2014 SBS Bank Tour of Southland – Stage Four Wrap

Image: James Jubb Envious Photography

2014 SBS Bank Tour of Southland – Stage Four Wrap

Near perfect conditions greeted the riders this morning in Te Anau as they faced the longest stage of this year’s SBS Bank Tour of Southland. A 187km stage lay ahead, with the fearsome climb up Coronet Peak to finish a long day.

The 12-rider break of the day formed early in the stage and with just 10km raced, they had a gap of nearly two minutes.

Mathew Zenovich (H&J Smiths Outdoor World) got himself into the break that featured Jesco Hydraulics KOM jersey leader Thomas Stewart (Team Cromwell), last year’s KOM Grayson Napier (Creation Signs - L&M Group Ricoh) and Commonwealth Games medallist Tom Scully (Kia Motors - Ascot Park Hotel).

Zenovich was eager to get his hands on the Harcourts Sprint Ace green jersey and, with Jacob Grieve missing the break, he would collect enough points on the stage to take the jersey from him.

The break of 12 reached a gap of just over four minutes before in-fighting within the bunch saw it split apart. Scully, Zenovich, Hamish Schreurs (Barry Stewart Builders) and Swiss rider Simon Pellaud (McCallums Group) then set about distancing themselves from the others who were picked up by the peloton.

The second break opened the gap back out to more than six minutes as the leaders approached Queenstown, before the GC contenders teams started to work.

Pellaud and Schreurs were first to tackle the climb. Liam Aitcheson (Creation-L&M-RICOH) was first to bridge from the chasing peloton, before going clear for the first 5km of the climb. He was joined by Michael Torckler (Barry Stewart Builders) and Mitchell Lovelock-Fay (Avanti) while Ben Hill (McCallums) was dropped by the chasing bunch. Lovelock-Fay would kick on in the final 2.5km and take the stage win, with Torckler getting in ahead of Aitcheson, before Joe Cooper (Avanti) and Hayden McCormick (Breads of Europe- All About Plumbing).

Jersey holders are: H&J Smiths Outdoor World Stage 4, Lovelock-Fay (Avanti); Southland Times Most Combative, Pellaud (McCallums); Stonewood Homes Over 40s Silver, Gordon McCauley (GMC Coachig-Hawkins); Jesco Hydraulics King of the Mountains, Thomas Stewart (Team Cromwell); Harcourts Spring Ace, Mathew Zenovich (H&Js Outdoor World); Henderson Construction U23, Hayden McCormick (Breads of Europe-All About Plumbing); Wensleys Cycles Team Classification, Avanti Racing Team; SBS Bank Tour Leader Yellow Jersey, Lovelock-Fay (Avanti racing Team).

Image: James Jubb Envious Photography

SBS Tour of Southland

Results from the 5th stage of the SBS Tour of Southland.

Te Anau - Five Rivers - Kingston - Frankton - Coronet Peak

1. Mitchell Lovelock-Fay (AUS) (ART) 4h52m41s; 2. Michael Torckler (BSB) at 12s; 3. Liam Aitcheson (CLM) at 23s; 4. Joe Cooper (ART) at 35s; 5. Hayden McCormick (BEP) at 35s; 6. Tom Davison (MGH) at 44s; 7. Taylor Gunman (ART) at 46s; 8. Callum Gordon (TPC) at 01m01s; 9. Mathew Marshall (TCW) at 01m07s; 10. Tom Vessey (HJO) at 01m17s; 11. Ryan Wills (PNL) at 01m40s; 12. Nick Bain (TPC) at 02m07s; 13. Michael Vink (BEP) at 02m21s; 14. Matthew Holmes (GBR) (TCW) at 02m31s; 15. Joshua Aldridge (TPC) at 02m49s; 16. Andy Hagan (KAP) at 02m49s; 17. Mike Northey (KAP) at 02m49s; 18. Tim Rush (PNL) at 02m49s; 19. Regan Gough (HJO) at 02m49s; 20. Robert Huisman (PNL) at 03m08s; 21. Luke MacPherson (HJO) at 03m53s; 22. Ben Hill (AUS) (MCG) at 04m08s; 23. Morgan Smith (BSB) at 04m45s; 24. Simon Pellaud (SUI) (MCG) at 05m23s; 25. Roman Van Uden (PNL) at 05m37s;

Overall Standings

1. Mitchell Lovelock-Fay (AUS) (ART) 15h59m56s; 2. Hayden McCormick (BEP) at 18s; 3. Joe Cooper (ART) at 01m02s; 4. Michael Torckler (BSB) at 01m19s; 5. Tom Davison (MGH) at 01m33s; 6. Tom Vessey (HJO) at 01m47s; 7. Mathew Marshall (TCW) at 02m23s; 8. Mike Northey (KAP) at 02m59s; 9. Michael Vink (BEP) at 03m03s; 10. Ben Hill (AUS) (MCG) at 03m23s; 11. Nick Bain (TPC) at 03m34s; 12. Regan Gough (HJO) at 03m48s; 13. Robert Huisman (PNL) at 04m10s; 14. Andy Hagan (KAP) at 04m28s; 15. Luke MacPherson (HJO) at 05m47s; 16. Morgan Smith (BSB) at 06m03s; 17. Liam Aitcheson (CLM) at 06m26s; 18. Roman Van Uden (PNL) at 06m43s; 19. Taylor Gunman (ART) at 06m47s; 20. Callum Gordon (TPC) at 06m57s; 21. Luke Mudgway (BSB) at 07m20s; 22. Joshua Aldridge (TPC) at 07m39s; 23. Simon Pellaud (SUI) (MCG) at 07m40s; 24. Brad Evans (PNL) at 07m41s; 25. Gordon McCauley (GMC) at 09m08s;

Team Overall

1. Avanti Racing Team 47h51m59s; 2. H&J Smith Outdoor at 07m48s; 3. Powernet Ltd at 08m23s; 4. Team Cromwell at 09m24s; 5. Barry Stewart Builders at 12m13s; 6. TotalPos Cycling Team at 13m12s; 7. Kia Motors - Ascot Park at 16m33s; 8. Breads of Europe - All About Plumbing at 26m17s; 9. McCallums Group at 32m45s; 10. Creation Signs - L&M Group at 40m42s;

Sprints

1. Mathew Zenovich (HJO) 65; 2. Jacob Grieve (PRS) 56; 3. Keiran Hambrook (KAP) 26; 4. Fraser Gough (KAP) 11; 5. Ben Hill (AUS) (MCG) 11; 6. Luke MacPherson (HJO) 10; 7. Liam Aitcheson (CLM) 9; 8. Neil Van Der Ploeg (AUS) (ART) 8; 9. Tom Scully (KAP) 8; 10. Hamish Schruers (BSB) 7;

King of Mountains

1. Thomas Stewart (GBR) (TCW) 44; 2. Luke MacPherson (HJO) 25; 3. Grayson Napier (CLM) 20; 4. Hamish Schruers (BSB) 14; 5. Mitchell Lovelock-Fay (AUS) (ART) 14; 6. Ben Hill (AUS) (MCG) 12; 7. Neil Van Der Ploeg (AUS) (ART) 9; 8. Simon Pellaud (SUI) (MCG) 9; 9. Liam Aitcheson (CLM) 9; 10. Mathew Zenovich (HJO) 7;

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