October

Bevin started the double day of racing out perfectly taking his second stage win at the Tour of Southland. The 48k morning was a battle in serious crosswinds, but the top 25 riders contested the bunch sprint with Bevin adding another win. Baldwin and Jones also crossed in the lead group.

Stage 4 was a 98k course from Tuatapere to Te Anau with a mid-race climb up Blackmount Hill. Eight riders broke away early, but the lead group was reduced to three by the top of Blackmount Hill. With 20k to go, a Pure Black rider made a solo attack and got 30 seconds on his breakaway companions. With a strong chasing group barreling down on him, he was eventually caught with 2k remaining. Jones, Baldwin, and Bevin also finished in this lead bunch, and there was little movement in the general classification with Carter maintaining his second place overall.

Stage 5 is the “Queen” stage starting in Te Anau and finishing up the Crowne Terrace. The day will definitely be decisive as riders venture along Lake Wakatipu and Lake Hayes near Queenstown.

The second stage of the Tour of Southland started out according to plan for BISSELL with Carter Jones in an early fifteen man break. The break worked well building a four minute gap while the rest of the BISSELL squad stayed attentive in the peloton. Crosswinds began to wreak havoc in the later part of the race causing several crashes. BISSELL’s yellow jersey, Patrick Bevin, was involved in a crash at a critical point in the race and suffered a puncture. The team worked very hard to bring him back but the winds and the approaching final climb up Bluff Hill were tough to battle. The break was whittled down to ten riders on the brutal uphill finish to Bluff Hill. BISSELL’s Carter Jones had a tremendous climb to take a very hard fought second place on the day. Carter now sits in second overall.

Tomorrow brings a double day with two stages. Riders will race thirty miles in the morning, and stage 4 in the afternoon is a sixty two mile gradual ascent including one big climb up Blackmount Hill. Glen Mitchell talks about the plan going forward, “we will be looking for opportunities to win stages and solidify a good GC place.”

BISSELL’s six man squad including Jeremy Vennell, Patrick Bevin, Chris Baldwin, Carter Jones, Michael Torkler, and Julian Kyer faced the cold and windy conditions which are typical for the Tour of Southland on Saturday's opening prologue. The team time trial was contested on a 2.62 mile loop in the city of Invercargill. BISSELL had a safe start to finish seventh and only lost seven seconds to the fastest finishing team.

Sunday’s stage 1 was a 98.61 mile course from Invercargill to Lumsden. Riders got a respite from the blustery conditions and were greeted by the sunshine. BISSELL’s plan for the day was to ride for Paddy Bevin who finished second here last year. Seven escapees got away early, and Torkler took position at the front of the peloton to hold the leaders in check. He maintained a manageable gap to the seven man break, and with 20k to go BISSELL worked to close the gap. The group was all together with a few kilometers remaining and Jones, Vennell, and Baldwin led Bevin to the finish. Baldwin towed Bevin into the final corner where Paddy patiently waiting to unload his sprint. Bevin timed his sprint perfectly to take the win. Mitchell reflects on the race, “great team day. There are five or six strong teams here so it will be hard racing all week.” With the ten second time bonus for the stage win, Paddy becomes the overall leader and is also is the best U23 rider.

Stage 2 is a 85.74 mile course with the grueling uphill finish to the top of Bluff Hill.

Video of Bevin's sprint finish for win and leader's jersey at Tour of Southland

The BISSELL Pro Cycling Team looks forward to returning to the Tour of Southland this October after missing two years of this epic race. BISSELL first competed in the Tour of Southland in 2007 where it had outstanding results including five stage wins. The team again returned in 2009. For 2012, BISSELL is bringing a very experienced roster including three Kiwi’s having years of history at this notoriously harsh race. Patrick Bevin will be focused on climbing onto the top step after his outstanding performance at last year’s race which landed him in 2nd place overall. Jeremy Vennell will be co-leading the team for GC and aiming for specific stage wins. Michael Torckler will be racing for BISSELL for the first time since the hit-and-run injury which he suffered this summer. Michael has experience in these tough racing conditions dating back to his first race here in 2008. He will provide the team with great climbing expertise and personal knowledge of the terrain and unseasonable race conditions. Racing the Tour of Southland for the first time will be Chris Baldwin, Carter Jones, and Julian Kyer. The three BISSELL riders are all coming off a strong final race in the United States at the USA Pro Cycling Challenge. Their overall ability at climbing and time trial will make for a very exciting competition.

The race starts with a prologue team time trial on October 28th and runs for eight stages ending on November 3rd with a double day which includes an individual time trial in the morning and a 87k finale. Manager Glen Mitchell will be directing the team in New Zealand.

A First Endurance video on the Tour of Utah KOM