Shane Archbold goes very close indeed to taking another win for EvoPro Racing in New Zealand. The Kiwi was edged out by the smallest margin, as this photo finish shot reveals.
Having won the opening stage of the New Zealand Cycle Classic yesterday, EvoPro Racing went very close to another win today.
Shane Archbold, 'The Flying Mullet', was just about edged out right on the line by a member of the Swiss National Team, which had been aggressive all day.
EvoPro Racing began the stage with the yellow jersey and the lion's share of the other classification leads in the 2.2-ranked event.
Those came courtesy of Aaron Gate winning the opening stage, from a two-man escape one minute clear of the bunch.
Today the Swiss team was clearly smarting from having missed the escape on the opener and went on the attack.
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Cyrille Thierry was the main aggressor, going clear on the 129km stage from Cambridge to Lake Karapiro.
Thierry will be well known to Irish readers as he won the opening stage of Rás Tailteann last year. He then led the race all the way until losing it on the last stage into Skerries and ending 2nd overall.
Today his breakaway efforts did not succeed. However, he took control of the climbers' jersey and won the most aggressive ride award on the day.
EvoPro Racing rode hard to defend the lead of Gate. And the Kiwi kept his yellow jersey when the stage ended in a bunch sprint.
However, while Archbold excels in such situations, he was just about beaten by Swiss U23 rider Stefan Bissegger, a 20-year who holds the U23 Swiss TT title.
Going into tomorrow's third stage - some 152km starting and finishing in Te Awamutu - Gate leads by five seconds from Matthew Zenovich (St George Continental).
Stefan Bissegger gets past Shane Archbold for victory on stage 2 at the New Zealand Cycle Classic.
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