Burnett Holds Lead Into Southland Final Stage
- Glenn Haden won the time trial stage, narrowly beating Ben Oliver by one second.
- Josh Burnett leads overall with a nearly two-minute advantage over Matthew Wilson.
- Final stage covers 77km to Invercargill amidst challenging weather conditions.
Masters rider Glenn Haden claimed victory in the penultimate stage of the 2024 SBS Bank Tour of Southland, solidifying his reputation as a time trial specialist. Haden completed the 13km individual time trial at Winton in 16 minutes and 5 seconds, edging out last year’s stage winner Ben Oliver by a single second. Josh Burnett, the tour leader, came in just three seconds behind Haden.
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Burnett, riding for Creation Signs-MitoQ-NZ Cycling Project, strengthened his position in the general classification. He now leads Matthew Wilson of Advanced Personnel by 1 minute and 57 seconds. Burnett aims to secure his second Southland tour title, having won in 2022. Samuel Jenner of Central Benchmakers-Willbike sits in third place overall, trailing by 3 minutes and 24 seconds.
The final stage, starting at 1:30 pm, will be a 77km route from Winton to Invercargill. After seven days of gruelling competition, the riders face a challenging conclusion, with strong winds forecast that could lead to an earlier-than-expected finish.
Burnett has already clinched the King of the Mountain classification, while Bailey O’Donnell of Holmes Solutions holds the Sprint Ace jersey. Southland’s Luke Macpherson, racing for Macaulay Ford-GoodTech, saw his lead in the over-35 category reduced to 53 seconds by Haden.
In the under-23 classification, Australian Declan Trezise of Transport Engineering Southland-Deep South maintains a significant advantage, leading Marshall Erwood of Southland by 5 minutes and 44 seconds.
The teams classification also remains competitive. PowerNet retains a 2-minute, 20-second lead over Creation Signs-MitoQ-NZ Cycling Project despite conceding time during the time trial.
Riders are expected to reach Invercargill by 3 pm, concluding an intense week of racing in one of New Zealand’s premier cycling events.