Among the field of 114 starters across 19 teams will be several riders hoping to add themselves to an illustrious list that features many of the sport’s household names, including the likes of Tino Tabak, Warwick Dalton, Jack Swart, Brian Fowler and Hayden Roulston.
SBS Bank, naming rights sponsor of the six-day, eight-stage race for more than a decade, is being acknowledged for its support this year by the introduction of a new orange jersey for the general classification leader and winner.
Race director Glen Thomson, a former Commonwealth Games medallist on the track and a national champion on the road, said the change was one he was happy to initiate in his first year in charge of the event.
"The jersey has been different at different times and this is a real nod to the support we get from SBS Bank.
"They really get behind the race."
Thomson has opted to retain the same course used in recent years under former race director Sally Marr.
"What Sally has done is really good, especially drawing the stage back from Queenstown and going up the Remarkables — that does mean we don’t impact on Queenstown.
"We certainly didn’t think there was anything about the race that needed changed to make it better. We’ve driven the course and it certainly hasn’t gotten any easier."
The 14km climb to the midway point of the Remarkables access road was one that was not just a defining point of the race, but could also be a defining point in a rider’s career, Thomson believes.
"It’s a European-level climb. There’s a reason that guys who win that stage get interest from professional teams, because they can put their data across and say they are a proper climber.’’
Ben Oliver, a silver medallist in mountain biking at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, will get a chance to emphasise his road credentials in his sixth Southland tour.
The North Cantabrian held an early lead in last year’s tour before helping Creation Signs-MitoQ team-mate Josh Burnett to the finish line for a historic victory.
Quality Food Services skipper Boris Clark is another who will arrive in Invercargill’s Gala St with no shortage of ambition.
The Ohaupo rider, who will be competing in Southland for the fifth time, surprised even himself when he spent two days in the leader’s jersey last year.
Christchurch rider Campbell Pithie (Transport Engineering Southland — Deep South), a winner of two stages of the 2021 Southland tour before bad luck cost him any chance last year, could be another to watch.
The Japanese Olympic team pursuit squad is a welcome addition to the peloton, and will be bolstered by under-23 rider Oliver Watson-Palmer and talented Southland professional Hayden Strong.
Given the success New Zealand’s endurance track riders have had in Southland over the years, Thomson is excited to see the Japanese team contend.
The tour starts on Sunday with the Queens Park prologue and 42km opening stage.
