New women's race for Tour de Vineyards

 Tour de Vineyards ©David Letsche – CyclingPhotos.co.nz

In the past the women have raced alongside the Masters Men but this year organisers are expecting more female entrants thanks to having their own event, combined with the adjusted timing of the tour.

The Tour de Vineyards was traditionally held in the first week of the New Year, but feedback about it being too close to the Elite Nationals held just a few days later motivated the organisers to bring forward the event a week.

It is now being held December 27th - 31st.

"Not only will you get five good hard days of racing but you will come away with the best Nelson tan lines," Tasman Wheelers' rider Karen Fulton told RoadCycling.co.nz

Fulton is looking forward to racing in what she calls, "A cool race with a very cruisy, summer holiday atmosphere."

Like the men's tour held at the same time, the women's tour runs over five days with five stages. The women have a 10km prologue, a flat 46km circuit race, two hilly road stages both 130km (including the famed hilltop finish in Takaka) and a 35km hilly criterium style race. The road stages follow the same route as the men's race but the circuit races are shorter.

The prize money offered matches that of the elite men - $500 for 1st on GC, with lesser amounts down to $100 for 5th, plus $500 for the first to the top of the Takaka hill climb. In total the women's prize pool is $3,000.

Entries are open to both individual riders and teams of four, with organisers Tasman Wheelers Club keen to encourage team racing.

Last year Cath Cheatley was the top women, the year before it was Serena Sheridan - who will win the inaugural Women's Tour de Vineyards?