Englishman Tim James [pictured] set the pace in the North Island leg of the Tour of New Zealand to be the first man home in all seven legs.
He was pipped by defending champion Dan Underwood in a close criterium near the Beehive in Wellington on the final day. Bothriders dominated the solo individuals of the North and South Islands stages.
At the finish at Awanui on April 20, the 45-year-old IT expert was pleased he had completed the 102km stage from Cape Reinga in under three hours - 2:57 to be exact, thus averaging about 34km/h.
"I'm very happy," James said of the opening ride.
Originally from Portsmouth but now resident in Perth, James crossed the ditch to take part in the Tour of New Zealand during his annual holiday after a friend posted him a video of last year's event. Of the conditions he encountered in the Far North, James said a mostly tailwind helped but the field got "absolutely soaked" shortly after starting, by riding right under a heavy shower cloud of cold horizontal rain.
He said the course was spectacular, with riders able to see either coast for the first 20km once the skies partly cleared but his perspective of the roads was that there some "very bumpy" parts which had his hands clamping up.
"Got a bit rough from time to time," he said, flexing his fingers after arriving at the Ancient Kauri Kingdom shortly after noon before tracking the progress of wife, Helen, in the event on his smartphone GPS. The couple represented the Perth-based Northern Beaches cycling club.
