Vink has won the past two tours and was twice second before that. The thirst for victory remains strong and he had confirmed he will be back for another crack.
"It was so special to back up my title in 2019. I think having won the race in 2018, there was a bit of pressure, mostly from myself as I wanted to show it wasn't a fluke," he said.
Only a very select few riders have won three tours in a row — Tino Tabak, Brian Fowler and, most recently, Hayden Roulston.
Vink knows how significant a third win would be, having grown up seeing Roulston as the king of the tour and a rider he always looked up to.
"I certainly don't see myself as a Roulston, Fowler or Tabak, but that doesn't mean I don't think I can win three in a row.
"Every year, every stage, it's just about putting your best foot forward as you never know when you might need to pull a rabbit out of a hat, so you have to be ready for anything.
" It's not about trying to win three in a row, but rather focusing on each battle to win the war," he said.
This year Vink will be riding for the Talley’s Transport Engineering Southland team, which retains the core of riders and staff from his 2019 team.
The Tour of Southland runs from November 1 to Noember 7, starting with a team time trial around Queens Park in Invercargill.
