Rare November snow has wreaked havoc with the final day of the Tour of Southland, causing the cancellation of this morning's time trial and the shortening of this afternoon's final stage.
A wintry blast saw snow settle on the roads in Winton, the intended setting for the 14km individual time trial.
But, following extensive checks of the course and consultation with weather forecasters, organisers determined it was safe to run the final stage from Winton to Invercargill, due to at 1.30pm.
The stage has been shortened by 12km, with the final three laps around Queens Park in Invercargill being removed, meaning the Tour will now finish the the riders first reach Gala Street.
The abandonment of the time trial and the removal of 12km from the final stage will only play into the hands of overnight leader Josh Atkins.
The 19-year-old PowerNet rider is bidding to become the youngest ever winner of the Tour of Southland, and he holds a 1min 5sec advantage Pure Black Racing's Tim Gudsell in the race for the yellow jersey.
No comments:
Post a Comment