Defending teams champion Christchurch Boys High School won today's tough 126 kilometre stage from Hanmer Spring to Kaikoura

An intriguing battle looms between the leading individuals and teams for overall titles as the final stage of the Tour of New Zealand in the North and South Islands takes place tomorrow before the final days racing in Parliament grounds in Wellington on Saturday will decide overall winners.

Tim James has completely dominated the North Island individual riders being the first solo tour rider across the line in every stage, while last year’s overall individual winner Dan Underwood has reigned supreme in the South Island.

James completed today’s two stages from the National Park to Wanganui in a combined time of three hours and twenty three minutes, increasing his general classification lead over Marty McDonnell to 20 minutes.

Underwood took three hours and thirty four minutes to cover the challenging 126 kilometres from Hanmer Springs to Kaikorua, eight minutes clear of second placed solo rider on general classification Gary Lloyd. Underwood now has over an hours lead over Lloyd heading into tomorrow’s final stage in the South Island from Blenheim to Picton via Queen Charlotte Sound.

James and Underwood will go head to head with other leading individual riders from both islands on Saturday in an exciting criterium to decide the overall Tour of New Zealand solo champion.

Former professional and national representative Yvette Hill-Willis has mixed it with the leading men on the tour in the North Island and was again the first female to finish today, coming in six minutes after James but 13 minutes ahead or her closest female competitor, Megan Blank.

On Saturday Hill-Willis will line up against the South Island’s leading female Jeanette White, who finished today’s stage to Kaikorua in four hours and four minutes, and the other female solo riders to decide the women’s overall tour winner.

Philip Groves and Lewis Banker were two solo stage riders only tackling today’s two North Island stages and showed they had the fresher legs to finish with a combined time of just over a minute ahead of James.

North Island team Hikurangi increased its lead over the Six Gardner Brothers team taking three hours and fifty six minutes to complete both stages.

Defending teams champion Christchurch Boys High School showed it will be tough to beat in Wellington on Saturday as it dominated the tough stage today, recording the fastest time of the day of three hours and twenty five minutes, six minutes ahead of second placed team Pablos Wanaka and nine minutes clear of solo rider Underwood. 

The movers of the day was the South Island team of West Island that finished six minutes ahead of Team Peak Fuel moving it into third position, three minutes and 18 seconds ahead of Peak Fuel, ensuring the battle for third will go down to the wire in Picton tomorrow.

Tomorrow’s 65 kilometre South Island stage starts at Allan Scott Winery near Blenheim and heads west before turning north towards Havelock and then right towards Picton through Queen Charlotte Sound. The route should provide enough hills to test riders on their final stage in the South Island, with the most interest centring on the battle for third in the teams competition.

Adding some interest to the racing tomorrow is the appearance of Multi Sport champions Elena and Richard Ussher who are joining the tour in Blenheim to ride the final stage in the South Island. The pair live in Nelson and both are well performed cyclists, with Richard Ussher even having one Tour of Southland under his belt.

Tomorrow’s final North Island stage starts in Pihiatua and 74 kilometres later finishes in Masterton.
Racing in the grounds of Parliament starts at 7.45 on Saturday morning after a welcome from Wellington Mayor Celia Wade-Brown and MP for Hutt South Trevor Mallard, who is a keen cyclist and plans to ride in the criterium.

The flags of the eight countries represented in the tour will also be raised and then the racing will build up to the more serious events between nine and ten o’clock.