fails to make an impression, her Diadora-Pasta Zara team could still grab the number one spot.
With Ukrainian Alona Andruck, Australian Rachel Neylon and American Amber Pierce the team has three other riders who have achieved excellent results at the highest levels.
Andruck is coming off the back of a Grand Prix win in Italy, Neylon has recovered from injuries which stopped her from representing her country at the world road championships in Geelong, while Pierce is a big race winner in Germany and Austria.
German Judith Arndt, the 2007 tour winner, is a former world road race and pursuit champion who will lead an HTC Highroad team which also has strength in depth, including a world time-trial champion in Amber Neben.
Spearheading a strong Kiwi challenge will be Wanganui's Christine Cheatley.
The top performer is part of a NZCT New Zealand national team also comprising Linda Villumsen, Melanie Burke, Courteney Lowe, Melissa Holt and Kate Chilcott.
The tour route schedule:
Tomorrow: Martinborough to Masterton (95km), starting at 2.30pm.
Thursday: Masterton to Palmerston North via Pahiatua track (114km), starting at 10am.
Friday: Palmerston North road circuit (87km) starting at 10am, and Palmerston North criterium (35km), starting at 5pm.
Saturday: Palmerston North to Masterton (112km), starting at 10am. Sunday: City of Wellington criterium (35km), starting at 2.30pm.