McCauley adds to Subway-Avanti's success

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National road champion Gordon McCauley (Subway Avanti) took out this afternoon’s fifth stage from Tuatapere to Winton after yellow jersey holder Heath Blackgrove (Zookeepers-Cycle Surgery) missed the break when a select group split in strong crosswinds 25 kilometres from the finish. Nelson’s Jack Bauer (Share The Road) got among the super six in the break, finishing third behind McCauley and Tom Findlay (Bici Vida) to claim the tour leader’s yellow jersey.

He has a 14 second advantage over Olympic medallist Marc Ryan (ColourPlus) who had to settle for fifth today just behind the winner after riding with a slow flat over the final few kilometres.

US-based kiwi Jeremy Vennell (Bissell Pro Cycling) moved to third 19 seconds back after a strong day, with Blackgrove now fourth at 26 seconds. McCauley’s win promotes him to fifth rider inside a minute of the leader's general classification time.

After recovering from broken bodies and bikes on the first day, the Subway Avanti team made its move in this afternoon’s 102km stage to Winton after a group of 20 rode clear after 20 kms. The group, reaching speeds of 60 kilometres per hour, with a mix of tail and cross winds, peeled back to an elite pack of 11 riders until they turned into strong crosswinds at the 75 km mark.

Joe Cooper (Subway Avanti) made his attack when five riders were caught out, including Blackgrove. Six riders edged clear, comprising Cooper, Ryan, McCauley, Bauer, Findlay and Vennell.

With five kilometres remaining they had built a safety buffer of 30 seconds. Cooper attacked again with one kilometre remaining, setting things up superbly for his team captain McCauley to sprint home from Findlay and Bauer.

“The tour didn’t start well for us with four of us crashing on that first day and finishing with sore bodies and bikes held together with hose clips,” McCauley said. “Today was great for our Subway Avanti team with Josh second in the morning and then my win today, which was set-up really well by Jo Cooper. My teammates were fantastic today.

“I’ve won this stage five times and know it like the back of my hand,” he added. “Our manager made the perfect call to attack and it worked. With Marc Ryan riding on spongy tyres, I knew I was the fastest in the sprint.”

Despite the mis-adventure this afternoon, Blackgrove’s Zookeepers-Cycle Surgery team remain on top of the team honours from Subway-Avanti and Bissell Pro Cycling.

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