Defending Tour of Southland champion James Piccoli proved just what a tough bike rider he is with victory on Bluff Hill today.
The Canadian’s chances of going back-to-back in the SBS Bank-sponsored race fell flat, quite literally, at the bottom of Coronet Peak in a spectacular crash on Wednesday, but he fought back in outstanding fashion today to win an arduous stage from Invercargill to Bluff for the second year in a row.
Those who saw Piccoli crash might have been surprised he even made it to the start line, let alone win on Bluff Hill, arguably the most iconic stage in New Zealand’s most prestigious stage race.
“I was pretty sore. It definitely took me an extra couple of coffees to get going. This is my job and I’m used to crashing. I have a routine for looking after myself and tending to my wounds,” he said.
“(Wednesday) was a bit of a personal disappointment. The team rode for me all day and sacrificed themselves for me, it was just a technical mistake coming into the last corner with a little bit of gravel on the road.
“Today was a little bit of redemption for that and we went one-two with myself and Hamish (Bond) getting a little bit back on GC. We are still in the fight, we are still racing our bikes and we’ll see what happens in the next couple of days.”
It was fast and furious from the outset today, with a break soon developing that was made up of most of the various jersey contenders.
Through Woodlands, Edendale and Wyndham the race was buffeted by crosswinds, before making the daunting turn back towards Invercargill into a 40kmh westerly, with the shadow of Motupohue lurking in the distance.
It was Bond who struck out for a stage win first before Piccoli finished the job for Kia Motors-Ascot Park Hotel, although they were only able to nibble at tour leader Michael Vink’s lead.
“We started in atrocious rain and then crosswinds all day. Luckily we had three in the group and the numbers were a huge advantage heading into the climb and we finished it off,” Piccoli said.
“The race isn’t done, like we saw today, if you get caught on the wrong side of a break you can lose minutes. We still have a strong team and we will look to animate the race and we definitely aren’t going to give up.”
Vink who finished runner-up in both 2016 and 2017, leads Bond by 1min 32sec and Sam Gaze by 3min 17sec, with Piccoli just outside the top three ahead of a 151km stage from Invercargill to Gore which has produced fireworks in the past.
“We don’t need to gain any time, we just don’t want to lose any time,” Vink said.
“It’s a classic stage for an ambush and it’s where I lost the jersey two years ago so I’ll certainly be trying to avoid that. Because it’s late in the race, everyone has got tired legs. It looks relatively benign, but it’s a long stage and it can be wet and quite windy. There’s no defining factor, but there’s a lot of things that add up.”
Ethan Batt leads both the King of the Mountain and under 23 classifications, with Southland’s Matt Zenovich holding onto the Sprint Ace jersey and Paul Odlin winning back the silver jersey for over 35 riders.

Stage results:
1 | James PICCOLIKia Motors-Ascot Park Hotel | 3:47:25 (39.18 km/h) |
2 | Hamish BONDKia Motors-Ascot Park Hotel | 00:05 |
3 | Michael VINKWPC South-Joyride Apparel | ST |
4 | Marcus CULEYPlacemakers | 01:00 |
5 | Ethan BATTWPC South-Joyride Apparel | 01:30 |
6 | Ryan CHRISTIANSENKia Motors-Ascot Park Hotel | 01:35 |
7 | James FOUCHECreation Signs-Ronald McDonald House-Ricoh | 01:49 |
8 | Sam GAZEPowernet | 01:58 |
9 | Paul ODLINPowernet | 02:40 |
10 | Matt ZENOVICHPlacemakers | 02:49 |
11 | Jesse FEATONBYAardvark Excavators Ltd | 06:43 |
12 | Corbin STRONGTeam Skoda Fruzio | 06:55 |
13 | Ben OLIVEROlphert Contracting | 07:07 |
14 | Jordan SCHMIDTVelofit-Santic Racing | 07:10 |
15 | Blake SUNDEAdair Craik Accountants | 07:13 |
16 | Connor BROWNPowernet | 07:24 |
17 | Glenn HADENVet4Farm | 07:28 |
18 | Scott THOMASTotalPOS Solutions | 07:41 |
19 | Kane RICHARDSITM | 07:47 |
20 | Alex HEANEYPowernet | 07:55 |
21 | Nick WHITEAardvark Excavators Ltd | 08:02 |
22 | Paul WRIGHTCentral Benchmakers-Willbike | 08:05 |
23 | Steve NICHOLLSFinance Now | 08:07 |
24 | Burnie MCGRATHAdair Craik Accountants | 08:13 |
25 | Joel YATESTeam Skoda Fruzio | 08:20 |
26 | Sam MOBBERLEYTeam Skoda Fruzio | 08:24 |
27 | Julian THOMSONOlphert Contracting | 08:30 |
28 | Jasper ALBRECHTVelofit-Santic Racing | 08:39 |
29 | Darcy PIROTTAVelofit-Santic Racing | 08:52 |
30 | Campbell PITHIEITM | 08:55 |
31 | Oliver MARTINWPC South-Joyride Apparel | 09:00 |
32 | Mark O’BRIENKia Motors-Ascot Park Hotel | ST |
33 | Joel WALSHOlphert Contracting | 09:19 |
34 | John WANSINKITM | 09:28 |
35 | Kevin GIRKINSKia Motors-Ascot Park Hotel | 09:36 |
36 | Ben ANDREWSAardvark Excavators Ltd | 09:51 |
37 | Mathew UPTONVelofit-Santic Racing | ST |
38 | Cyrus MONKKia Motors-Ascot Park Hotel | 09:57 |
39 | Tom SEXTONBusiness South | 10:02 |
40 | Jensen PLOWRIGHTAardvark Excavators Ltd | 10:09 |
41 | Corey GREENBERGMagnesium Pur | 10:10 |
42 | Brett GRIEVETalbot Forest Cheese-Ultimo | 10:23 |
43 | Brad EVANSWPC South-Joyride Apparel | 10:30 |
44 | Sascha BONDARENKO-EDWARDSTeam Skoda Fruzio | ST |
45 | Rinze SCHUURMANSTalbot Forest Cheese-Ultimo | 10:41 |
46 | Andrew KINGWPC South-Joyride Apparel | 10:44 |
47 | Ollie JONESPowernet | 11:23 |
48 | Tristan MARGUETVet4Farm | 11:30 |
49 | Dylan KENNETTPlacemakers | 11:44 |
50 | Morgan SMITHAardvark Excavators Ltd | 12:14 |
51 | Roman VAN UDENCreation Signs-Ronald McDonald House-Ricoh | ST |
52 | Joshua HAGGERTYPlacemakers | 16:22 |
53 | Kees DUYVESTEYNCreation Signs-Ronald McDonald House-Ricoh | 30:15 |
54 | Todd SATCHELLMagnesium Pur | 30:23 |
55 | Jake MARRYATTFinance Now | 30:25 |
56 | Antony NALDERAdair Craik Accountants | 30:44 |
57 | Jordan GILMORECentral Benchmakers-Willbike | 30:48 |
58 | Carne GROUBETotalPOS Solutions | 31:01 |
59 | Reuben SOARESFinance Now | 31:11 |
60 | Josh KUYSTENPowernet | 31:54 |
61 | Thomas HUBBARDPlacemakers | 31:58 |
62 | Dan CROSSAardvark Excavators Ltd | ST |
63 | Felix DONNELLYBusiness South | ST |
64 | Alex VOGELVet4Farm | ST |
65 | Max JONESTeam Skoda Fruzio | 32:07 |
66 | Luke MCDERMOTTCreation Signs-Ronald McDonald House-Ricoh | 32:10 |
67 | Nicholas ROSSTotalPOS Solutions | 32:12 |
68 | Michael VOGELMagnesium Pur | 32:35 |
69 | Jacob LANGHAMVelofit-Santic Racing | 32:38 |
70 | William GREENBusiness South | 32:39 |
71 | Tilman STEGERMagnesium Pur | 32:50 |
72 | Travis KANEBusiness South | ST |
73 | Hamish KEASTPlacemakers | 32:53 |
74 | Josh PAGEBusiness South | 33:03 |
75 | Guy CARTERCreation Signs-Ronald McDonald House-Ricoh | 33:18 |
76 | Nicholas COSTELLOITM | 33:21 |
77 | Maxmillian PRIEWICHMagnesium Pur | 34:04 |
78 | Justus ERLERAdair Craik Accountants | 35:30 |
79 | Liam CAPPELVet4Farm | 35:46 |
80 | Blake TAIT-JONESCentral Benchmakers-Willbike | 46:00 |
81 | Ioan FULLERTotalPOS Solutions | 46:36 |
82 | Lionel MAWDITTTeam Skoda Fruzio | 46:52 |
83 | Brandon CONWAYOlphert Contracting | 47:48 |
84 | Nathan BELLFinance Now | 47:51 |
85 | Luke SHAWTalbot Forest Cheese-Ultimo | 48:01 |
86 | William FINDLAYTalbot Forest Cheese-Ultimo | 48:09 |
87 | Andreas BATZEKMagnesium Pur | 49:04 |
88 | Tim CHAPMANCreation Signs-Ronald McDonald House-Ricoh | 49:19 |
89 | Nicholas MAGILLVet4Farm | 49:33 |
90 | Calvin STANDRILLTalbot Forest Cheese-Ultimo | 50:34 |
91 | Daniel ALCOCKITM | 51:16 |
92 | Matias FITZWATERVet4Farm | DNF |
93 | James KRZANICHOlphert Contracting | DNF |
94 | Ben CARMENWPC South-Joyride Apparel | DNF |
95 | Shaun FALZARANOITM | DNF |
96 | Alex WESTTotalPOS Solutions | DNF |
97 | Oliver YOUNGAdair Craik Accountants | DNS |
General classification after stage 4:
1 | Michael VINKWPC South-Joyride Apparel | 14:47:48 |
2 | Hamish BONDKia Motors-Ascot Park Hotel | 01:32 |
3 | Sam GAZEPowernet | 03:17 |
4 | James PICCOLIKia Motors-Ascot Park Hotel | 03:24 |
5 | Ryan CHRISTIANSENKia Motors-Ascot Park Hotel | 05:02 |
6 | Ethan BATTWPC South-Joyride Apparel | 05:29 |
7 | Matt ZENOVICHPlacemakers | 06:19 |
8 | Paul ODLINPowernet | 07:06 |
9 | Corbin STRONGTeam Skoda Fruzio | 09:13 |
10 | Jesse FEATONBYAardvark Excavators Ltd | 09:14 |
11 | Connor BROWNPowernet | 09:20 |
12 | Ben OLIVEROlphert Contracting | 09:59 |
13 | Oliver MARTINWPC South-Joyride Apparel | 10:19 |
14 | Nick WHITEAardvark Excavators Ltd | 10:38 |
15 | Glenn HADENVet4Farm | 10:56 |
16 | Marcus CULEYPlacemakers | 13:51 |
17 | Kane RICHARDSITM | 14:13 |
18 | Campbell PITHIEITM | 14:33 |
19 | Jordan SCHMIDTVelofit-Santic Racing | 14:35 |
20 | Julian THOMSONOlphert Contracting | 14:38 |
21 | James FOUCHECreation Signs-Ronald McDonald House-Ricoh | 14:52 |
22 | Alex HEANEYPowernet | 15:06 |
23 | Blake SUNDEAdair Craik Accountants | 15:18 |
24 | Sascha BONDARENKO-EDWARDSTeam Skoda Fruzio | 16:19 |
25 | Tom SEXTONBusiness South | 16:20 |
26 | Ben ANDREWSAardvark Excavators Ltd | 16:27 |
27 | Joel WALSHOlphert Contracting | 17:13 |
28 | Kevin GIRKINSKia Motors-Ascot Park Hotel | 19:14 |
29 | Brad EVANSWPC South-Joyride Apparel | 19:27 |
30 | Jensen PLOWRIGHTAardvark Excavators Ltd | 21:16 |
31 | Steve NICHOLLSFinance Now | 22:42 |
32 | Joel YATESTeam Skoda Fruzio | 23:27 |
33 | Darcy PIROTTAVelofit-Santic Racing | 23:47 |
34 | Sam MOBBERLEYTeam Skoda Fruzio | 24:18 |
35 | Scott THOMASTotalPOS Solutions | 25:17 |
36 | Dylan KENNETTPlacemakers | 25:40 |
37 | Morgan SMITHAardvark Excavators Ltd | ST |
38 | Mathew UPTONVelofit-Santic Racing | 25:58 |
39 | Jasper ALBRECHTVelofit-Santic Racing | 26:50 |
40 | Mark O’BRIENKia Motors-Ascot Park Hotel | 28:15 |
41 | Rinze SCHUURMANSTalbot Forest Cheese-Ultimo | 30:52 |
42 | Cyrus MONKKia Motors-Ascot Park Hotel | 32:23 |
43 | Burnie MCGRATHAdair Craik Accountants | 33:24 |
44 | John WANSINKITM | 33:25 |
45 | Ollie JONESPowernet | 33:49 |
46 | Kees DUYVESTEYNCreation Signs-Ronald McDonald House-Ricoh | 34:24 |
47 | Brett GRIEVETalbot Forest Cheese-Ultimo | 34:27 |
48 | Corey GREENBERGMagnesium Pur | 35:33 |
49 | Paul WRIGHTCentral Benchmakers-Willbike | 36:13 |
50 | Andrew KINGWPC South-Joyride Apparel | 36:48 |
51 | Carne GROUBETotalPOS Solutions | 41:04 |
52 | Jake MARRYATTFinance Now | 41:43 |
53 | Roman VAN UDENCreation Signs-Ronald McDonald House-Ricoh | 44:10 |
54 | Dan CROSSAardvark Excavators Ltd | 44:11 |
55 | Josh KUYSTENPowernet | 44:48 |
56 | Jordan GILMORECentral Benchmakers-Willbike | 46:41 |
57 | Antony NALDERAdair Craik Accountants | 47:30 |
58 | Reuben SOARESFinance Now | 47:40 |
59 | Todd SATCHELLMagnesium Pur | 48:05 |
60 | Tristan MARGUETVet4Farm | 49:09 |
61 | Thomas HUBBARDPlacemakers | 49:49 |
62 | William GREENBusiness South | 50:10 |
63 | Jacob LANGHAMVelofit-Santic Racing | 51:51 |
64 | Joshua HAGGERTYPlacemakers | 52:20 |
65 | Michael VOGELMagnesium Pur | 52:42 |
66 | Felix DONNELLYBusiness South | 55:26 |
67 | Max JONESTeam Skoda Fruzio | 56:13 |
68 | Justus ERLERAdair Craik Accountants | 56:16 |
69 | Liam CAPPELVet4Farm | 57:08 |
70 | Hamish KEASTPlacemakers | 57:46 |
71 | Lionel MAWDITTTeam Skoda Fruzio | 58:21 |
72 | Alex VOGELVet4Farm | 59:55 |
73 | Nicholas COSTELLOITM | 1:00:33 |
74 | Josh PAGEBusiness South | 1:01:30 |
75 | Blake TAIT-JONESCentral Benchmakers-Willbike | 1:05:43 |
76 | Daniel ALCOCKITM | 1:08:20 |
77 | Nathan BELLFinance Now | 1:12:04 |
78 | Luke MCDERMOTTCreation Signs-Ronald McDonald House-Ricoh | 1:14:31 |
79 | Calvin STANDRILLTalbot Forest Cheese-Ultimo | 1:16:40 |
80 | Nicholas MAGILLVet4Farm | 1:17:19 |
81 | Tilman STEGERMagnesium Pur | 1:18:48 |
82 | Travis KANEBusiness South | 1:22:41 |
83 | Brandon CONWAYOlphert Contracting | 1:23:48 |
84 | Maxmillian PRIEWICHMagnesium Pur | 1:24:11 |
85 | Nicholas ROSSTotalPOS Solutions | 1:28:48 |
86 | Guy CARTERCreation Signs-Ronald McDonald House-Ricoh | 1:30:00 |
87 | Ioan FULLERTotalPOS Solutions | 1:34:22 |
88 | William FINDLAYTalbot Forest Cheese-Ultimo | 1:36:02 |
89 | Andreas BATZEKMagnesium Pur | 1:36:28 |
90 | Luke SHAWTalbot Forest Cheese-Ultimo | 1:40:00 |
91 | Tim CHAPMANCreation Signs-Ronald McDonald House-Ricoh | 1:48:29 |
92 | Matias FITZWATERVet4Farm | DNF |
93 | James KRZANICHOlphert Contracting | DNF |
94 | Ben CARMENWPC South-Joyride Apparel | DNF |
95 | Shaun FALZARANOITM | DNF |
96 | Alex WESTTotalPOS Solutions | DNF |
97 | Oliver YOUNGAdair Craik Accountants | DNS |
Sprint classification after stage 4:
1 | Matt ZenovichPlacemakers | 59 pts |
2 | Ollie JonesPowernet | 29 |
3 | Alex VogelVet4Farm | 22 |
4 | James FoucheCreation Signs-Ronald McDonald House-Ricoh | 18 |
5 | Paul OdlinPowernet | 15 |
6 | Dylan KennettPlacemakers | 13 |
7 | Morgan SmithAardvark Excavators Ltd | 11 |
8 | Jensen PlowrightAardvark Excavators Ltd | 11 |
9 | Ethan BattWPC South-Joyride Apparel | 9 |
10 | Jordan GilmoreCentral Benchmakers-Willbike | 8 |
11 | Hamish BondKia Motors-Ascot Park Hotel | 6 |
12 | Blake SundeAdair Craik Accountants | 6 |
13 | Kevin GirkinsKia Motors-Ascot Park Hotel | 5 |
14 | Scott ThomasTotalPOS Solutions | 5 |
15 | Paul WrightCentral Benchmakers-Willbike | 5 |
16 | Thomas HubbardPlacemakers | 4 |
17 | Liam CappelVet4Farm | 3 |
18 | Nick WhiteAardvark Excavators Ltd | 3 |
19 | Kees DuyvesteynCreation Signs-Ronald McDonald House-Ricoh | 3 |
20 | Oliver MartinWPC South-Joyride Apparel | 2 |
21 | Roman Van UdenCreation Signs-Ronald McDonald House-Ricoh | 2 |
22 | Guy CarterCreation Signs-Ronald McDonald House-Ricoh | 2 |
23 | Tim ChapmanCreation Signs-Ronald McDonald House-Ricoh | 2 |
24 | Michael VinkWPC South-Joyride Apparel | 1 |
25 | Sam GazePowernet | 1 |
26 | Ryan ChristiansenKia Motors-Ascot Park Hotel | 1 |
27 | Ben OliverOlphert Contracting | 1 |
28 | Marcus CuleyPlacemakers | 1 |
29 | Sascha Bondarenko-EdwardsTeam Skoda Fruzio | 1 |
30 | Brad EvansWPC South-Joyride Apparel | 1 |
31 | Mark O’BrienKia Motors-Ascot Park Hotel | 1 |
32 | Hamish KeastPlacemakers | 1 |
33 | Josh PageBusiness South | 1 |
Mountain classification after stage 4:
1 | Ethan BattWPC South-Joyride Apparel | 48 pts |
2 | Matt ZenovichPlacemakers | 21 |
3 | Michael VinkWPC South-Joyride Apparel | 15 |
4 | Thomas HubbardPlacemakers | 15 |
5 | Hamish BondKia Motors-Ascot Park Hotel | 14 |
6 | James PiccoliKia Motors-Ascot Park Hotel | 12 |
7 | Ioan FullerTotalPOS Solutions | 8 |
8 | Sam GazePowernet | 8 |
9 | Jensen PlowrightAardvark Excavators Ltd | 6 |
10 | Brett GrieveTalbot Forest Cheese-Ultimo | 6 |
11 | Ryan ChristiansenKia Motors-Ascot Park Hotel | 6 |
12 | Scott ThomasTotalPOS Solutions | 6 |
13 | Morgan SmithAardvark Excavators Ltd | 6 |
14 | Kevin GirkinsKia Motors-Ascot Park Hotel | 5 |
15 | Nick WhiteAardvark Excavators Ltd | 4 |
16 | Brad EvansWPC South-Joyride Apparel | 4 |
17 | Jake MarryattFinance Now | 4 |
18 | Alex VogelVet4Farm | 4 |
19 | Sascha Bondarenko-EdwardsTeam Skoda Fruzio | 2 |
20 | Max JonesTeam Skoda Fruzio | 2 |
Young rider classification after stage 4:
1 | Ethan BATTWPC South-Joyride Apparel | 14:53:17 |
2 | Corbin STRONGTeam Skoda Fruzio | 09:13 |
3 | Connor BROWNPowernet | 09:20 |
4 | Nick WHITEAardvark Excavators Ltd | 10:38 |
5 | Campbell PITHIEITM | 14:33 |
6 | Jordan SCHMIDTVelofit-Santic Racing | 14:35 |
7 | James FOUCHECreation Signs-Ronald McDonald House-Ricoh | 14:52 |
8 | Blake SUNDEAdair Craik Accountants | 15:18 |
9 | Tom SEXTONBusiness South | 16:20 |
10 | Ben ANDREWSAardvark Excavators Ltd | 16:27 |
11 | Jensen PLOWRIGHTAardvark Excavators Ltd | 21:16 |
12 | Joel YATESTeam Skoda Fruzio | 23:27 |
13 | Darcy PIROTTAVelofit-Santic Racing | 23:47 |
14 | Jasper ALBRECHTVelofit-Santic Racing | 26:50 |
15 | Burnie MCGRATHAdair Craik Accountants | 33:24 |
16 | John WANSINKITM | 33:25 |
17 | Kees DUYVESTEYNCreation Signs-Ronald McDonald House-Ricoh | 34:24 |
18 | Paul WRIGHTCentral Benchmakers-Willbike | 36:13 |
19 | Carne GROUBETotalPOS Solutions | 41:04 |
20 | Reuben SOARESFinance Now | 47:40 |
21 | Felix DONNELLYBusiness South | 55:26 |
22 | Max JONESTeam Skoda Fruzio | 56:13 |
23 | Liam CAPPELVet4Farm | 57:08 |
24 | Hamish KEASTPlacemakers | 57:46 |
25 | Alex VOGELVet4Farm | 59:55 |
26 | Tilman STEGERMagnesium Pur | 1:18:48 |
27 | Brandon CONWAYOlphert Contracting | 1:23:48 |
28 | Ioan FULLERTotalPOS Solutions | 1:34:22 |
29 | Luke SHAWTalbot Forest Cheese-Ultimo | 1:40:00 |
30 | James KRZANICHOlphert Contracting | DNF |
31 | Matias FITZWATERVet4Farm | DNF |
32 | Alex WESTTotalPOS Solutions | DNF |
33 | Shaun FALZARANOITM | DNF |
34 | Oliver YOUNGAdair Craik Accountants | DNS |
Team classification after stage 4:
1 | Kia Motors-Ascot Park Hotel | 44:32:55 |
2 | WPC South-Joyride Apparel | 06:38 |
3 | Powernet | 10:25 |
4 | Team Skoda Fruzio | 25:31 |
5 | Aardvark Excavators Ltd | 26:31 |
6 | Placemakers | 28:34 |
7 | Olphert Contracting | 30:20 |
8 | ITM | 33:39 |
9 | Velofit-Santic Racing | 53:37 |
10 | Vet4Farm | 1:10:50 |
11 | Adair Craik Accountants | 1:13:22 |
12 | Creation Signs-Ronald McDonald House-Ricoh | 1:16:24 |
13 | TotalPOS Solutions | 1:32:20 |
14 | Finance Now | 1:41:53 |
15 | Business South | 1:51:04 |
16 | Talbot Forest Cheese-Ultimo | 2:02:35 |
17 | Magnesium Pur | 2:03:52 |
18 | Central Benchmakers-Willbike | 2:19:07 |