Auckland cyclist Aaron Strong and his team did enough to hold on to the yellow jersey in a day of crashes, bad weather and withdrawals on the Tour of Southland yesterday.
One rider was taken to Southland Hospital after a bad crash in the morning and at least
seven cyclists withdrew during the two stages, with heavy rain causing problems before strong winds hit the riders in the second stage.
Strong, of the Zookeepers/Trek team, said conditions had been very challenging, as temperatures dropped significantly before tiredness enveloped the competitors in the afternoon.
The 88.3km fifth stage from Tuatapere to Winton turned into a two-man affair after Greg Henderson and Hayden Roulston cleared away from the bunch.
Top track cyclist Henderson won the stage in a sprint finish over first-day yellow jersey wearer Roulston, with the bunch more than one minute back.
Strong was in the main group in the 20th minute and ended the day still ahead on general classification, 18s ahead of Scott Lyttle and 21s in front of Jeremy Vennell.
Today's sixth stage covers 133.9km from Lumsden to the top of the Crown Range near Queenstown.
- NZPA
