The Wairarapa stages of the Trust House Cycle Classic began yesterday in overcast conditions in Featherston with a 119.5km ride to Masterton via the western shores of Lake Wairarapa, Martinborough and Gladstone. The stage was won by Australian Stuart Shaw of the Trust House team. Scotsman Duncan Urquhart of UKNZ JobsScotland Team took out the King of the Mountain title but it was kiwi rider Tim Gudsell, of Samsung New Zealand national team, who held on to the yellow jersey. Gudsell, of Waikato, took the yellow jersey at the first criterium stage in Lower Hutt on Wednesday with a sharp late burst. Masterton rider Scott Lyttle, of the Infinity Solutions team, had a good ride. "I came in with the top 10 of the bunch. I came in in just under two hours and 50 minutes, at an average speed of 42km/h." He said the range of experience in the riders kept things interesting. "There was bit of jostling for position." After the race the riders, police and race officials adjourned to the St. Matthews Church Hall for sustenance. Mayor Bob Francis told them the Masterton District Council was delighted to be able to co-host, with Trust House, the tour and that the reason they host it is because "we believe in this event". He praised organiser Jorge Sandoval for the work he had done in transforming the event from something "mediocre" into a top class race. Trust House representative Craig Thompson, a Scot, also had something to say: "Welcome to the Jocks and well done for being King of the Mountain." Another voice was then heard to say, "I didn't know they even rode bikes in Scotland." Also happening yesterday was stage three, the Masterton Criterium. Today sees the fourth stage of the tour, with the the riders taking a 164km trip from Masterton to Pahiatua and back again.
