In cycling, no colour is as iconic as yellow. It is the colour of the leader’s jersey in the greatest tour of them all, the Tour de France, and has become the default colour for race leader’s jerseys the world over.
Riders from Southland and beyond will have the opportunity to experience the challenge and thrill of a multi-day stage race when the Vital Signs Fight for Yellow takes to the roads of Eastern Southland from today (Saturday 29 February) to Sunday 1 March.
Racing will be conducted over multiple grades, giving cyclists of varying ability levels the opportunity to contest for the win.
This is the second year the event will take place, and the organisers hope to build on the success of the debut event, especially in the light of the demise of the Tour de Lakes.
Vital Signs owner and tour sponsor Mike White said that costs and traffic issues around Queenstown over the Easter long weekend contributed to the decision to abandon the Tour de Lakes after a run of some 20 years.
“We saw that Southland needed a mini tour to fill this gap and so in 2019 we unveiled the Vital Signs Fight for Yellow. This two day event gives locals and out of towners a chance to experience tour racing in a friendly, relaxed format,” he said.
Making the event achievable and convenient for riders of all abilities was a key driver when it came to deciding the format.
“We cater for all levels and by basing each day in one location, it means less travelling especially for out of towners. The roads are quiet with little traffic which also makes for a more relaxed event,” White said.
The event bases itself out of Wyndham on the Saturday, and Gore on the Sunday, and although only two days long, riders will face five different stages across the two days.
The tour will start with the traditional individual time trial over six kilometres, where riders set off one at a time to try and set the fastest time and claim the first leader’s jersey, before two stages during the afternoon – a 36km road stage at 12:00pm, and a 65km road stage at 3:00pm.
Although not as long as the third stage, day two dawns with a tough 45km ride which promises to challenge the riders with a fair bit of climbing, while the final 10km circuit race will drain the last ounce of energy out of the riders as A grade complete six circuits, B grade five circuits, and C grade four circuits.
The rider with the lowest cumulative time in each grade after all five stages will walk away as the winner of the Fight for Yellow and take home the coveted yellow jersey.
Source: cyclingsouthland.org.nz