Tour of Southland leader Nate Hadden, of Australia

• Nate Hadden claims early lead in Tour of Southland with strong stage one finish.
• Dunedin's James Gardner wins stage one after joining decisive mid-race breakaway group.
• PowerNet and Creation Signs-MitoQ set competitive pace during prologue team time trial.

Young Australian cyclist Nate Hadden, who joined the Tour of Southland at the last minute, has unexpectedly claimed the orange leader's jersey after the opening stages. Only ten days prior, Hadden was unaware he'd be competing, but he responded to a late call-up from teammate Kiaan Watts to join the PowerNet team, ultimately taking third place in the initial stage one street race around Invercargill’s Queens Park. His performance was enough to place him at the top of both the general classification and under-23 categories.

“It’s my first time here,” Hadden shared, “I’ve heard lots about the tour and how great it is, so it’s a privilege to be here and to be in the lead.”

Hadden and his team initially aimed to secure victory in the morning’s team time trial, narrowly missing out. However, he noted they felt confident heading into the street race and executed their strategy well.

Dunedin’s James Gardner, representing Creation Signs-MitoQ-NZ Cycling Project, seized the victory in the first stage, marking his second consecutive win in this event. Gardner, an under-23 rider, joined Hadden and second-place finisher Samuel Jenner (Central Benchmakers-Willbike) in a key breakaway halfway through the 10-lap race. Their collaboration allowed them to maintain a 20-second gap over the rest of the field right up to the finish line.

“I saw two guys go up the road, and I knew they’d be quite dangerous,” Hadden explained. “So I jumped across as quickly as possible, and fortunately, we made it to the line.”

The stage had begun with New Zealand endurance rider Tom Sexton (Macaulay Ford-GoodTech) setting an intense pace before a supportive Invercargill crowd, alongside Timaru’s James Wilson. After securing early sprint points, the race intensified, leading to the decisive breakaway. Gardner, Jenner, and Hadden displayed resilience and control, ensuring they maintained their lead all the way to the finish.

Earlier in the day, Creation Signs-MitoQ-NZ Cycling Project, with 2022 Tour winner Josh Burnett in its lineup, took an assertive approach in the prologue team time trial. They completed the course six seconds ahead of Hadden’s PowerNet team, with Transport Engineering Southland-Deep South finishing in third. However, Gardner didn’t finish among his team’s top four riders in the prologue, meaning he missed the opportunity to claim both the orange and pink jerseys for the upcoming stage.

Looking ahead, stage two will challenge the cyclists with a 166km ride from Invercargill to Lumsden, where riders will aim to hold their lead positions. Meanwhile, Glenn Haden (Couplands-Cycling Tom) leads the over-35 classification, an event dedicated this year to honouring the late Ken Lasenby.