Expect to hear more about lucky lad Atkins

Josh Atkins might consider himself a "lucky" Tour of Southland winner.

If Hayden Roulston hadn't withdrawn from the race on Thursday with a kidney infection I have little doubt that he would have ridden his way to a fifth title in six years. Atkins himself acknowledged the hand he had been dealt after taking over the lead following his win on the Crown Range.

But the Tour of Southland might find itself lucky one day to have Atkins on its honour roll.

The kid from Christchurch had already been burdened by some premature hyperbole before he claimed the Southland tour's yellow jersey in Gala St on Saturday.

When he was contracted into Lance Armstrong's under-23 development team Trek Livestrong as a teenager a year ago, many were quick to proclaim him "the next big thing" in New Zealand cycling.

Expectation can warm or it can burn.

In Atkins' case, he headed to the United States and, by his own admission, struggled in his first year of competition.

He didn't meet his own expectations, probably put too much pressure on himself and started to doubt his own abilities.

That's dangerous territory to fall into in professional sport, where self-confidence is like armour.

Expect to hear plenty more about Atkins in the future, however.

The Tour of Southland and races like it, important in New Zealand cycling but just another event in the grand scheme of things, trade on the glory of their past winners.

Southland has had some good ones in the past, Tabak and Swart to name a couple.

Brian Fowler won eight Tours of Southland but opted not to chase a career overseas, while United States rider Chris Horner raced in Southland before going on to claim a prominent place in the pro ranks. Four-time winner Roulston has been on the podium on the Tour de France.

As more New Zealand riders find a place in the professional peloton, perhaps Southland's Tour will grow as an event that helped send a rider all the way to the top.

It might not be Atkins, but maybe one day a New Zealand rider will win a stage, or more – Cadel Evans' victory this year makes anything possible – in a Grand Tour or a Classic and we will remember the day that rider wore the yellow jersey in Gala St.

For sure, followers of cycling will not soon forget the race where a team of under-23 riders managed to hold off all comers and deliver a 19-year-old safely to line honours in Invercargill.

As PowerNet rider Shane Archbold said, belief can be a wonderful thing.

How did a team dominated by young track riders more used to pounding the boards than the roads hold off some of the best riders in New Zealand?

"We backed ourselves to go the distance. We only rode into yellow three days ago and we held it for two days," Archbold said.

"Everyone chucked everything at us, but we rode the front so hard that no-one could attack us. When they attacked us we shut it down on the front."

Atkins, who will go onto a second season with Trek Livestrong next year, agreed: "We outrode everyone all day. The guys were on the front all day smashing it."

Junior riders have been playing an increasing part in this race in recent years and it was only a matter of time before someone broke through to become the first since Karl Moore in 2001 to win the overall title.

With Ascot Park Hotel's under 23 rider Patrick Bevin winning the final stage and finishing second overall, the future is arriving early for New Zealand cycling.

Atkins, who claimed the under-23 title in his first Tour of Southland last year, wasn't committing himself to a defence in 12 months' time.

"Last year I said I'd never do it again. I'm saying it again this year, but I don't know, once it's over you are hooked on it and you want to come back.

"I'll see what happens. Maybe [Roulston] will put me in his team."

- © Fairfax NZ News