Cycling: Vennell delighted with top placing

Hastings cyclist Jeremy Vennell was ecstatic after grabbing the Tour of Southland yellow jersey after two windswept stages yesterday.

"We're revelling in it," Vennell said after he and his Calder Stewart team-mates took on the strong Southland Times team and the strong winds in stages six and seven of the tour. "It's as good as it gets."

Vennell had been second before yesterday's individual time trial stage six between Balfour and Riversdale, but knew he would have to compete strongly because third-placed Greg Henderson, of the Southland Times team, was a known sprinter.

But Vennell took the yellow jersey after winning the stage and then stayed in touch in the afternoon's seventh stage to hold the overnight lead at 13 hours 26 minutes 36 seconds.

"Today's gone really well. I'm a bit shocked."

Vennell said his team-mates worked hard for him, particularly in the afternoon when winds were gusting strongly.

The team will be aiming to control the race today and not let any danger men get past in another long stage, from Winton to Te Anau.

Henderson is 36sec behind Vennell in second place, after his second in yesterday's time trial. Team-mate Glen Mitchell, the tour leader until yesterday, dropped back to third, 1min 3sec back.

Southland Times manager Rod Carpinter said it had been a hard afternoon. "We're not able to control things as well as we thought we could but it's far from over."

The penultimate day of the tour today would be gruelling but the team was made up of professional and international riders who were focused on the days ahead, he said.

"[Today] will be the telling stage - traditionally things don't change on Saturday."

Southland Times still holds the teams classification at 40 hr 25min 23sec, with Calder Stewart 1min 32sec behind.

Winds battered the field in the stage from Riversdale to Invercargill yesterday afternoon and the head and crosswinds caused several riders to sit up.

Pro4 Cycleops team member Jason Allen, of Blenheim, won the stage, with Austrian Werner Ribenbauer, of the Subway team, second. Vennell's teammate Karl Menzies was third.

- NZPA