Cycling: US star storms home

Linda Villumsen. Photo / Richard Robinson

United States sprint specialist Shelley Evans set up victory in the women's Tour of New Zealand by storming to her third stage win yesterday.

Evans grabbed a crucial advantage by winning a bunch sprint to complete the 112km fifth stage from Palmerston North to Masterton, her time bonus for claiming victory enough to regain the yellow jersey and inch her six seconds ahead of USA National Team team-mate Amber Neben.

Neben held a 4s advantage going into today's penultimate stage but, like the rest of the field, couldn't match the finishing power of Evans, who also claimed victory in the first and second stages of the tour.

Today's final stage is an hour-long criterium in the streets of central Wellington and it seems unlikely, under professional cycling etiquette, that Neben - the 2008 women's Tour de France winner - will launch a challenge to regain the yellow jersey.

Australian Tiffany Cromwell is a distant third, 35s behind Evans, meaning it will probably take a major slip-up from the American or her team to prevent the status quo remaining.

The leading New Zealander is Linda Villumsen, the New Zealand national team rider now 56s off the lead.

If victorious, Evans will repeat Australian Amber Halliday's feat of 2009 in the same event, winning her debut ICU stage race.

She proved too strong in yesterday's sprint, heading off Australian national champion Ruth Corset and China's Xin Liu with another powerful burst, holding both arms aloft as she crossed the line.

Earlier in the stage, Corset wrapped up the Queen of the Mountain honours when she headed Neben to the top of a steep early climb. They were then joined by Lisa Jacobs and the trio put a minute on the field before being hauled in by the halfway point of the stage.

New Zealanders Rushlee Buchanan and Serena Sheridan then cleared away with Australian Vicki Whitelaw but they and latecomer Joanne Kiesanowski saw their 40s advantage disappear about 3km from the finish.

- NZPA