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| Town Down Under rider wins NZ Cycle Classic stage |
Jay McCarthy wins the sprint from his breakaway companion Darren Lapthorne (who know leads the tour) ©Adrian Rumney / www.adrianrumney.com
The 19 year old was part of an early break that is likely to dictate the overall tour outcome.
A 21 strong group broke clear in the first 40 kms of the 143 kilometre race, which included McCarthy and three of his Jayco-AIS teammates, and multiple members of the international Drapac, Genesys Wealth Advisors and Team Type 1-Sanofi teams.
The Kiwi representation in the break included Taupo's Patrick Bevin (Hudson Gavin Martin), Joseph Cooper (Ricoh), Sam Horgan (Subway Pro Cycling) Michael Vink (Mico-Protrain) and Aaron Gate (BikeNZ).
The defining move came with 40 kilometres remaining when McCarthy attacked, taking Darren Lapthorne (Drapac Professional Cycling) with him.
"At about 40 kilometres to go people started attacking and so the group stopped working well together. I had a go and found myself of the front with Darren, they gave us a little bit of room and we went hard to the line," McCarthy said.
While McCarthy took line honours, it is Lapthorne who claimed ownership of the tour leader's yellow jersey.
Strong winds and testing terrain made for a tough day.
"Conditions were really tough. So much for being a flat tour, there's a few big climbs out there. I think I was more pleasantly surprised than disappointed. It made for a really tough day, I think that suited myself and my team really well," said Lapthrone.
The initial breakaway continued to extend their lead through the race, putting a 16 minute deficit into the peloton.
The race continues tomorrow with a 154 kilometre loop following the reverse to today's course.
Event press release, ends.
The Bike NZ national team rest before the start of stage 2. ©Adrian Rumney / www.adrianrumney.com
The peloton had been whittled down to a small group of around 20 riders by the start of the second categorised climb of the day. ©Adrian Rumney / www.adrianrumney.com
The podium after stage 2. L-R: Tour leader Darren Lapthorne (Drapac), Sprint leader Paddy Bevin (Hudson Gavin Martin), KOM leader Joe Cooper (Ricoh) and U23 leader Jay McCarthy (Jayco-AIS). ©Adrian Rumney / www.adrianrumney.com
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