It was d?j? vu for Australian Oenone Wood as she relived a knife-edge finish when she won yesterday's second stage of the New Zealand community trust women's cycle tour. The nail biting finish was a near replica of last year's Martinborough to Masterton leg that also saw her claim the leader'syellow jersey leading into today's Admiral Hill climb. Wood, who rides with United States team high road, said she was grouped with three other cyclists on the last climb of Te Wharau Hill before two of her teammates joined the pack on the descent. "At that stage I really knew we were looking good and it was really my team mate Judith (Arndt) that did all the hard work for me." Five kilometres out from the finish line Wood suffered a punctured tyre and Arndt waited while she repaired it, she said. "There's three riders in the team really in contention for the overall title so tomorrow is going to be really telling. There's some big hills and the ten kilometre incline finish will be tough." Wood was part of the winning T-Mobile team in last year's tour and says, "if we can do as well as we did last year we will all be very happy". Australian Lorian Graham from the Netherlands team earned second place yesterday as well as the Queen of the Mountain jersey after Wood says she set the pace up the final hill of the day. Miho Oki, cycling for the Italians snatched bronze while Australian Carla Ryan wears the Under 23 jersey and American Katherine Carroll holds sprint champion. Tour director Jorge Sandoval said he challenges anyone to name a better New Zealand sporting event with such a high calibre of international athletes. "Not only do we have 18 countries represented here but we also have the best in the world. We have the world number one, two and three as well as the top rider from the sixteen nations." "I seriously doubt anyone in Masterton or New Zealand has seen a better sporting event," he said. Today's stage three is the final Wairarapa circuit covering 125km from Masterton, finishing at the top of Admiral Hill at approximately 2pm.
