TOS Stages 3,4 and 5

Stage 3 was a short 48km stage from Riverton to Tuatapere in the morning, it went along the coast and the cross winds were unreal, and it was all or nothing the boys were full noise. Lucky for me the form was back today and I managed to slip into a good little group as everyone split, we were in bunches of 15 to 20 spread across the road anyone not in the incalon was in the gutter alone. I ended up in the 3rd bunch only 2.30 down.

James Jubb

Stage 4 was 100km Tuatapere to Te Anau in the afternoon. This stage had a decent hill in it, I went over the top with a small break about 10th wheel down the other side there was only 25 of us, but all the teams sat up and there wasn't much I could do about it after 5mins everyone was back together. It stayed together until 20km togo when everything went in the gutter at 55-60kmph and I couldn't keep up after 10km in the convoy a few of us got back onto the leader but then it all went balls out again and back off into the convoy I went. I finished in the cars only 1min back. So all in all pretty stoked with the 2 stages of the day, my GC moved back up slightly after the Shit day to Bluff.

Clinton Winning stage 4 yeah boy 

Stage 5 was the big one 179km from Te Anau to the Crown Range and it was raining. 

by Pete Bruggeman

At the start of this day I was shattered my legs were very sore, my team mates had to help me back on the bunch so many times it wasn't funny

Andy pulling me back on 

I was dropping wheels every time the going got tough. I was even dropped for about an hour with about 35 other guys we did end up getting back to the bunch after some solid solid work this is that break happening 

by Pete Bruggeman

After about 2 hours I started to come right and moved back up towards the front as I defiantly didn't want to go back to the dark place I had just been. Coming along the rolling hills along the lake into the Queenstown area I was feeling really good. Into the final 10km I was with the front 40 guys when Clinton Avery and Hayden Roulston got flat tires pretty close together and their teams sat up in the bunch, I was placed wrong in the bunch again and just rolled off the back again, I chased quite hard into the bottom of the hill leaving my bunch and going alone, Roulston caught me just before the turn into Crown range and I chased him up the hill.. he smoked me. I was only 2min 30 back by the top on the winner and 31st up there.

by Pete Bruggeman

I was really gutted I had lost a minute before the bottom of the hill I really wanted to try my best against the top road boys but been a rookie in their sport im always been out played.       

coming home this is how good my photos get cant be bothered out the window