Cycling: Recovery key to title

All eyes will be on Hayden Roulston during the fifth stage of the Tour of Wellington classic today.

One of the tour favourites, his title aspirations will depend heavily on how he recovers from a fourth stage yesterday where he was pipped by leader Robin Reid at the end of a tortuous 177km stage around the Wairarapa.

"It was just so hard there, coming to the finish I wanted to win but I just couldn't. Every single pedal stroke was hurting me," said Roulston, a member of the national team's pursuit track team.

The master of the breakaway, he has repeatedly attacked during the tour, and left all but Reid gasping in his wake in the previous two days. He is set to continue his solo assault through Upper Hutt today.

Roulston crashed on the descent of the Rimutakas while leading Thursday's second stage, only to remount, chase down a two-minute deficit and win the sprint into Masterton from a group of riders he had forced to go with him.

He again tore the field to shreds with withering bursts of speed yesterday, before initiating the decisive break, 90km from the finish. At the 130km mark, only Reid could summon the legs to go with him.

"It was hard work," Roulston said of the 4h 47m 35s in the saddle.

By the time the pair turned on to State Highway 2 for the final 7km to Masterton, he had had enough. Reid took the stage win to maintain a 3m 4s lead over Roulston, while third-placed Bryce Shapley was a further 1m 22s in arrears.

- NZPA