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SBS Bank Tour of Southland stage ends in photo finish

23/1/2025 - The most iconic hill climb in New Zealand cycling produced one of its most dramatic finishes in stage six of the 2025 SBS Bank Tour of Southland today.

When the dust had settled Josh Burnett had claimed his maiden Bluff Hill stage win and retained the overall lead heading into the final day of the SBS Bank Tour of Southland.

After 155km of racing from Invercargill to Bluff, the result was only decided by the width of a tire as the PowerNet rider threw his bike across the line on the hilltop finish ahead of Cambridge’s Matthew WIlson (Advanced Personnel Cycling Team).

Having duked it out on the Remarkables climb on Wednesday, the two protagonists could only be separated by a photo finish atop Motupohue in one of the closest finishes in recent memory.

“It was pretty insane actually. Matt sent a crazy attack up there and I was definitely on the ropes for a bit. It was just a two-man drag race and the throw just got me there, so credit to Matt, he’s super strong and I was fully on my limit today.”

Despite winning the tour in 2022 and 2024, Burnett had never won the Bluff stage, a climb he has trained on more than any other.

A noted BMX and mountainbike rider in his junior days, he had to call on all his bikehandling ability to take the win.

“I’ve definitely won and lost a few bike races with the old bike throw on the BMX track down at (Invercargill’s) Elizabeth Park and definitely that skill came in handy today.”

As well as extending his overall lead by a handful of precious seconds, the win was special for more personal reasons for the Southlander.

“A good family friend of ours, Will Impelmans, he was a big part of the community down here. He started all the (Bluff Hill) mountainbike tracks here and now it’s a great facility which would have never been possible without Will,” Burnett said.

“He unfortunately passed away a few years ago so it’s been something I really wanted to do for him because he was a big inspiration of mine. I wanted to do well for him and his family because I knew a few of them would be out on the hill today.”

Today’s stage was a tale of frustrated breakaways with little wind to help fracture the peloton. Nick Kergozou (Open Country-TES) showed his undoubted speed and opened up a significant lead in the Sprint Ace standings.

Under leaden skies, it took nearly 100km for a break to stick, with Sam Jenner (Central Benchmakers-Willbike), Glenn Haden (Couplands-Cycling Tom Cycling Team) and Jack Gillingham (Moo-Vestar) escaping by up to 2min before behind brought back in the shadow of Bluff Hill.

Burnett will carry a 19sec lead over Wilson into the last day of the rescheduled 2025 event, which includes the 13km individual time trial at Winton and a final 77km stage from Winton to Invercargill.

Australian rider Ben Dyball (Macaulay Ford-Good Tech Team) is third overall at 1mn 11sec and the leading over 35 rider.

Burnett, who also leads the King of the Mountains standings, won the ‘race of truth’ stage in 2022 and finished third in 2024, on the way to winning both races overall.

“It’s a stage I’ve done a few times now and I think I’m quite well suited to it. You can’t really do much other than keep it upright and ride hard - there’s no tactics, it’s all on me. I’m looking forward to going for a good result,” he said.

“There’s a bit of pressure but I’ve come into this time trial with only half this lead - it’s definitely not a given but I’m confident in my time trial and it should be a fast one.”

Gutsy stage win on fifth stage of the SBS Bank Tour of Southland.

22/1/2025 - Cycling loves a redemption story and Dan Morton provided a brilliant one on stage five of the rescheduled 2025 SBS Bank Tour of Southland today.

The young Aucklander, a former junior world track cycling representative, was determined to do well on the 166km stage from Invercargill to Lumsden after a crash and a puncture on the same stage last year saw him finish towards the back of the field.

Part of a five-strong breakaway which launched about 25km into the stage, Morton was only caught with 8km left in the day and then somehow found the strength to kick again on Lumsden’s main street and leave the other stage contenders grasping.

“It’s every cyclist from New Zealand’s dream to win a stage here,” Morton said.

“I remember 2024 I had a lot of unfortunate mishaps on this stage. I wrote down on my goals that I wanted to do something special on this one and the Gore stage, and with a dropped chain on the Gore stage I had to get something done. I put everything into taking a win, so it’s so satisfying.”

Morton’s bold move to bridge across to the initial four-strong attack by Keegan Hornblow (Creation Signs-MitoQ-NZ Cycling Project), William Cooper (Open Country-TES), James Krzanich (Latitude Cycling Team) and Jack Clark (Macaulay Ford-Good Tech Team) paid dividends.

Behind them the peloton were playing cat and mouse, never letting them get beyond a lead of about 2min, but the big mover turned out to be Hornblow who launched his way into the Sprint Ace jersey.

Christchurch rider Krzanich was also rewarded with Most Combative honours.

PowerNet were able to control the pace of the race for their leader Josh Burnett, who finished the day comfortably retaining the orange jersey.

He holds a 15sec lead over Matthew Wilson (Advanced Personnel Cycling Team) with Australian Ben Dyball (Macaulay Ford-Good Tech Team) at 39sec in third place overall and the leading over 35 rider.

“My team mates did a fantastic job. It’s the first time a lot of them have had to ride the front like that and I was super proud of them. To be honest I didn’t have to do too much today and they did everything so a big thanks to them.

“Kiaan (Watts) got close at the end but credit to Dan, that’s pretty impressive to have another go off the front after a big day in the break like that.”

Noah Hollamby (Onya Bike) leads the under 23 classification by only 2sec in fifth place overall, with William Heffernan leading the King of the Mountain classification and Macaulay Ford-Good Tech Team defending their lead in the teams classification.

Burnett, who is chasing his third Southland title, was looking forward to stage six from Invercargill to Bluff, a 154km circuit which takes in eastern and southern Southland and goes past his family home twice before arguably the most iconic climb in New Zealand cycling.

“The race is wide open. So much can happen tomorrow before we even get to Bluff and everyone knows that so we’ll have to have our wits about us. It’s my favourite climb so I’m excited about that.”

 

 

 

Defending champion climbs into SBS Bank Tour of Southland orange jersey

21/1/2025 - The return of the Kingston Flyer and the iconic ‘Antlers Up’ featured on day four of the SBS Bank Tour of Southland as defending champion Josh Burnett climbed his way into the orange jersey.

Burnett has made the stage from Mossburn to the Remarkables, near Queenstown, his own since winning his debut tour in 2022.

The PowerNet rider made it three stage wins from three attempts today as he and Matthew Wilson (Advanced Personnel Cycling Team) stomped their way up the 6km ascent of the ski field access road.

Burnett rolled around Wilson in the final meters after a slow motion sprint, but with enough time to throw the Anters Up sign made famous by his favourite rugby team, the Southland Stags.

Earlier in the day, Alex Heaney (Pista Corsa-Spoken Cycles.co.nz) and Craig Oliver (Central Benchmakers-Willbike) were able to finally make a break stick after multiple attempts by would-be protagonists.

As they worked hard around beautiful Lake Wakatipu and their advantage grew to more than three minutes, tremors of nervousness went through the peloton.

A crash on the Falrlight straight, one of several this year, and the strongest cross-headwind this week, made life tough for all the riders. The climb saw a significant shake up of most of the race’s classifications.

Burnett has a 15sec lead over Wilson, while Ben Dyball (Macaulay Ford-Good Tech Team) also produced a great climb to claim third place on the stage, along with third overall and the lead in the over 35 classification.

Macaulay Ford-Good Team Team lead the team’s classification, with Noah Hollamby (Onya Bike) the leading under 23 rider in fifth place overall, James Gardner (Creation Signs-MitoQ-NZ Cycling Project) leading the Sprint Ace standings and William Heffernan holding a one point lead in the King of the Mountain classification.

“I just want to take my hat off to my team today,” Burnett said.

“The expectation is on us to control and they did a fantastic job. Hagrid (Josh Haggerty), Ben (Airey) and Tom (Stephenson) took over quite early. Craig and Heaney built up quite a nice wee gap. Kiaan (Watts) hit the front and managed to pull back one minute really fast, which shows his class and his selflessness to do that for me while he was in the (orange) jersey.”

It was PowerNet’s second stage win in succession, another strong result despite losing Ollie Jones to a serious crash on Tuesday. Jones was back in the team van for the Queenstown stage, albeit with a fractured wrist, elbow and hip.

“I’m stoked that I could finish it off for them,” Burnett said.

“Matt was super strong today, he did most of the work today. When we got to the bottom we had a pretty big gap and I was on the ropes for a little bit, but after that I felt quite controlled and approaching the top I was pretty sure I’d be able to come around.”

Oliver had tried to jump away from Heaney early in the climb and steal a march on the peloton before being overtaken, but he was rewarded for his hard mahi with the Most Combative jersey.

“I knew going up the climb that I’d just put in my best effort after a hard day in the legs, and it wasn’t quite enough. I enjoy racing my bike hard and making a good race of it. I was glad to get a tiny bit of leash, even if it was a tight one today.”

The other feature of stage four was the return of the historic Kingston Flyer, with the big, beloved steam train racing the riders along the Fairlight straight for the first time since 2008.

PowerNet will be tasked with another hard day of keeping things on track in stage five, a lengthy 166km stage from Invercargill to Lumsden.

The leader’s orange jersey has changed hands after every stage this week so far, including stints with Southlanders Marshall Erwood and Tom Sexton.

“Marshall and Tom have had it over me this week, so it’s pretty cool to get a third Southlander in the orange jersey,” Burnett said.

“To have all that support out on the roads and so many friends and family, it’s been super special and hopefully it’s more of the same for the next few days.”

 

 

 

Mixed fortunes for stage winning team on day three of SBS Bank Tour of Southland

20/1/2025 - It was a bitter-sweet day for the PowerNet team on day three of the SBS Bank Tour of Southland today.

PowerNet, with defending champion Josh Burnett on the books and a target on its back, managed to bank its first stage win of the week when Taupo’s Kiaan Watts sprinted his way to victory on the Te Anau lakefront.

Watts’ second stage win in his seventh Southland tour saw him move into the overall lead, but his team were also made to work hard throughout the 148km stage from Riverton and lost key rider Ollie Jones after he crashed heavily and had to be taken to Southland Hospital.

Watts has been in good form this week, with PowerNet finishing second in the team time trial before he finished third in the street race and second on the Gore stage.

He was part of a big breakaway group which did its best to stay away today, and then found his way to the front again with George Jackson (Creation Signs-MitoQ-NZ Cycling Project) after they caught leaders William Heffernan (Macaulay Ford-Good Tech Team) and Luke Burns (Couplands-Cycling Tom Cycling Team) after the Blackmount hillclimb.

“It was just chaotic right from the start, lots of people jumping, breaks going back,” Watts said.

“I think it was a hard stage for everyone, no matter where you finished, so I’m glad I managed to finish it off.”

The four-strong break had a 1min 40sec lead over the peloton as they turned with 20km to go at Manapouri. While all four riders had different agendas for the stage finish, they were coordinated enough to stay away until the end.

“I didn’t want the break to win, to be honest,” Watts admitted.

“I was really concerned about Luke Burns being in the front with us because he’s a big threat on GC for Josh. The team was concerned about keeping him close so I just had to sit on and play the game a little bit. We are here to win the tour overall. The stage win is great, I’m stoked, but I’m also pleased we could keep GC close.”

In many ways the tour starts tomorrow for PowerNet, with two-time winner Burnett getting the chance to test his outstanding climbing legs against the rest of the field on the exhausting 6km ascent of the Remarkables ski field access road.

Only 61sec separates the top 10 riders in the general classification, with Burnett poised at 1min and 1sec in ninth place.

“It wasn’t an ideal day (today) for PowerNet, but it was the best it could have been,” Watts said.

“It’s a shame losing Ollie, he’s on his way back to Invercargill for scans so that’s a really big loss. Like always we are going to really throw the kitchen sink at it and really look after Josh. We’ll let him loose and see how good he can go up the climb.”

Meanwhile, James Gardner (Creation Signs-MitoQ-NZ Cycling Project) continued a strong tour that he almost didn’t get to start.

The big Dunedin cyclist crashed heavily when he clipped a pedal in Saturday’s national criterium championships. An x-ray later ruled out a broken shoulder and meant he was able to line up the next day with a sprained AC joint and a range of other war wounds.

He spent more than 100km riding through the pain in the breakaway on Monday and by the time he unclipped in Te Anau was leading in both the Sprint Ace and King of the Mountain jerseys.

“I’m super stoked. It’s definitely unpredictable how all this plays out. These jerseys have the potential to change many times throughout the week so I’m just enjoying my time with them.”

Australian rider Burns was rewarded for his efforts in the break with the Most Combative jersey, while his team mate Glenn Haden retained the over 35 jersey and compatriot Heffernan is the leading under 23 rider. Creation Signs-MitoQ-NZ Cycling Project lead the teams classification.

Stage four of the rescheduled tour gets underway in Mossburn at 10.30am tomorrow.

 

Southlander claims win on second stage of SBS Bank Tour of Southland

19/1/2025 - The tour leader’s jersey swapped from one local to another after stage two of the rescheduled 2025 SBS Bank Tour of Southland today.

Tom Sexton (iBuilt) won the bunch sprint finish in Gore after a 151km stage from Invercargill in flawless summer conditions, assuming the overall lead from fellow Southlander and New Zealand men’s endurance track squad teammate Marshall Erwood.

It marked an impressive start to this year’s race for the young iBuilt team which produced an outstanding third in the prologue before Sexton finished fifth in the street race on Sunday.

“I knew I was going to have a crack on this stage and try to have an attack on Broughton St, but I couldn’t get away. I managed to get away from some of the really fast sprinters and then into a really technical finish which helped me out quite a bit,” Sexton said.

“To pull off the win is really good. The boys rode well all day, we were assertive at the front of the bunch and we were ready to go all day. It didn’t kick off like a normal Southland day because of the weather at this time of the year.”

Sexton paid credit to team sponsor Bill Blackmore, who is a strong supporter of cycling in New Zealand.

“It’s really cool to wear his brand, he runs a tour just out of Auckland for juniors and is really passionate about the development of junior cyclists in New Zealand. It’s really cool to be able to ride for him.”

The devastating winds which hit Southland and forced the postponement of the race were just a memory as the peloton made its way through central Southland, past stands of fallen macrocarpa and pine left over from October 23, with barely a breeze to trouble them.

James Gardner (Creation Signs-MitoQ-NZ Cycling Project) looked to have shaken off a nasty crash in Saturday’s national criterium championship to lead a breakaway which included the ageless Glenn Haden (Couplands-Cycling Tom Cycling Team), James Harvey (Latitude Cycling Team) and Josh Grieve (Central Benchmakers-Willbike).

Gardner went about gobbling up sprint points like Pacman, while Haden took the bulk of the King of the Mountain points as the breakaway extended their lead to as much as 3min at one point.

Gardner would end the day with the lead in the under 23 and Sprint Ace classifications, while Haden was presented with the King of the Mountain, Most Combative and Over 35 (Silver) jerseys.

Haden, who recently broke the New Zealand hour record and the world record for an over 40s rider, has had plenty of success in Southland in the silver jersey and in the individual time trial, despite first coming to Southland as a 35-year-old rider.

Following careers in motocross and downhill mountainbiking, the latter of which took him around the world, the Whangaui rider almost fell into road cycling by accident.

“I believe this is my seventh tour, so I’m starting to rack them up. I’m not sure how many I’ve got in the legs but as long as I can be of some use I’m keen to keep coming down,” Haden said.

“It gives me something to keep me accountable during the year and to work towards during winter. It’s pretty special to do this. We just get so well looked after by the team and the atmosphere is great, there’s familiar faces to catch up with, there’s something really unique about this race.”

Creation Signs-MitoQ-NZ Cycling Project leads the teams classification ahead of stage three and a 158km ride from Riverton along the southern coast and over the Blackmount Hill to Te Anau.

Sexton, who won the stage into Te Anau last year, shares the overall time in the general classification with Gardner, with defending champion Josh Burnett (PowerNet) in ninth place overall, trailing by 11sec.

 

 

Southlander leads SBS Bank Tour of Southland after furious day of racing

18/1/2025 - Marshall Erwood was planning to sleep alongside the SBS Bank Tour of Southland's orange jersey overnight before going out to defend it on the first open road stage from Invercargill to Gore tomorrow.

The proud Southlander and member of the New Zealand’s men’s track endurance squad was stoked to take an early lead in his home event after some furious racing on the opening day of the rescheduled 2025 tour.

It was a successful day for Erwood’s Creation Signs-MitoQ-NZ Cycling Project team after they won the team time trial prologue on a new 4.2km circuit in north Invercargill, before the under 23 rider finished second in the 42km stage one street race on the same course to take the overall lead in the general classification.

 “I would have loved to have put the arms in the air and pulled (the stage win) off, but second is leaving me wanting something more for the tour,” Erwood said.

Being presented with the leader’s orange jersey was a big moment, he said.

“It was pretty special. Nick Kergozou has been in the jersey, Josh Burnett has been in the jersey, to be among some world class Southlanders is pretty special.”

Hamilton’s Zakk Patterson (Quality Foods Southland-Gough Brothers) produced a classy sprint at the front of the 96-strong peloton to win the opening stage from Erwood and PowerNet’s Kiaan Watts. Earlier in the stage he had also won the sprint points to take an early lead in the Sprint Ace classification.

It was a great reward for a rider who has twice won the Te Anau stage in Southland, but was in doubt to even make it to the start line this year due to a recent throat infection.

“I had no expectations coming into this,” Patterson said.

“I was pretty sick a few weeks ago and didn’t even know if I’d be able to race. I came good the week before the tour, had a couple of rides and a club race. With one lap to go I was in a good position and the legs were feeling good.”

Creation Signs-MitoQ-NZ Cycling Project lead the teams classification, with Ben Dyball the leading over 35 rider.

Erwood leads by 4sec overall from a group of six riders, including Watts. Defending champion Josh Burnett (PowerNet) featured at the front of the street race at times and finished day one safely, 6sec in arrears.

Erwood was relishing the chance to be the rider everyone was watching ahead of tomorrow’s 151km stage from Invercargill to Gore.

“It’s going to be hard. There’s a pretty class field and to be going head to head with them is pretty special.”

 

 

Fast racing opens 2025 SBS Bank Tour of Southland

18/1/2026 - The rescheduled 2025 SBS Bank Tour of Southland is underway with Creation Signs-MitoQ-NZ Cycling Project taking out the 4.2km prologue in Invercargill this afternoon.

A fast-paced circuit based at the Waikiwi Rugby Club was used for this year's January tour, with infrastructure works ruling out the traditional Queens Park circuit.

One of this year's favoured lineups, the Creation Signs-MitoQ-NZ Cycling Project combination was the second last team away and blasted their way home in a time of 4:57.961.

PowerNet, which features defending champion Josh Burnett, was second fastest in 4:59.531 with early pacesetter iBuilt in third place overall in 5:00.930.

Sixteen teams, with a total of 96 riders, will contest this year's seven day tour, which finishes on the same Waikiwi circuit on Saturday afternoon.

Stage one gets underway with a 42km street race on the Waikiwi circuit, starting at 3pm today.

 

 

Defending champion returns for postponed SBS Bank Tour of Southland

14/1/2026 - A rescheduled SBS Bank Tour of Southland will see the return of defending champion Josh Burnett who will be gunning for a third win in his home cycle race.

Traditionally staged in early November, the 69th edition of New Zealand’s longest-running stage event had to be postponed in the aftermath of Southland’s dramatic October 23 storm which plunged the province into a state of emergency.

Burnett, however, was set to miss the November race due to a badly broken arm suffered in a riding accident, with the delay providing him with a summer to prepare.

Contractual commitments and world cycling regulations mean the professional rider will be riding for PowerNet rather than the NZ Cycling Project team he won with in 2022 and 2024.

Tour race director Waine Harding was excited to have Burnett back in the #1 race number for the rescheduled race.

“With Josh heading to Europe to pursue a professional cycling career we thought it might be several years before we saw him racing in this part of the world again. It’s no secret how much this race means to him,” Harding said.

“We are really grateful that the majority of our teams, riders, sponsors and volunteers have continued to support the race despite the postponement.”

A January Tour of Southland will have a different look, with much interest in how the summer weather will impact the peloton. Infrastructure works around Queens Park have seen the street circuit which starts and ends the tour moved from the centre of Invercargill to nearby Waikiwi.

The Creation SIgns-MitoQ-NZ Cycling Project team looks the strongest on paper with the likes of George Jackon and James Gardner and New Zealand team pursuit riders Marshall Erwood and Keegan Hornblow.

Matthew Wilson (Cambridge), who finished just under 2min behind Burnett in 2024, returns with his Advanced Personnel Cycling team, while Australian Samuel Jenner, who was third overall in 2024, is back with Central Benchmakers-Willbike.

New Zealand men’s endurance riders Tom Sexton (IBuilt) and Nick Kergozou (Open Country TES) will add serious horsepower to the race.

Whanganui’s Glenn Haden (Coupland-Cycling Tom Racing Team) eturns fresh from smashing the national one hour record, and setting a new world mark for a rider aged over 40, in December.

As always, the tour has a strong international flavour, with riders from Australia, the United Kingdom and Canada included in the peloton. Auckland’s Hunter Dalton will carry on a strong tradition when he lines up in the same race that his famous grandfather Warwick won three times (1959, 1961 and 1969).

The SBS Bank Tour of Southland gets underway in Invercargill on Saturday, January 18, finishing back in Gala St on January 24.

ENDS

 

 

 

SBS Bank Tour of Southland Announces Revised Course for 69th Edition

January 18–24, 2026

Organisers of the 69th SBS Bank Tour of Southland have once again demonstrated their adaptability, confirming a revised route for both the opening day and the final stage of the 2026 event.

Following significant damage to Queens Park caused by recent weather events, coupled with planned road works in the surrounding streets, the traditional circuit will not be available. After extensive assessment and consultation, the Tour committee has confirmed that a combination of Bainfield Road and Queens Drive will form the alternative course for the Riverside Rentals Team Time Trial and the CS Roofing Southland street race as well the conclusion to the Ascot Park final stage.

Tour Director Waine Harding said the committee was determined to create a route that maintained the essence of the opening and closing stages.

“It was important to us that the Southland public still had the opportunity to experience the excitement of the Tour up close. This new circuit provides a fast, open course that teams will relish, while giving spectators the chance to watch the riders flying along both sides of Bainfield Road and Queens Drive. Like Queens Park, the multi-lap format will bring plenty of atmosphere and intensity.”

The committee’s priority was to ensure continuity for spectators and riders alike, preserving the spectacle that Southlanders look forward to each year. The new course layout guarantees excellent vantage points and tight, fast racing that will challenge teams tactically and physically.

To add to the exciting week of racing, Cycling Southland will also host the NZ Criterium Champs on a shortened circuit to the one being used for the Tour on Saturday 17th January.

To support the event, the SBS Bank Tour of Southland will base its day-one and last day operations at the Waikiwi Rugby Club, whose facilities will also host a range of family-friendly activities currently being planned.

“We’re extremely grateful to the Waikiwi Rugby Club for opening their clubrooms to us,” Julian Ineson, Cycling Southland president added. “It means we can continue to deliver a top-class experience for riders while making it a fun and engaging day out for families.”

Further details, including activity schedules and maps of the revised circuit, will be released in the coming weeks.

 

 

SBS Bank Tour of Southland Rescheduled for 2026

29/10/2025 - Following the recent postponement of the SBS Bank Tour of Southland due to the State of Emergency facing the Southland region, Cycling Southland is pleased to announce that the 69th edition of this iconic event will now take place from 18th to 24th January, 2026.

The Tour of Southland committee has worked tirelessly over the past 24 hours to bring together all the elements to allow the race to be rescheduled.

A number of factors were taken into account; including accommodation availability, the international cycling calendar, other major Southland events, and traffic management planning, all of which needed to align to make the event viable.

Cycling Southland President Julian Ineson said the organisation was acutely aware of the importance of providing clarity to teams and stakeholders as early as possible.

“Teams, sponsors, and volunteers all rely on certainty to plan their involvement, and we wanted to ensure that any decision was made with both care and urgency. The Tour is an integral part of the Southland sporting calendar, and we’re committed to delivering another outstanding event in 2026.”

Tour Director Waine Harding said he was pleased that an alternative solution had been found to allow the Tour to proceed.

“The Tour of Southland holds a special place in New Zealand cycling, and it was important to explore every possible option to keep the event on the calendar. I’m delighted we’ve been able to find a pathway forward that supports riders, teams, and the wider Southland community.”

The rescheduled event will also create a unique milestone for the region, with the SBS Bank Tour of Southland set to be held twice in 2026, once in January for the rescheduled 69th edition, and again in its traditional November slot to celebrate the 70th anniversary of this prestigious race.

Cycling Southland also acknowledges the continued support of SBS Bank,whose partnership has been instrumental in the ongoing success and growth of this much-loved event.

SBS Bank chief executive Mark McLean said it was great to have the Tour re-scheduled so quickly, and to be able to give some certainty to everyone involved.

“We appreciate the extensive efforts of the Tour committee over the past few days as they worked through the various implications and logistics. We also acknowledge that many households in the region are still impacted by the recent weather event, and encourage any impacted SBS Members to reach out for support from the bank.”

 

 

 

 

TOUR OF SOUTHLAND POSTPONED DUE TO STATE OF EMERGENCY

27/10/2025 - Cycling Southland has made the difficult decision to postpone the SBS Bank Tour of Southland in the wake of last week’s unprecedented regional weather event.

With resources across Southland being prioritised as part of the ongoing State of Emergency, particularly traffic management services, organisers have opted to postpone the race, which would have run from November 2 to 8.

Cycling Southland president Julian Ineson said the organisation had been liaising with a range of stakeholders, including sponsors, funders, local councils and PowerNet and had taken that advice on board.

“This has been a really tough call to make, but we believe it’s the right one given the severity of the damage across Southland and the fluid nature of the clean up,” he said.

“These are exceptional circumstances, but we know how hard Southlanders are doing it at the moment and getting services restored has to be the priority. We will regroup and look at what’s required to find an alternative date for the event.”

Organisers had looked at a range of options to see if the race could be run under the current conditions, but had prioritised the needs of the wider community and the safety of riders, Ineson said.

Tour Director Waine Harding said while a tremendous amount of work had gone into preparing for this year’s race, there was a greater call on resources at the moment.

“There are a lot of moving parts to the event and we will let everyone know as soon as we can regarding future information about the race.”

SBS Bank chief executive Mark McLean said while it was disappointing not to go ahead as scheduled, as principal sponsor they understood and supported the decision, and that the priority needed to be the wellbeing of Southland communities at this time.