KEY POINTS:
Auckland cyclist Aaron Strong, of the Trek/Zookeepers team, was the surprise leader of the Tour of Southland yesterday.
Bright sunshine, little wind and good crowds meant riders in the 50th anniversary tour enjoyed a fast 165km third stage from Invercargill to Gore.
Australian Rob MacLachlan, of the fancied Calder Stewart team, won the stage in 3h 56m 11s.
Strong's ninth placing, only 28s back, and his sprint and hill climb points were enough to give him the overall lead.
Strong was 18s on general classification ahead of Scott Lyttle, of the Southland Times team, followed by Jeremy Vennell, of Calder Stewart, a further 4s back in third.
Zookeepers team manager Ron Cheatley said his team were in a good position heading into the middle stages of the six-day tour.
"We've got the yellow jersey and we've got to protect that and do as good a job as possible - but they won't kill themselves," the former national coach said.
The lead changed several times on the way to Gore yesterday.
Overnight leader Hayden Roulston stayed with the bunch and finished 2m 53s behind MacLachlan. He is 10th overall.
MacLachlan's win, with points from teammates Karl Murray, who held on to the sprint ace jersey, Vennell, David Pell and Kristian House, was enough to put Calder Stewart first in the teams competition, 43s ahead of the Southland Times.
Testing weather is predicted for today when the riders will cover more than 190km.
They will go 104km from Invercargill to Tuatapere, then 88km from Tuatapere to Winton.
- NZPA
