CYCLING

Evans adds Tour of Southland to his resume

By Tour of Southland

A keen student of southern cycling, Brad Evans was a proud man after winning the 2015 SBS Bank Tour of Southland in Invercargill on Saturday.

The PowerNet rider became just the third Otago man after inaugural winner Kelvin Hastie in 1956 and Gordon McCauley (1996) to win New Zealand’s most prestigious stage race.

“I’ve been down these ways many times. I’ve done the junior Tour of Southland six or seven times growing up - similar courses, similar conditions.This was my fourth or fifth tour, I’ve just been so happy with how I’ve gone this week, so happy with how all my teammates have ridden into the ground for me. They gave me everything, every day,” he said.

Starting the day with a 14sec lead over Australian Robbie Hucker (Barry Stewart Builders), Evans finished fifth in the morning’s individual time trial around the Winton circuit, but crucially extended his lead to 1min 11sec over Hucker.

Joe Cooper headed off national time trial champion Michael Vink to win the Winton stage for the third time, but all eyes were on the skies as heavy rain made life trying for the riders as they came to the end of the 900km race with an 82km Ascot Park Hotel-sponsored stage from Winton to Invercargill.


PowerNet's Brad Evans celebrates after crossing the line at the 2015 SBS Bank Tour of Southland. Credit: James Jubb/Envious Photography.


Having been the strongest rider in the race for most of the week, there was no denying Evans over the final stage.

Avanti Racing Team’s Tom Davison won the final sprint in Gala St ahead of George Atkins (Team Mike Greer Homes) and Alex Frame (Kia Motors-Ascot Park), with Evans placing fifth and defending his 1min 11sec lead.

Hucker, who rode as a lieutenant for Evans when he won the Tour of Tasmania last month, had to settle for second place, with 2012 winner Mike Northey in third place, trailing by 3:27.

“We’ve been defending the jersey since Tuesday and teams aren’t usually able to hang on so I’m so thankful to all my teammates for all their hard work and really happy to finish it off today,” Evans said.

After starting the week so promisingly, but then missing out on the breaks that mattered, the final day was a good one for the Avanti Racing Team.

Cooper and Davison were stage winners, while Cooper also secured the Jesco Hydraulics King of the Mountains jersey and the team came from a long way back to take out the Wensley’s Cycles teams classification for a second straight year.

They also claimed the Harcourts sprint ace jersey on the final stage, with Fraser Gough overtaking the eight-point margin that Joe Chapman (Creation Signs-L&M Group Ricoh) started the stage with.

There was some consolation for Chapman’s teammate Liam Aitcheson, who won the Henderson Construction under 23 jersey after Nick Bain (Team Skoda Racing) suffered a crash during the individual time trial and had to run the last 200m of the stage.

Placemakers’ Brent Allnut confirmed his victory in the Stonewood Homes silver jersey for riders 40 years and over, while Reon Nolan (Champion System Team Dallas) was awarded stuff.co.nz Most Combative honours for the final stage.

Placemakers’ Michael White won the Grant Toomey memorial trophy as the first Southlander across the line in the final stage, while PowerNet’s Robert Huisman was the highest placed Southland rider, finishing 14th overall.


PowerNet's Brad Evans with the 2015 SBS Bank Tour of Southland trophy. Credit: James Jubb/Envious Photography.


Results from the Ascot Park Hotel 8th stage of the 2015 SBS Bank Tour of Southland.

Winton - Browns - Grove Bush - Invercargill
1. Tom Davison (ART) 1h43m20s; 2. George Atkins (MGH) ST; 3. Alex Frame (KAP) at 10s; 4. Jason Allen (MGH) at 10s; 5. Brad Evans (PNL) at 10s; 6. Robbie Hucker  (BSB) at 10s; 7. Mitchell Podmore (PMK) at 10s; 8. Michael White (PMK) at 10s; 9. Adrian Hegyvary (PNL) at 10s; 10. Josh Haggerty (CSD) at 10s; 11. Travis McCabe (KAP) at 10s; 12. Gordian Banzer (CSD) at 10s; 13. Brent Allnut (PMK) at 10s; 14. Joe Chapman (CLM) at 10s; 15. Joshua Kuysten (CRT) at 10s; 16. Nick Miller (BSB) at 10s; 17. Nathan Bunn (CRT) at 10s; 18. Regan Gough (ART) at 10s; 19. Anthony Chapman (CLM) at 10s; 20. Ben Johnstone (MGH) at 10s; 21. Liam Aitcheson (CLM) at 10s; 22. Cyrill Kunz (CSD) at 10s; 23. Michael Vink (MGH) at 10s; 24. Ryan Christensen (ORF) at 10s; 25. Jordan Gilmore (ADC) at 10s;

Overall Standings
1. Brad Evans (PNL) 21h13m57s; 2. Robbie Hucker  (BSB) at 01m11s; 3. Mike Northey (KAP) at 03m27s; 4. Michael Vink (MGH) at 04m00s; 5. Liam Aitcheson (CLM) at 04m50s; 6. Nick Bain (TSR) at 05m22s; 7. Nicholas Katsonis (BSB) at 07m33s; 8. Travis McCabe (KAP) at 07m40s; 9. Mike Cumming (TCW) at 10m10s; 10. Tom Davison (ART) at 10m59s; 11. Regan Gough (ART) at 11m01s; 12. Joseph Cooper (ART) at 12m22s; 13. Robert Huisman (PNL) at 12m28s; 14. Alex Frame (KAP) at 12m47s; 15. Jake Marryatt (TCW) at 14m25s; 16. Mitchell Lovelock-Fay (ART) at 16m59s; 17. Mathew Zenovich (CSD) at 17m14s; 18. Eric Marcotte (KAP) at 18m45s; 19. Adrian Hegyvary (PNL) at 19m38s; 20. Nick Miller (BSB) at 20m15s; 21. Joshua Kuysten (CRT) at 20m50s; 22. Anthony Chapman (CLM) at 21m36s; 23. Logan Griffin (ORF) at 22m55s; 24. Fraser Gough (ART) at 23m27s; 25. Adam Bull (PMK) at 25m28s.

Team Overall
1. Avanti Racing Team 63h59m11s; 2. Kia Motors-Ascot Park at 01m37s; 3. Barry Stewart Builders at 02m04s; 4. Powernet at 04m29s; 5. Team Skoda Racing at 38m20s; 6. Team Cromwell at 42m16s; 7. Creation Signs L&M Group Ricoh at 46m54s; 8. Olivers Real Food Racing at 47m47s; 9. Champion System Team Dallas at 57m29s; 10. Chesters Racing Team at 1h16m50s.

Sprints
1. Fraser Gough (ART) 59; 2. Joe Chapman (CLM) 57; 3. Mathew Zenovich (CSD) 37; 4. Roman Van Uden (PNL) 24; 5. Joseph Cooper (ART) 24; 6. Travis McCabe (KAP) 22; 7. Nathan Bunn (CRT) 18; 8. Eric Marcotte (KAP) 13; 9. Frank Sutton (CRT) 13; 10. Robert Huisman (PNL) 11.

King of Mountains
1. Joseph Cooper (ART) 63; 2. Mathew Zenovich (CSD) 33; 3. Nick Miller (BSB) 31; 4. Liam Aitcheson (CLM) 14; 5. Nick Bain (TSR) 14; 6. Brad Evans (PNL) 10; 7. Travis McCabe (KAP) 9; 8. Luke MacPherson (BSB) 8; 9. Joe Chapman (CLM) 7; 10. Frank Sutton (CRT) 6.