Matt Zenovich became the first Southlander in 10 years to win a stage in the race when he stormed home to win the 148km third stage from Riverton to Te Anau yesterday.
James Oram will stay in the yellow jersey for today's fourth stage from Te Anau to Queenstown.
Zenovich did a huge amount of work as part of a group of seven riders that broke away early yesterday.
The break, which also featured Dunedin rider Brad Evans and Kieran Hambrook, who finished the stage second and third respectively, had a lead of 3min 40sec by the time it reached the Blackmount Hill climb.
While that was whittled down to less than a minute, Zenovich was never about to relinquish his chance at a stage victory. With about 10km to go, Evans and Zenovich went off the front and Zenovich won the sprint finish down Te Anau's Lakefront Drive.
''I knew he [Evans] could sprint better than me so I had to sit on him. I played dumb and told him I couldn't do anything and sort of fed it to him at the end really,'' he said.
''It's kind of mean, but it's the sport, so you've got to do it. I'm stoked. This is a pretty big win and I'm pretty happy.''
While Zenovich went to 13th in the general classification, Oram and his Kiwi Velo-Armstrong Prestige team-mates did enough to retain the yellow jersey and an 11sec lead over Joe Cooper and Alexandra's Liam Aitcheson going into today's potentially tour-defining stage, which finishes with an 8km climb up Coronet Peak.
''You always want to be one step ahead of everyone else, so to come into Coronet in yellow . . . I only have to follow people, I don't have to be the aggressor,'' Oram said.
''It's probably one of the longest climbs in any New Zealand race, so it will be interesting to see how some of the younger boys shape up, especially Liam who is second overall.
''I know the likes of Mike Torkler and Jeremy Vennell, from racing in the States, can handle these types of climbs so I'll probably be watching out for them.
''It's not make or break, but it's definitely a day where if I gain time it will be very, very valuable and I don't see myself losing time.''
Tom Scully kept hold of the sprint jersey, and Grayson Napier retained the king of the mountain jersey.
With Oram in yellow, Aitcheson will wear the under-23 jersey today. Huon Salmon Genesys Wealth Advisors leads the team classification.
Tour of Southland: Today's stage
A 179km ride from Te Anau to Queenstown, finishing with an 8km climb up Coronet Peak.
