Tour of WellingtonNew Zealand, January 11-15, 2000Stage 4 - January 14, Upper Hutt circuit, 154 kmCourtesy of Jorge SandovalAnother big day for the riders in the Fuji Xerox Tour of Wellington with a 154 km stage around the Upper Hutt circuit near Wellington. Sixty nine riders started the stage from outside the Parliament buildings on yet another sunny day. The circuit was very demanding, including two hills per lap, the longest one a 2.5 km climb up the Wallaceville Hill. Brendon Vesty did a good job taking care of his Yellow Jersey, stopping any attempts from Mitchell, Miller and others to break away early in the race. With three laps to go Bart Hikson from Caravello Australia made a brave attempt to win the stage, and one stage was the leader on the road, 49 seconds up on Vesty. The Fuji Xerox team started the chase and they got Hickson on the next lap. With two laps to go Glen Mitchell broke away from the main bunch to join another five riders who where two minutes up the road. He joined them for a while before dropping them in the last 10 km to win the stage solo. Tomorrow things may change for many riders as they climb the 15 kilometer Hawkins Hill. Results:1. Glen Mitchell (NZ) Avanti Team 3.10.46 2. Karl Moore (NZ) Avanti Team 0.11 3. Ryan Russell (NZ) Avanti Team 0.15 4. Scott Guyton (NZ) Fuji Xerox 0.17 5. Stuart Terrell (Aus) Caravello Australia 0.30 6 Bart Hikson (Aus) Caravello Australia 1.50 General Classification 1. Brendon Vesty (NZ) Fuji Xerox 10.20.51 2. Bryce Shapley (NZ) Trust House 0.13 3. Bart Hickson (Aus) Caravello Australia 0.44 4. Scott Guyton (NZ) Fuji Xerox 1.18 5. Warren Clark (NZ) Fulton Hogan 1.25 6 Geoff Burndred (NZ) Powerbar 1.44 King of the Mountains 1. Scott Guyton (NZ) Fuji Xerox 2. Brendon Vesty (NZ) Fuji Xerox 3. Ryan Russell (NZ) Avanti Team Sprints 1. Brendon Cameron (NZ) Fuji Xerox-NZ Track Team 2. Matt Yates (NZ) Avanti Team 3. Ryan Russell (NZ) Avanti Team Teams 1. Fuji Xerox 2. Avanti team 9.36 3. Caravello Australia 15.37 |