With just the one stage to go it looks like all-the-way leaders Anton Cooper and Dan McConnell will win the inaugural Pioneer mountain race.
The event has taken place over seven days, starting in Christchurch last Sunday and ending in Queenstown today.
It goes through the Mackenzie back country and involved teams of two riding together.
New Zealand mountain bike champion Cooper and McConnell, an Australia, have led the competition which involves more than 100 two-person teams, since the first stage, a prologue in Christchurch.
The duo are nearly 13 minutes clear of Cory Wallace, of Canada, and Spencer Paxson, of the United States.
The stage yesterday was from Hawea to the Snow Farm, involving 67km and 2022m of elevation with the uphill ride coming near the end of the ride.
Otago cyclists Kath Kelly and Erin Greene lead the female category by more than 40 minutes.
The race finishes today with a ride from the Snow Farm to Queenstown.
