New professional rider Josh Burnett will be back on the start line of the Tour of Southland in November after making history in the event in 2022.
The 23-year-old recently confirmed his signing with Spanish pro-continental team Burgos BH, a welcome return to the international stage after the Black Spoke project folded last year.
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Burnett, then relatively unheralded as a road cyclist, grabbed plenty of headlines with a breakthrough victory in the Southland tour two years ago, becoming the first local rider to win the multi-stage race since Doug Bath in 1994.
Race director Glen Thomson said it was exciting to have the proud Southlander, who won one of North America’s top stage races in June, back on tour after study and race commitments ruled him out of the 2023 edition.
“Josh loves this bike race and we love having him here,” Thomson said.
“Along with the unwavering support of James Canny’s MitoQ-NZ Cycling Project, this race helped provide a springboard for Josh’s career. We believe Josh will go on to enjoy a lengthy career in Europe so this could be the last chance for a while for everyone who has followed him to see him racing in Southland.”
That springboard has become even more relevant following the sad demise of the New Zealand Cycle Classic.
“We’ve always respected the massive commitment which Jorge Sandoval and his team have put into that event over many years,” Thomson said.
“We know how challenging it is to put on a quality bike race and we remain extremely grateful for the support that Southlanders continue to give this event, whether it be as volunteers, sponsors or spectators, as we start to look ahead to our 70th jubilee in a couple of years’ time.”
Enhancing the Tour of Southland’s reputation for furthering the careers of young New Zealand riders, Thomson has opted to make one significant change to this year’s course, adding another gruelling 4km to the stage four finish on the Remarkables, near Queenstown.
“That takes the climb to 10km, with a bit of gravel at the end, and it will provide riders with the sort of data which can help them attract the interest of overseas teams. We’ve seen riders earn themselves contracts based on the numbers they were able to show on this climb and that’s exciting.”
Other young riders to keep note of ahead of this year’s race include Southland’s Marshall Erwood, the New Zealand under 23 road champion who impressed on debut last year, his junior world championship track cycling team mate James Gardner, who won a stage on debut last year,
Australians Max Campbell and Connor Lahey, an Olympic gold medallist in the team pursuit in Paris will also compete..
The seven-day 2024 SBS Bank Tour of Southland gets underway on November 3 with the opening day including the Stage One street race around Queens Park.