Vennell hopes this year will be the one

BY NATHAN BURDON

While the Tour of Southland field was being buffeted by driving hail and rain last year in some of the worst weather encountered in the race, Jeremy Vennell was out fishing.

The Bissell team rider will be one of the favourites when the six-day race begins with a team time trial around Queens Park this morning.

"I missed it last year," Vennell said.

"I was loving it. I was in the river fishing and then going home and watching it on the telly, loving that I wasn't down here, it looked miserable."

Vennell has ridden without luck in previous Southland tours.

In 2005 he was in the yellow jersey on the second-to-last day but lost it in the chaotic scenes surrounding the rider strike that marred the stage into Te Anau as Gordon McCauley rode away to glory.

The following year he was in yellow going into the final day but couldn't hold off a resurgent Hayden Roulston in his comeback from a premature retirement.

And in 2007 Vennell missed out on a crucial break on the first day of the tour, which basically ended his chances of winning, and then missed out on a stage win into Gore on the second day, before getting some reward with two stage wins later in the week.

While there are fewer nicer guys in the peloton, Vennell will be hoping to prove this week the old adage about where they usually finish wrong.

While he will have one of the strongest teams in the tour around him, and the astute leadership of former tour winner Glen Mitchell in the team van, Vennell hopes to regain some fitness after struggling with illness following the world championships.

"After the worlds I got sick and as it goes this time of the year it takes a lot longer to recover. I haven't really ridden the bike much so we'll see how it goes."

Vennell hopes to find his legs and get stronger as the tour progresses.

"Maybe hide the back and hope everyone forgets about me," he said with a laugh.

Meanwhile, plenty of attention will focus on United States rider Floyd Landis following the race start today.

He will be hoping his Cyclingnzshop.com-Bio Sport team does not lose too much ground in the time trial.

Landis, comfortably the biggest name to ever ride the Southland tour, told TV3 he was looking forward to the race.

"I've always heard good things from people who have been here. I'm pretty excited," Landis said.

"I'll have to race smart and I will take my opportunities when I get them."

ColourPlus rider Hayden Roulston will be looking to become just the second rider to win more than three Southland tours in a row this week.

Like Vennell, he has a strong contingent around him, including Olympians Marc Ryan and Jesse Sergent.

nathan.burdon@stl.co.nz

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