Stars and stripes again in NZCT Women's Tour of NZ

Feb 27th, 10. Three Kiwis in a four rider break couldn't hold off the USA National Team who caught them on the finish straight and took the third win of the tour for Shelley Evans.

Evans wins her 3rd stage of the tour - her 3rd ever UCI road victory ©RoadCycling.co.nz

With the final points of the Queen of the Mountain classification on offer it was no surprise to see the polka dot jersey of Ruth Corset (Nashua Women's Cycling Team) up the front.  

With her was the yellow jersey on Amber Neben who had the opportunity to leap to the lead of the climber's classification if she took honours at the top today.

During the 5km gradual climb, then the 5km real climb the duo battled it out, but Corset was too strong and held on to the classification lead she has held since the first day of the five day tour.

With the first competition of the day determined, the duo were caught by the majority of the peloton as they spiralled down the climb, through Pahiatua and on to the 90km long backroad journey to Masterton.

While a fair few of the sprinters were left gasping out the back on the climb, there were many attack attempts, led by the NZ team, until three riders were successful and got the break they needed.  

NZ Road Champion Rushlee Buchanan (NZ National Team), NZ trade team Cyclosport's Serena Sheridan and Australian Vicky Whitelaw (Lotto) shared the workload as they edged ahead of the peloton.

"We came into today with nothing to lose and everything to gain, so we thought, let's give it shit, and race agressively, and we did," Buchanan told RoadCycling.co.nz after the stage.

USA National Team didn't want a repeat of yesterday's stage when the break made it to the finish line, and kept the lead riders on a relatively short leash.  When the lead had dwindled down to around 20sec, Jo Kiesanowski (NZ National Team) leapt off the front of the peloton and managed to bridge to the trio.

"She must have done an awesome attack to get across. She is so strong," Buchanan said about Kiesanowski.

With 8km to go, and a nice tailwind to help them out, the quartet's then 40sec lead looked like it might thwart the USA National Team.

Ruth Corset secured the Queen on the Mountain classification for the 2nd year in a row ©RoadCycling.co.nz

"The last 5km when the sprinters got that sniff, the bunch must have gone pretty hard," explained Buchanan.  

It was Kiesanowski who opened up the early sprint, with an attack in the last kilometre, but by then the Americans were hot on her heels.

"Coming into the last corner Jo went, and then I went, and I caught Jo with 300 to go, but we had both hit the wall," said Buchanan.

Coming in to the finish straight on Masterton's Church Street the bunch was together until Evans did what she's done on all the road stages of this tour - she outsprinted everyone.

The track scratch and points specialist was second wheel behind teammate Neben's leadout, ready to pounce, when she dropped her chain and her shoe unclipped.  

"I got it back in eventually, and then there was a hole," Evans told RoadCycling.co.nz

As the peloton screamed past her she re-clipped and, with the other riders thinking she was out of contention, managed to sneak back up on the inside and power past everyone for a decisive victory.

"Everyone was over there [showing the other side of the finish line] playing cat and mouse, and I shot up the left side, and no one really saw me," she said. 

The 10sec winner's bonus put Evans back in the yellow jersey over Neben.  

Unlike last night's podium presentation when organisers couldn't decide whether Evans or Neben should be wearing yellow - they gave it first to Neben, then to Evans, and finally Neben got to wear it again - the decision was clear and Evans walked off the podium in yellow.

Evans and Neben are the only two riders to have worn the yellow this tour and with only tomorrow's downtown Wellington city criterium left, the Americans look to have this tour sewn up.

Evans leads over Neben by 6sec with Tiffany Cromwell (AIS) in 3rd, 35 second behind - but leading the U23 Classification.

If Evans wins it will be her first ever UCI tour win.

Stage 5 results

General Classification after Stage 5

Classification leaders

• Yellow - Shelley Evans, USA National Team
• Queen of the Mountain - FINAL - Ruth Corset, Nashua Ladies Pro Cycling Team
• U23 - TIffany Cromwell, AIS Australia Women's Cycling
• Sprint - Kirsty Broun, AIS Australia Women's Cycling

Related article

• Full results